JENNIFER EGAN is the national VP of marketing and business development of Gen Art, an arts and entertainment organization dedicated to showcasing emerging fashion designers, filmmakers, musicians and visual artists. Egan oversees teams in cities around the country who curate and select Gen Art’s fashion talent. “Los Angeles has a whimsy missing from other cities,” says Egan. “LA [designers] didn’t drop the hemline with the economy and didn’t make their collections darker and monochromatic to reflect the state of the world like most other designers.” Constantly scouring downtown showrooms and local boutiques, Egan is always on the hunt for the next big thing. “Los Angeles has incredible and eclectic talent at the forefront of some of the industry’s most important movements.” Here, we asked Egan to choose some of the on-the-rise LA-based designers currently on her radar and in her closet.
WREN
Melissa Coker worked at Vogue and then as a stylist before following her dream to design. Her line is consistently innovative. She designed my fave piece this season—a Chanel-meets-biker jacket I pair with everything. Visit wren-clothing.com.
SOCIETY FOR RATIONAL DRESS
Corinne Grassini is the visionary behind this monastic but chic line and is incredibly forward thinking. Her use of hardware is constantly right on the mark and undeniably esoteric. Visit societyforrationaldress.com.
BRIGID CATIIS
Raissa Gerona is a stoic environmentalist and laughs (literally and figuratively) in the face of those who claim “eco” means sacrificing style. Her clothes are stunning and fit like they were tailored just for you. Visit brigidcatiis.com.
GREY ANT
Grant Krajecki and Natalie Levy’s line Grey Ant is one of Gen Art’s oldest and favorite alums. My favorite piece of clothing is a Grey Ant micromini in silk. For a while I wore it so much people didn’t believe I had anything else in my wardrobe! Visit greyant.com.
LOUVER BY LOUIS VERDAD
The formidable designer’s line has experienced its share of challenges, but it has most certainly prevailed. Verdad is consistently coming up with new ways to update his signature vintage look. Madonna and Anna Wintour tapped him as the next Lacroix, so I’m excited to see what this next chapter brings. Visit louisverdaddesigner.com.
KATY RODRIGUEZ
Owner of the vintage store Resurrection, Rodriguez is one of the most important designers to come out of this city in some time. Visit katyrodriguez.com.
RAMI KASHOÚ
I love how directional this Project Runway alum’s work is, and the overarching (reinvented) Grecian theme running through his collections just works. I could be in one of his simple strapless day dresses and feel like I’m rocking an Oscar gown. Visit ramikashou.com.
