Budapest Post

Cum Deo pro Patria et Libertate
Budapest, Europe and world news

This Is the New Class of Contemporary-14 Labels to Know and Shop Now

This Is the New Class of Contemporary-14 Labels to Know and Shop Now

Labels like Loulou Studio, Totême, and Anna Quan have mastered minimal, elevated essentials-at a more approachable price.

You might already be familiar with fashion-forward contemporary brands like Ganni, Staud, and Nanushka-but a new class of minimal, neutral palette–loving labels has emerged. From LVIR to Loulou Studio to Totême, a mix of up-and-coming and well-established labels are finding success within the more approachable and price-conscious space they occupy in the contemporary category of the womenswear market. Their devotees are style-conscious individuals who don’t want to compromise on taste, prefer slow to fast fashion, and gravitate toward minimalism.

It’s good timing, too; luxury wardrobe foundations can cost well over $1,000 apiece and there’s a major demand for elevated essentials (shirting, knits, trousers, blazers, dresses) at less jaw-dropping prices. At the end of 2020, Vogue asked luxury retailers for insight into those best-selling categories and designers and, perhaps unsurprisingly, it included denim, leggings, and outerwear.

“Customers [are] prioritizing pieces with longevity that they can wear forever,” said Libby Page, senior fashion market editor at Net-a-Porter. Over at MatchesFashion.com, buying director Natalie Kingham predicted that fashion is headed for a reset: “I’m calling it a start-over with wardrobe foundations-a simplicity.”

According to Sasha Skoda, head of women’s at The RealReal, customers are building a capsule wardrobe of foundational pieces and have responded well to women’s coats and knits priced around $500. And there’s a handful of brands doing just that at a refreshing advanced or contemporary price point. Best of all, most of these companies are baking conscious and sustainable practices into their operations.

We’ve highlighted 14 labels that fall into this category-makers of clothes that are simple but never plain; wearable but never tiresome. Most of the collections share a common vision: to create a modern uniform to be worn and reworn for seasons to come. And that’s not to say they lack a fashion perspective either. These are labels with a point of view.

With price points mostly under $1,000, these labels have been brought on by a handful of luxury retailers that can barely keep them in stock. According to Tracy Margolies, chief merchant at Saks Fifth Avenue, Loulou Studio took off, while Totême has been a major success at both MatchesFashion.com and Net-a-Porter. The latter saw double-digit growth from the brand.

Shop Loulou Studio, Totême, and more of the designers filling our modern wardrobes, below.



Loulou Studio


Girl-about-town (Paris, to be exact) Chloé Harrouche founded her fashion label because she couldn’t find those wardrobe staples she was looking for. Enter LouLou Studio, which uses the city as inspiration and offers chic sophistication with its loose-fitting selection of perfect basics-relaxed trousers, suiting, sweater-vests, and tees with a twist.



Totême


Founded by Elin Kling and Karl Lindman in New York in 2014, the now Stockholm-based label was created to offer luxurious wardrobe staples that transcend trends. Each season the brand’s edit focuses on its own signatures-like quilted jackets and sleek denim pieces. To shop Totême is to acquire foundations for the ultimate minimal, modern uniform.



LVIR


With 25 years of design experience between them, South Korea–based design duo Jiyoung Ahn and WonSub Lee began LVIR. Three years later the brand debuted in Paris and was picked up by retailers like Browns, Net-a-Porter, Ssense, and Saks Fifth Avenue, which gravitated to LVIR’s masculine utility–meets–modern femininity approach. You can expect workwear-inspired dresses, structured trousers, and faux leather outerwear.

The Frankie Shop


Manhattan locals and Parisians might already be familiar with the Frankie Shop’s brick-and-mortar locations, which sells a mix of labels like Rachel Comey and Simon Miller, but its own line of minimal yet stylish wallet-conscious staples is just as noteworthy. Founded by Gaelle Drevet, standouts of the brand include pleated trousers and hourglass-shaped blazers.

BITE Studios


In 2016 BITE Studios was founded by a group of friends based across London and Stockholm and Gothenburg, Sweden. The brand (an acronym for By Independent Thinkers for Environmental Progress) creates thoughtfully designed pieces with longevity in mind-95 percent of the materials and textiles used in its collections are either organic, recycled, or low impact. You might have seen one of its oversized cuff silk blouses or earthy-colored separates on Net-a-Porter’s consciously focused edit, Net Sustain.



Anna Quan


Anna Quan is an Australian label launched in 2015 and designed by Anna Huong. Following a less-is-more philosophy, the line is known for its elevated tailoring and shirting options and has put a focus on luxe comfort-it now offers a range of knit dresses and relaxed trousers in clean, super-wearable



Paris Georgia


New Zealand–based duo Paris Mitchell Temple and Georgia Cherrie are the cool-girl best friends behind this label. Their womenswear is an ode to the female form, and they’re known for combining subtle design details with a modern appeal. You might recognize Paris Georgia’s signature contrast trim tank or slip dress-both can be spotted on a bevy of It girls on Instagram.



Baum und Pferdgarten


Founded in Copenhagen in 1999, Baum und Pferdgarten is helmed by Helle Hestehave and Rikke Baumgarten. The label is beloved for its mix of playful silhouettes and colors, and it offers a sweet Danish spin on wardrobe essentials—think sleeve dresses, outerwear, and knits.



Tove


Ranging from $69 to just over $1,000, Tove refers to its own retail strategy as “respectful pricing.” The range reflects the unique materials and the level of craft and workmanship that goes into each piece. Founded by Camille Perry and Holly Wright in 2019, the label offers elegantly gathered dresses and pleated tops that wonderfully fuse a minimal and feminine aesthetic.

Anna October


Seventy percent of Anna October’s spring 2021 collection was made from deadstock fabrics. The Ukraine-based label, named after its designer, brings a contemporary twist to vintage-inspired pieces like open-back knit dresses, breezy midiskirts, and smocked bustier tops. October’s easy pale hues would attract even the most minimally minded person to color



Le17 Septembre


Founded by Eunhye Shin, Le17 Septembre offers an upgrade to modern basics. Responsibly made in Seoul, the label boasts clean and unfussy silhouettes in neutral tones-elevated loungewear sets, day dresses, and easygoing trousers-which are given a bit of personality with the addition of a knot or unexpected seam. The line is also influenced by Korean architecture and design, and retails at an approachable price without overproduction.

Esse Studios


Esse Studios brings familiar yet covetable basics-black tailored Bermuda shorts and button-up shirting-to the forefront of conscious-minded style. Founded and designed by Charlotte Hicks, the Australian label reimagines classic pieces in slow-released capsule collections made from sustainably sourced fabrics. The brand’s mission is to produce less but offer well-fitted, everyday staples that work for you.

Low Classic


Based in Seoul, Low Classic is designed by founder Myoungsin Lee, who approaches fashion with a back-to-basics philosophy. She offers everyday pieces like blazers, knits, belted trousers, and shirting with a utilitarian aesthetic-no embellishments or fussy fabrics. Each season brings an elegant and modern take on contemporary minimalism, as Lee marries straightforward suiting traditions with innovative design.



House of Dagmar


Swedish contemporary brand House of Dagmar, part of the Stockholm Fashion Week calendar, applies a thoughtful approach in designing its essential wardrobe staples. In fact, the spring 2021 collection is made of 100 percent sustainable materials and certified fabrics. You might shop the label for its mindful practices and contemporary price points, but also for the Scandi spin it puts on everyday wardrobe essentials-they’re just as cool as you would expect.

AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Miliband Sets Climate and International Law at Centre of UK Diplomacy
Czech Central Bank Governor Rejects Early Euro Entry and Rate-Cut Pressure
Trump Readies New Tariffs as Temporary Global Levy Nears Expiry
Vivienne Westwood Casts Cicciolina, 74, in Its New Autumn Campaign
Dejavu: Germany’s Military Expansion Reshapes Europe’s Strategic Balance With France
Morgan Stanley Builds a Wall Street Lead in AI Infrastructure Finance
High Prices Push Coffee Drinkers Toward Whole Beans and Home Brewing
Trump Draws Boos and Podium Scrutiny at Spain’s World Cup Triumph
Brilliant move: Péter Magyar Moves to Nominate Chess Grandmaster Judit Polgár as Hungary’s President
Spain Defeats Argentina in Extra Time to Win Second World Cup
Current AI Seeks to Build an Open Global AI Infrastructure Outside Big Tech Control
Germany’s Economic Malaise Reopens the Sunday Shopping Debate
Proposed U.S.-Saudi Nuclear Pact Could Permit Limited Uranium Enrichment Under International Safeguards
Netherlands Declares Water Shortage Emergency After Drought Pushes Rivers to Historic Lows
Why Kentucky Fried Chicken Became KFC—and Why the False Explanations Persist
Ukrainian Drones Strike Wildberries Warehouses Deep Inside Russia
Reported CIA Mission Helped Clear the UAE’s Path to Advanced US AI Chips
Artificial Intelligence Capital Fuels Markets While Governments and Regulators Face Mounting Strategic Tests
China’s Moonshot’s Kimi K3 Narrows the Gap With Anthropic Through Scale, Openness and Lower Cost
The Ledger Will Not Trust on Faith
Trump Administration Pressures Banks to Restrict Financial Access for Undocumented Immigrants
Passenger Bound for Germany Refused to Sit Beside a Woman on a Plane — Then Slapped a Flight Attendant
Ukraine’s Leadership Rift Spills Into the Streets as Protesters Target Army Chief
Ukrainian Drone Barrage Kills Eight and Strikes Russian Logistics Network
The Ten World Cup Finals That Defined Football History
Smartphones Are Getting More Expensive, Sales Are Collapsing, and Even Apple Admits: "Prices Will Rise"
The Monaco Bombing Has Become a Test of Ukraine’s Intelligence Accountability
Leadership Change and Strategic Rivalry Redraw the Political Map
The AI Race Enters Its Infrastructure Era
Britain Nationalises British Steel to Protect Scunthorpe Production and Strategic Supply
French National Assembly Overrides Senate to Pass Historic Assisted-Dying Legislation
Spanish Prime Minister's Wife Ordered to Stand Trial as Corruption Probes Encircle Governing Party
Zelensky Faces Kyiv Protests Over Ousting of Dynamic Ukrainian Defense Minister
Thomas Tuchel Faces Fierce Backlash After Tactical Retreat Costs England World Cup Final Berth
A Quiet Bastille Day: France Grapples with World Cup Heartbreak and Leftover Fireworks
Spain in Ecstasy: "We Feel Unbeatable, We Taught the Whole World a Lesson"
Spain and UK Dismantle Gibraltar Border Following Landmark Schengen Integration Treaty
Hungary's "Puppet" President to Be Ousted, Orbán Fumes: "Democracy Is Dead"
Forget Tinder: The Surprising Platform Where People Find Love
Harvard Astrophysicist to Lead U.S. Scientific Advisory on Unidentified Aerial Phenomena
Emergency Sirens Activated Across Bahrain as Interior Ministry Issues Shelter Directives
World Cup Visitors Turn American Big-Box Stores Into Souvenir Stops
Netflix Weighs Always-On Channels, Bundles and Short-Form Video
Passenger Is Pulled Partly Outside Ryanair Jet After Window Fails Mid-Flight
The AI Invoice Shock: Layoffs Didn't Save Managers Money — They Cost Them More
Concern: Sexually Transmitted Bacterium Among Men Develops Antibiotic Resistance
Passenger Partially Pulled Out of Ryanair Jet After Cabin Window Fails Mid-Flight
Severe Heatwave Drives Dangerous Ground-Level Ozone Pollution Across Two Thirds of European Union
The Physical and Electronic Barriers Disrupting Domestic Wireless Networks
France and Morocco Open World Cup Quarter-Finals as Collina Defends Refereeing
×