Article by Kitty Noofah
Marking the finale of Fashion Scout’s three-part Ones To Watch programme for its 20th anniversary season, Edition 03 brought together seven emerging designers, each exploring identity, heritage and experimentation through a distinctive creative lens.
Featuring BAM-BAM, Diamanté by Venuka, Hurricane B, KOFFI MAAKO, NMCG, Raxada and Yukito Lim, the showcase reflected Fashion Scout’s longstanding commitment to discovering and supporting new talent.
Over the past two decades, Fashion Scout has supported more than 1,500 designers from over 70 countries, connecting emerging creatives with international press, buyers and industry figures. Ones To Watch continues that mission, offering designers at formative stages of their careers an international platform.
BAM-BAM
Mixed-heritage British designer BAM-BAM, now based in Indonesia, transforms tailored streetwear into a canvas for original artwork. The designer’s self-developed “Abstract Cubist Patternism” translates hand-drawn illustrations into individual garments produced alongside a small artisan team.
DIAMANTÉ BY VENUKA
Sri Lankan-born, England-based designer Venuka Wickramaarachchi brings heritage craftsmanship into contemporary luxury. Sculptural silhouettes and textile manipulation are combined with traditional techniques including Beeralu bobbin lace and Dumbara Rata weaving, giving historic craft a modern expression.
HURRICANE B
Established in Italy in 2018, Hurricane B explores contemporary femininity through sensuality, strength and sculptural form. Italian craftsmanship meets a futuristic aesthetic through refined materials, experimental details and confident silhouettes.
KOFFI MAAKO
Founded by Ghanaian designer Mako Akolam, KOFFI MAAKO draws inspiration from identity, architecture and cultural storytelling. The geometry of Gurunsi architecture informs experimental construction and handcrafted details, with limited and made-to-order production giving each piece its own narrative.
NMCG
Irish designer Niamh McGovern’s NMCG examines the meeting point between traditional Catholic ceremony and contemporary youth culture. Corsetry and tailoring are transformed into exaggerated silhouettes that explore inherited symbolism, personal memory and changing attitudes towards tradition.
RAXADA
Founded by María Puente Silva and Marina Palacio Silva in northern Spain, Raxada takes inspiration from the landscapes, mythology and craftsmanship of Asturias. Working with local artisans, the designers reinterpret regional techniques through contemporary clothing, bringing traditional knowledge into a new visual language.
YUKITO LIM
London-based designer Yukito Lim explores memory, displacement and our emotional relationship with clothing. Deadstock fabrics, second-hand garments and discarded materials are reconstructed into sculptural forms, allowing traces of their previous lives to become part of the design.
Together, the seven designers demonstrated the breadth of Fashion Scout’s international creative community, bringing cultural heritage, personal histories and experimental making into contemporary fashion.
As Fashion Scout celebrates two decades of championing emerging designers, Edition 03 offered a fitting close to its anniversary Ones To Watch programme — highlighting a new generation using fashion as a powerful form of identity and storytelling.
Special thanks to Black PR for inviting FabUK Magazine to Fashion Scout’s Ones To Watch Edition 03.