Meet Isa Arfen, the New British Label That Takes Cues from Stella, Phoebe and Clare
An Italian. Educated at Saint Martins. Trained at Chloé. Living in London. That's designer Serafina Sama's story in way less than 140 characters, but once you see the clothes you'll surely want to hear more. What I like so much about Sama's line, called Isa Arfen, is its wearability. London fashion tends to be about the wild and unfettered, and it's refreshing to see a young designer making something that's really neither of those things. Which is a sort of rebellion in itself. In fact, Arfen seems to be most influenced by British designers the generation before her—Phoebe Philo, Stella McCartney, and Clare Waight Keller, who make real clothes for real women—rather than her contemporaries. I spoke with Sama last week about the collection, and where she'd like to see it go.