Roundup: Underrated, unique brands I discovered during quarantine
* New posts go up every Thursday, so come back next week for another day of exploration, or a roundup of my favorite spots and fashion trends!
Like many of you, I’ve been spending a lot of time at home, head bent over either a book or my phone. One of my favorite things to do when I’m on my phone is scour social media and online clothing stores for unique, underrated indie brands. It’s like a mini treasure hunt that I set up for myself. What am I looking for? For starters, I try to find labels that bring something new to the table. A new way of tailoring a classic button-down. A change in the architecture of a tried-and-true denim jacket. Something avante-garde-y. Something, simply put, cool.
In my search, I was able to find a handful of names that really stood out to me. Like the Seoul-based PushBUTTON, which was founded by a former K-pop star, Seung Gun Park, back in 2003. It’s crazy to me that I’m only just discovering the brand. Given how funky and unique the silhouettes are (which is something I’m totally into), I probably should have known about it earlier. But here we are.
Another example is Marcia, designed by former French ballet dancer Emma Reynaud. I was initially really drawn to the brand’s side-button detailing, which is signature to Marcia. But in doing a little bit of research (particularly after feeling a Marcia dress’ elastic, swimsuit-like fabric between my fingers), I learned that the label uses upcycled Econyl — which is essentially regenerated nylon found in landfills and oceans — to make 100 percent of its products. Marcia’s website says: “Everything is made in France, oui oui. The design is carefully studied to sculpt your body and make you boom boom too.” And I just love that, because it does really make you boom, boom, which really means whatever you want it to mean. All to say, if finding gems like pushBUTTON and Marcia (read: fresh attire that’s guaranteed to be a conversation starter) is something you like doing, too, here are a few of my favorites.
Shopping tip: One thing I love about buying stuff from unique brands that make up their own trends is that it almost never goes out of style. I almost always end up buying items on 80 or so percent sales (or even sample sales!) Whenever I like an item, I’ll drop it in my wish list or place an alert, and wait.
PushBUTTON
Marcia
Y/Project
Chopova Lowena
Zemeta
Danielle Guizio
Siedrés
Mari Alexander
As an Los Angeles-based journalist and fashion writer, Mari Alexander highlights local and global talents through runway reviews, designer interviews, and trend reports.
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