5 of the best new fashion cities
Paris, Milan, London and New York may be established fashion capitals, but with cool labels basing themselves in surprising locales, the style map has evolved. By PANDORA SYKES
LOS ANGELES
Ever since Hedi Slimane relocated Saint Laurent’s studio to LA in 2012, the city’s reputation as a fashion dead zone for anything other than denim (see Frame, J Brand and Paige) has been in flux. With small cult brands such as Staud and Reformation joining established labels like Rosetta Getty and Tom Ford, LA’s fashion kudos is now firmly cemented.
STAY: Hotel Covell is the hippest hangout on the Cali hotel scene. hotelcovell.com
MOSCOW
In tandem with the arrival on the fashion scene of Russian influencers like Elena Perminova and Natasha Goldenberg, Moscow has unfurled as a city to watch. Former fashion director Natalia Alaverdian launched elevated-staples brand A.W.A.K.E. in 2012; designer Olga Vilshenko’s folkloric pieces are worn by everyone from Alexa Chung to Florence Welch; and street-style icon Vika Gazinskaya’s balloon-sleeved dresses are the go-to for anyone more avant-garde.
SEE: Stop by Garage, the art space founded by fashion muse Dasha Zhukova. garagemca.org
SYDNEY
Home to arguably the most established fashion week after the Big Four, Sydney is a hotbed of Antipodean talent, known for their sexy, monochrome-cued simplicity. Star players include Dion Lee, Michael Lo Sordo and Georgia Alice, but you can’t reference Sydney without namechecking Zimmermann: the vacation-wear label dominates the market and has just opened a London flagship.
EAT: With its graffitied walls and excellent wine list, the Dolphin Hotel is the place to see and be seen. dolphinhotel.com.au
TOKYO
As much as they love international luxury fashion – every second foot in Tokyo is sheathed in a Gucci loafer – Tokyoites have long enjoyed their nation’s sweethearts: Comme des Garçons, Issey Miyake and the ever-useful Uniqlo. Now, welcome the new gen: Sacai, no longer the fashion insider’s secret, melds the playful and elegant, while Facetasm nails on-trend streetwear.
STAY: Actress Chloë Sevigny won’t stay anywhere but the Hotel Okura when she’s in town. okura-nikko.com
COPENHAGEN
The Danes’ innate sense of style has finally gone global. Ganni is the current name on everyone’s lips for its easy-to-wear designs and non-eye-watering prices, while By Malene Birger has reinvented its modern wardrobe essentials. Clothing aside, you’ll be hard-pressed to find a cool Danish girl without a piece of Sophie Bille Brahe’s ultra-covetable fine jewelry.
STAY: Check into Nobis Hotel, a sleek Scandi pad. nobishotel.se
The people featured in this story are not associated with NET-A-PORTER and do not endorse it or the products shown.