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Annette (left) and Daniela Felder

Felder Felder
Who? Annette and Daniela Felder, 28.

Background
German twin sisters Annette and Daniela both trained at Central Saint Martins College of Art & Design, where their debut collection was spotted by New York’s prestigious Gen Art organisation. Following an invitation to show at Gen Art, Felder Felder was snapped up by New York boutique chain Searle. In London, Joseph and a host of other buyers followed. They are showing at LFW for the first time since their graduate collection, at Vauxhall Fashion Scout, with the legendary Patti Wilson (of New York i-D) styling.

What are they doing that’s different?
Their ice-cool brand of foxy mini-dresses is sharpened up by a range of slightly outré accessories, which border on the fetishistic. The collection is dominated by hard-edged mini-dresses and mini-skirts in a palette of blacks, greys and metallic hues with chains and buckles trussing in any touches of chiffon. Their first collection was influenced by riding gear, and one of their riding harness belts was worn by Sienna Miller, to much eyebrow-arching in the fashion press.
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In a few words?
Cool, elegant, modern.

Where can I buy the label now?
Joseph, 236 Westbourne Grove, W11 (020 7243 9920/www.joseph.co.uk) Notting Hill Gate tube. Open Mon-Wed, Fri, Sat 10am-6.30pm, Thur 10am-7pm, Sun 1-6pm. For more information visit www.felderfelder.com.

Louise Gray in her studio just off Mare Street, Hackney

Louise Gray
Born and brought up in Fraserburgh, north-east Scotland, Louise Gray (25) dreamed of designing textiles from an early age. After embroidering her father’s slippers when she was only six years old, she went on to study a BA in textiles at Glasgow School of Art and then on to an MA in fashion at Central Saint Martins, under the watchful eye of course director Louise Wilson. While there, Gray worked for Peter Jensen, Lanvin and Diane von Furstenberg, as well as scooping the prestigious Lancôme Colour Award for new talent. Having graduated from Saint Martins in March this year, she is now launching her own collection at London Fashion Week as part of the Fashion East line-up. ‘Everything just seems to have been a progression really,’ says the super-focused designer who has a canny flair for throwing an outfit together.

What is she doing that’s different?
Gray specialises in boldly coloured, optimistic-looking clothes that are embellished in unusual ways – perhaps a rosette-like fixture attached to little gold chains hanging from the bust of a short column shift dress. ‘I love colour and I like mixing up strange things together,’ she says. ‘Dresses should be fun. I feel like on some level I am offering something quite strange but really wearable at the same time.’ For the collection she’ll be showing on the London catwalks next week, Gray was partly inspired by artist Paul Klee: ‘I like looking at lots of different things that don’t really go together and then bringing them all together with one idea,’ she says.

In a few words?
Stylised, vivid, fun, adorned, whimsical.

Where can I buy the label now?
No stockists yet but for more information visit www.louisegrayfashion.com.

Afshin Feiz

Afshin Feiz
Afshin Feiz (38) studied at the renowned Studio Bercot in Paris before training at Thierry Mugler, John Galliano and Christian Lacroix. Working with the masters of jaw-dropping, red-carpet gowns equipped him with a uniquely elegant touch, which he used as first assistant designer at Nina Ricci, before setting up his own label in 2005. Afshin’s clothes are sleek and feminine, but ultimately wearable. ‘Although a lot of craftswork goes into it, my dress is a dress that you can wear,’ he says. Already a favourite of Katie Holmes, Paris Hilton and Julia Stiles, and a familiar face on New York’s fashion circuit, Feiz will be showing in London for the first time this season.

What is he doing that’s different?
The beautiful cut and understated prettiness of Feiz’s clothes mean they are easy to slip on. His bib-fronted semi-sheer shirts and roomy blousons are becoming his signature look, while he uses panels of satin with contrasting trims to make flattering evening dresses. The rest of the collection is made up of elegant separates such as cashmere dress-coats and slouchy bubble-hem jackets. Feiz believes that ‘women who normally don’t dress too feminine become converts when they try on my clothes. The clothes are for fashion-conscious women who don’t want to hide behind a mask.’

In a few words?
Flirtatious, feminine, polished.

Where can I buy the label now?
Cochinechine, 73 Heath St, NW3 (020 7436 9377/www.cochinechine.com) Hampstead tube. Open Mon-Sat 10am-6pm, Sun 12noon-6pm.

RODNIK's Philip Colbert and Richard Ascott in their Smithfield studio, performing as This Is Not a Rock Band

RODNIK
Who? Richard Ascott, 26, and Philip Colbert, 27.

Background
Having met while studying art history and philosophy at St Andrews, Richard Ascott and Philip Colbert started their quirky label after a box of wispy goat-beard scarves they brought back from a trip to Russia was a huge hit among friends. So positive was the response that they decided to approach some shops, including Liberty and a string of chi-chi west London boutiques, where they became instant best-sellers. Showing in London for the first time next week with their own idiosyncratic rock band (contrarily called This Is Not a Rock Band), RODNIK’s designers are set to ‘tour’ the world’s finest department stores to publicise their new collection. Check out the gig at Topshop on September 19, played by the duo on a miniature drum kit and piano, with Peaches Geldof on backing vocals.

What are they doing that’s different?
Goat beard is no longer the mainstay of the collection; though it features as a trim on some garments. Now the pair have broadened their appeal with ruffle-front pencil dresses, tulip-shaped skirts and T-shirt dresses with oversized bows. The clothes might lack technical brilliance but are extremely wearable and utterly chic. Ascott and Colbert also boast business acumen and are switched on to more mundane practicalities like supply and delivery chains: ‘We admire Jonathan Saunders for that. Every buyer we speak to tells us he always gets his orders in early, and people notice it. We’re determined to get that side of things right.’ Their intelligent, humorous take on fashion has already won over US Vogue’s Anna Wintour and Chanel’s Karl Lagerfeld.

In a few words?
Quirky, fun, unpredictable, sophisticated, biographical.

Where can I buy the label now?
Selfridges, 400 Oxford St, W1 (0800 123400/www.selfridges.com) Bond St tube. Open Mon-Sat 9.30am-8pm, Thur 9.30am-9pm, Sun 12noon-6pm.

Peter Pilotto in his Hackney studio

Peter Pilotto
After dressing the windows at Vivienne Westwood for three years, Peter Pilotto (30) studied art and fashion in London then in Antwerp, where he was hailed by critics as the Royal Academy of Fine Art’s ‘most promising student’, and awarded prizes from the Flanders Fashion Institute, The Coccodrillo Shoe Award, and the Maria Luisa Award. He launched his label by popular demand in 2004, specialising in vivid prints and avant-garde styling, quickly winning the approval of Dazed & Confused, i-D and Nylon with his weird and wonderful first collection, ‘Carried away by a moonlight shadow’.

What is he doing that’s different?
Pilotto says his work differs from that of most other designers, who he believes are caught up in ‘mixing their own vision with a particular era or decade’. Instead, he tends to adopt an artistic approach to fashion, and cites cultural influences like the Ballet Russe and abstract art rather than fashion eras as inspiration. ‘I like to add everything I love to the collection,’ he says. Hence the importance of his print designs, which dominate every collection, such as the firework sprays stretched across sheer leggings, zodiac draped across Grecian dresses and trompe-l’oeils of chains, ropes and even lightbulb motifs on T-shirts. While the silhouettes are fairly restrained, the unique fabric prints render them beautiful originals.

In a few words?
Techno, baroque, beachy.

Where can I buy the label now?
It’s available to order online from New York’s Seven boutique. www.sevennewyork.com