Designers, archivists, and fashion-nerds alike have all looked to the past for inspiration, but it has not been until recently that interest in archival fashion has been growing at a near-exponential rate and seeped its way into the cultural menswear zeitgeist of the 21st Century. A lot of this interest is focused on collections dating back to the 90s and early-2000s, as some consider this era a “Golden Age” in men’s fashion. Margiela, Comme Des Garcons, Issey Miyake, Helmut Lang, Raf Simons and others have all given us incredible collections during this era, with certain pieces so covetable and rare they have fetched astounding price tags of $50,000. But where did this sudden interest really stem from? Is it due to the rise in sustainable fashion practices in this day-and-age? Is it because of a hyper-fixation on the source material for collections we see on the runway today? Was fashion just better back then? Regardless of our answers to any of these questions, I like to consider myself an optimist and forward thinker, despite the exuberant amount of hours I have sat on Vogue Runway looking at past collections. Here at Fashion Moves Forward we are going to play Nostradamus, but instead of predicting the end of the world (a little too on-the-nose right now?), we are giving a predictive on the current designers of today who archivists and the designers of tomorrow will be looking back to, collecting, and referencing.

Craig Green

Exploring the many facets of uniform and business dress, Craig Green’s clothes are like a meditation on skin. Since mesmerizing the audience with his debut collection in 2014, leaving many so moved they were brought to tears, Craig Green has remained fashion’s golden goose. His mark on fashion has been profoundly felt around the globe, now lauded as one of the most exciting designers to grace the runway. Green’s designs are often colorful, complex, and bend the archetypes of garments. He challenges his audiences’ perspectives as he craft his stories. Each collection questions the idea of time, merges the past with the future, and reinforces Green’s obsession with the uniform of function. Green is confident in his vision and it has been pure and wholly his own since the beginning.

Kiko Kostadinov

Starting his namesake label directly after graduating from Central Saint Martins, Kiko Kostadinov made waves in the fashion world almost instantly. The prodigious designer indulges himself in narrative and central character which he reflects collection after collection. Kostadinov’s inspiration comes from many facets, be that a romanticized fascination with workwear, the great outdoors, or the louche, Bohemian spirit of the 60s and 70s. Exposed threads, eye-catching colors inspired by ancient Belgian pottery, geometric patters, ventilated fabrics - Kostadinov finds erudite ways to add warmth and texture to his garments. Kostadinov has a way of making you question the garments of one collection while answering it with his next.

Wales Bonner

Omitting her own first name from her brand, Grace Wales Bonner is one of the most private and elusive designers in fashion. Rarely accepting interviews, Bonner weaves her words and ideas into her clothes. She explores the ideas of identity politics, black culture, African shamanic spiritualism and effortlessly intertwines them with contemporary British tailoring silhouettes. “I’m connecting to a lineage and a history where there are many examples of the very elegant, sophisticated characters that were part of a [historical] narrative that just weren’t being included” (Grace Wales Bonner). In a world of hyper-masculinity, she presents a bold and beautiful counterpoint of the black male body and how gentle it can be. Grace Wales Bonner is a cultural force in fashion, setting her own precedent of what masculine beauty is.

Bode

Launching her eponymous label in 2016, the Atlanta-Born designer, Emily Adams Bode has re-purposed and redefined the codes of menswear. With an instantly recognizable aesthetic, just four years after launching, Bode has captured the world’s attention. Using antique textiles and artisinal fabrication processes, Bode crafts classic American staples. “The goal for Bode is to create clothes in a modern way based on traditions” (Emily Adams Bode). Bode’s garments are love letters you can wear, love letters to a past life. There is something poetic about taking storied fabrics from the past and repurposing them into a beautiful one-of-a-kind patchwork jacket or a gold-appliqued pair of trousers. Bode has given these fabrics a chance to share their stories while at the same time forming new ones.

Marine Serre

“One-meter-fifty, but a will of steel.” The late Karl Lagerfeld said it best when describing Serre at the Forces of Fashion conference in NYC. In an industry where community, visibility, inclusivity, sustainability, and creativity are paramount, Serre is an outspoken advocate and trailblazer. With Serre launching her namesake brand in 2017, she has evoked a romanticism and femininity in every garment she sends down the runway. Embedding deep cultural and political seams in her garments from an up-cycled scarf dress to moire taffeta tailoring to a form-fitting logo’d bodysuit. “When you buy something, you want it to touch you and make you happy. That’s what all of us here are working for” (Marine Serre). Serre’s designs do more than just reflect the society we live in today, but they tell us how it could be better.