Fashion-industry’s power to watch in 2024 – labels by powerful women

I’ve never had very much available to me,” Dumi explains when discussing the growth of her brand. “I think I create better when I’m in a tight box. If I were given all the materials in the world, I don’t think I could create something as thought-provoking.” While her designs are certainly that, Dumi is a rare breed of artist who balances her creativity with pragmatism. “Success happens when preparation meets opportunity,” she says. “Especially nowadays, you can’t just let it unfold organically. I think you have to work for anything you want, and I want this.” Some of her pieces have a monastic quality, inspired by her Catholic upbringing, but all of the clothes, even the more artful, Louise Bourgeois–esque looks, are wearable. Twisted fabric and draped detailing are derived from the traditional wrap clothing worn by those in her family’s native Brazilian and Nigerian cultures. You can clearly see Dumi’s skills in the garments, namely in the strong, thoughtfully off-kilter construction that was likely learned during her time at London’s Central Saint Martins, where she graduated with a focus in menswear.

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Such is the case too for Vitto, who showed during Milan Fashion Week and was supported by Dolce & Gabbana via its program that aims to empower young designers through financial backing and mentorship. The designer, who got her master’s from the Royal College of Art in London, launched her namesake label in 2020 and has shown for the past two seasons in London; for Spring 2024, she was invited into the Dolce & Gabbana archives to source vintage fabrics. The resulting body-hugging separates and knitwear feature cutouts, as well as silver hardware embellishments, that enhance the wearer’s natural shape. Vitto, who currently sells direct to consumers on her website, is focused on building a brand that is authentically size-inclusive; her pieces are available from small up to 4XL. “We started off with the goal of being as representative as possible,” she says. “For me, it was always about trying things on myself and on my friends.” Growing up in Brazil, Vitto often had a hard time seeing curvy women like herself in fashion, especially during a time when there was the rise of local supermodels like Adriana Lima and Gisele Bündchen. “That’s very much not the body type that the average Brazilian woman has,” Vitto notes. “I’ve always had an issue with that.”

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Rachel Scott of Diotima is proof that one can achieve commercial success with craft-based clothes. Born and raised in Jamaica, Scott launched her label in New York in 2021 with the intention of giving more space to her culture and its history, as well as to the creativity that was born there and continues to thrive locally. “I knew that this brand needed to be something that would bring awareness to Jamaica and the Caribbean culture at large,” she says. Scott, who came up through Central Saint Martins and New York’s Fashion Institute of Technology, works with local craftswomen in Jamaica who collaborate with her on her spectacularly beautiful doily-inspired crocheted pieces. Her tailoring is loose but distinct, and all of her ready-to-wear is intentionally tactile and sensuous, with elements like embroidery, layering, and macramé. This year, Scott was an LVMH Prize finalist and a runner-up in the CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund, which awarded her a $100,000 grant. She’s currently stocked at retailers including Bergdorf Goodman and McMullen in Oakland, and she hopes to open a space in her hometown of Kingston that will act as an atelier and, more importantly, serve as an exhibition space for local creatives. 

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And that’s the end:)