9 Independent Labels Runway Debut At Spring Summer 2026 Fashion Week
The new names on fashion week calendars.
Fashion’s biggest one month long race has ended, but the buzz still runs hot – between a wave of new designer debuts at major fashion brands and online discourse, this season feels more polarised than ever. Yet beyond the luxury fashion behemoths and social media comment sections, independent brands and emerging designers are igniting new conversations. Freed from strict house codes, these new voices craft their own unique language and chart their own course with fresh ideas quite unlike others. Here, we spotlighted the new names that recently joined fashion week’s runways.
1. AUBERO
Founded in: 2022
Debuted at: New York Fashion Week
Growing up near the California beaches, Julian Louie’s Aubero seamlessly blends urban style with effortless silhouettes. Navigating between the nostalgic and future, at the core of Aubero is its approach to materials that repurposes antique textile into something new. His upbringing in Santa Cruz leads as inspiration, with extravagant textures and textiles giving the everyday wear a slight edge.
This year, Apparatus - NYC interior gallery - doubles as a stage for the brand’s runway debut. Louie’s use of muted tones of brown and monochrome doesn’t bore, instead excites in a series of appliqué sarong skirts, men’s short adorned with embroidery, and shirts made easy thanks to light fabrics.
2. LII
Founded in: 2023
Debuted at: New York Fashion Week
Upon graduating from Fashion Institute of Technology, Chongqing-born designer Zane Li chose an unconventional path for new designers of today, that is foregoing the security of a full-time job at a big fashion house, and starting his own. His boldness bore fruits early, just a year after launching his brand, Lii has found its footing as one of New York’s most exciting emerging labels.
After primarily hosting womenswear appointments in Paris, Lii joined the NYFW calendar this season with its inaugural runway show. Contrary to the quiet and dull connotations often associated with today’s minimalism, Li’s designs are anything but. The interplay between colours, deconstructed layers, and a sculptural sensibility grant expressiveness to his minimalist approach. The latest collection sees a tender melange of 1990s minimalism and retro American sportswear. Few standouts include tees layered in multiple colours, boxy dresses providing sensuality by way of tongue-in-cheek cutouts, and hems hanging loose as decorations.
3. AMIR TAGHI
Founded in: 2018
Debuted at: New York Fashion Week
Amir Taghi’s namesake offers a nuanced eccentricity to the everyday wardrobe. Taghi’s journey in fashion began as an Iranian growing up in Houston while trying to challenge the notions of traditional dressing. His heritage shapes the brand, with each collection revealing a new side of his heritage, but it is his precise tailoring and tactility that gives them sophistication and versatility. His designs are ripe for the modern woman, mature but with a youthful edge that doesn’t lean much into humour. Take his latest collection which took inspiration from Iranian singer, Googoosh, that features a sequin embroidered power suit, handkerchief dress, and asymmetrical tops in a muted colour palette reminiscent of traditional Iranian ceramics and textiles. The combination of delightful layering, textures, and prints provides each piece both wearability and the power to make a statement.
4. RUADH
Founded in: 2024
Debuted at: New York Fashion Week
Denim is at the very heart of this New York based label founded by Scottish descent Jac Cameron. Her love for the indigo runs deep, before she established her own label, she ran as a Global Denim Director at America’s very own renowned jeans brand, Calvin Klein. With Ruadh, she approaches design grounded in sustainability and ethical practices. Each step is considered; from their supply chain (the brand partners with Saitex and uses 100% organic cotton for all T-shirts and denim) to their packaging that limits waste. This commitment to mindful fashion earned them B-corp certification just right before its NYFW debut. On their first catwalk presentation, the brand presented an upscale and refined take on women’s daily wardrobe, infusing subversion to femininity by use of materials and silhouettes.
5. DIOTIMA
Founded in: 2021
Debuted at: New York Fashion Week
Rachel Scott is quick to turn heads with her label Diotima. Within a few years of its debut, Scott has been named as CFDA’s Emerging Designer of the Year and Womenswear Designer of the Year in two consecutive years. Her pedigree spans 16-years working in Milan (she was part of the Costume National as assistant designer) and NYC, most recently she was appointed as the new creative director for Proenza Schouler.
When it comes to presenting her collection on the runway, she decided to take it slow, joining New York’s calendar just this season. Diotima’s collections are made between Jamaica (Scott is Jamaican-American) and New York City, it probably explains Diotima’s duality that possesses both a sense of Jamaica’s exuberance and New Yorker style. The latest collection takes inspiration from Carnival, the lively Caribbean celebration, and took place in an industrial gallery donated by the team at COS. Her Spring Summer 2026 collection continues to honour the generational Jamaican craftsmanship while pushing further techniques and form with a series of knitwear balanced with seductive cutouts, the result of her modern interpretation grounded in her lived experience as a Jamaican.
6. MUKCYEN
Founded in: 2023
Debuted at: Tokyo Fashion Week
While many of Japan’s famed designers are usually men, every so often, women designers make their own mark on the Tokyo fashion scene and beyond. This year’s Tokyo Fashion Week was opened by Yuka Kimora’s brand, Mukcyen, a result of her winning the JFW Next Brand Award Grand Prix 2026 which was previously won by Fetico and Telma. Mukcyen, a name derived from Kimora’s Chinese name (having grown up largely in China), holds no specific meaning, mirroring Kimora’s distinct and subversive vision for the brand.
Spring Summer 2026 marks only her fourth collection so far, which explores themes of duality and disruption – sheer fabrics hug the body, monochromatic ensembles bound with chainmails, and feet sometimes bare, other times are covered in boots. With this collection and her most recent accomplishment, it only further solidifies Mukcyen’s place in the industry.
7. E.W.USIE
Founded in: 2024
Debuted at: London Fashion Week
Josh Ewusie recently graduated from Central Saint Martins last year, immediately after, he secured a residency at The Kings Foundation in partnership with Chanel. Ewusie is of Ghanaian descent, but grew up largely in the South of London, a city known for its cultural melting pot. As a teen, he saw his mother often dressed up to work mixing traditional wear with something modern – he admitted, he felt embarrassed then. Now, this very concept of clothes as a mode of expression becomes the driving force of his label. Influences of Ghana are weaved throughout what can be called as a quintessentially London style: stylish, but not too polished.
Blue colour palette tinged Ewusie’s latest collection, on the clothes and the catwalk painted in that same colour, emitting youthfulness and excitement in the hands of the designer. Leatherwork remains a cornerstone of the brand, taking the form of voluptuous layered dress and matching set of top and bottom with intricate craftsmanship that continues to highlight Ewusie’s evolution.
8. TALIA BYRE
Founded in: 2024
Debuted at: London Fashion Week
Talia Lipkin-Connor grew up familiar with the fashion industry; her great-uncle set up shop called Lucinda Byre in the 60’s to 80’s. The independent store stocked Vivienne Westwood and dressed The Beatles, becoming one of the go-to shops for any fashionable British woman then. Lipkin-Connor established Talia Byre, not as a continuation but to honour this heritage. Her designs may not look futuristic, but it is future oriented in the way each piece is made to be worn for years to come.
The newest collection titled ‘Real Estate’ plays into Deborah Levy’s novel with the same title, exploring textures and the idea of home. Each collection is a reflection of the designer’s own style and wardrobe, intimately personal and real. This season, they come to life in a series of bodysuits, cardigans, and figure-hugging leggings. The collection also incorporates more masculine forms, transformed with bold colours and stripes, echoing the idea of interior. A notable feature is the collaboration with Uggs, which, though not yet available for purchase, are eagerly anticipated.
9. MAXHOSA AFRICA
Founded in: 2011
Debuted at: Paris Fashion Week
Maxhosa Africa, led by Laduma Ngxokolo, has recently made its mark on the international fashion scene. After over a decade of showcasing collections primarily closer to home in Africa, the brand finally joined the Paris Fashion Week calendar just last year, becoming the sole African name in the whole timeline. Initially launched for those seeking traditional attire, now, it’s evolved into so much more. In its core is a celebration and honour of traditional Xhosa craftsmanship through luxurious knitwear characterised by vibrant colours and intricate details. For its latest collection, it featured elaborate dresses, cardigans, and ponchos in striking, punchy colours, ultimately contemporary and heritage-rich in its display and artistry that showcase the extensive beauty of African culture.