The Fashionista 15: New York Labels To Watch

New York Fashion Week has officially begun and as we've learned, more designers are showing than ever before. New York seems to breed new talent at an alarming rate compared to other cities. And while that may irritate established designers and make our schedules that much more insane, we love nothing more than being surprised and blown away by a name we'd never heard before. Still, it can be tough to filter out the real talent from the ones who will fade into the background. All it takes to show a collection is time and money, but to show one that makes us want to see more--that takes something special. So, for the second year in a row, we've handpicked 15 relatively under-the-radar designers showing this week who we think are worth paying attention to. Click through to learn about each one and why we think you'll be seeing a lot more of them for seasons to come.

Author:: Dhani Mau
Publish date:: Sep 8, 2011

Kevork Kiledjian When your father is a couturier for Lanvin and your mother is an architect, it's kind of inevitable you'll wind up doing something in the design industry. Such is the case with Paris-born designer Kevork Kiledjian whose namesake label has already won big-name fans like Kate Moss, Carine Roitfeld and, the ultimate endorsement, Michelle Obama--all in the span of six months, since Kiledjian first showed last February. After one look at his sleek, and ultra-sexy collection, you can see why he's become a staple among the red carpet crowd, although his real feat is making clothes that fit and flatter women of all body shapes and sizes--from Beth Ditto to Zoe Saldana (both of whom have worn his creations). "[Fit] is the most important thing to me," he told us during his Resort Presentation. We concur! -Hayley Phelan