TREND| The Fashion Op-Ed Designer of The Year for 2025 - An Era of Intentional Consumption

For the second annual selection of The Fashion Op-Ed Designer of the Year  the goal is to highlight the designers who speaks directly to the heart and mind of their client.  

In North America, the consumers of contemporary and luxury products seek more than mere association with the fashion brands they wear or follow on social media platforms. We love well designed clothes and  clothes that reflect the inner sense of our higher self. Despite the Amazons and Sheins of today and yet to be created there will always be a strong market for beautiful product and clienteling. Prior to making this next point I want to emphasize that price point is not the sole consideration nor is it the driving factor when I speak of purchase behavior of this consumer segment. As the market for less expensive comparable goods grow and the quality of those products improve; contemporary and luxury brands will not be able to rely and survive solely on brand name. In the last two decades European luxury fashion companies have become accustomed to brand recognition and frankly took advantage of the sense of familiarity consumers have with these brand names that other equally important elements - in-store customer service being a major one - has fallen by the wayside. Money is a form of energy and when he or she invest in a brand the manner in which the company engages and reciprocate the same level of good well in its clients is the foundational bases of all measurable key performance metrics on the balance sheet. 

With thats said as the foundation of the conversation - 

The Fashion Op-Ed Designer of the Year 2025 - Michael Rider

For 2025 The Fashion Op-Ed Designer of the Year is awarded to Michael Rider the recently named artistic director of Celine. Rider who prior to succeeding Hedi Slimane was the creative director of womenswear at Polo Ralph Lauren. His design vision for Celine's mens and womenswear thus far is the perfect marriage of practical American sportswear and elevated Parisian sensibility. 

In an interview with W Magazine Rider discussed his design direction for luxury maison "Celine makes strong fashion out of real clothes and doesn't need to distract or push into the realm of abstraction in order to excite, "- "Strangely, despite all the talk of timelessness and practical wardrobes in fashion today, very few Parisian brands have decided to make that into the capital -F fashion."

What I found most interesting in watching the new Celine shows was the frankness, the straight forwardness, and the common sense element of the offering - very Americano to that end. Which is refreshing. There is this paradigm that "fashion" cannot be common and matter of fact, no, there needs to be some whimsical storyline - that era is OVER and never to be dug up AGAIN. Partly due to Demna and his successfully tenure at Balenciaga which ushered in a new era of the fashion industry. He modernized a old dog; breathing new life and talking directly to the client rather than talking above or at them (us).  No longer is the fashion industry monopolized by quasi- monarchs and tyrannies - although there is still a prominent group of individuals pursuing the cause at the expense of their failing businesses across both traditional publication and retail. Demna's achievement was also in realizing that the fashion business and design model had changed from trickle down to trickle up and across. Progression in the business sector cannot be discussed as a separate development apart from the various changes in the world - demographic shifts, social and political changes, and technological advancements - a design business is by nature intimately connected to the world. A "good" designer are those described by the late Karl Lagerfeld as antennas who capture the zeitgeist of their time and translates it into the most beautiful products and experiences. 

Hands down Celine by Michael Rider was the most modern and forward thinking design of ready-to-wear for 2025. A collection of well tailored foundational wardrobe pieces - knitwear, formal  and causal dresses, jeans, blazers, leather bomber jackets. The proportion reworked vintage silhouettes and modernized them balancing oversized with fitted. The styling juxtaposed mundane staples with elevated and unique pieces  giving new life to everyday practical outfits. Accompanied with accessories like silk scarves and beautiful leather bags - jewelry was also done very well. Footwear was on the weaker side for both mens and women. From the Resort collection I was not a fan of the boxer boot with brand name obnoxiously running down the middle of the tongue. Although I loved the fitted leather sneaker I would like to see a more contemporary offering for menswear. 

Where I also see opportunity for the Celine outside of the collection is its online presence especially on the brand’s website. As someone who loves to scan brand's websites I would like to see on-model styling rather than the collection be flat laid. Brands have vast possibility with their website to build a community or tribe of loyal clients through education - i.e. suggested styling and storytelling - which leads to longer time spent on the platform and a higher possibility of conversion. Although there are people who are able to read the product descriptions, take their measurements, and visualize themselves in the clothes - many are not. As someone who has worked in corporate digital retail for a global fashion brand  in my experience tracking and monitoring the website consumers frequently gravitate to items with on-model assets then those without. I recently read Nordstrom's co-chief executive officer Pete Nordstrom at the WWD Apparel & Retail CEO Summit disclosed that about 40% of the business is driven by its online business.  On-model images will have users explore websites similar to popular mood board site Pinterest, Instagram, or even Tumblr - it also helps with visualizations and manifesting as users are able to projective themselves on to the models in the mind's eye. 

The Fashion Op-Ed Designer of the Year 2025 Runner Up - Sandy Liang

The Fashion Op-Ed Designer of the Year 2025 Runner Up, Sandy Liang is a New York based fashion company; which for the last few years I have been growing very fond of and posting on my socials. Her collections are the intersection of life sized doll clothes and Brittany Spears “I’m not a Girl, Not Yet a Woman” - which resonates to my core (lol). Of the designers who show at New York Fashion Week Sandy Liang is a consistent and direction setting figure always forward thinking and unquestionability unique in her design vision. 

There are somedays that I simply want to be a grown little girl. I want to dress very pretty and wear my Chanel black chiffon pleated skirt, my black patent leather Bruno Magli Mary Jane flats, with a ribbon in m
ay hair or my hair down with a larger satin scrunchie around my wrist. Sandy Liang speaks to that girl-woman. 

What I adore about Sandy Liang’s design is how she balances playfulness and a sense of childlike wonder with the very practical nature of clothes (and of being a business owner). The collections are always very concise and focused; styling very special pieces with core wardrobe staples like knit sweaters or fleeces. I get a lot of joy watching her main spring and fall collections which are usually the height of her aesthetic expression they are unapologetically girlie with a capital "G" - "The Girls Designer" a leader of the pack. While with her the bridge collections her offerings are a bit toned down and lean more democratic and commercial friendly.  

Sandy Liang's fashion business is also made by and for those of us born in the omnipresent era technology. The brand has a strong social media identity and voice. The company's e-commerce boutique is also an extension of that  consistent brand story. I love to scan the site and sometimes get styling ideas or just simply to see what is new.