Fashion Scout, the international showcase for fashion pioneers, is delighted to announce Estonia knitwear designer Kristel Kuslapuu as one of one AW18 ‘Ones To Watch’ winners. Selected from a long list of emerging designers, the Ones To Watch winners receive the opportunity to showcase during London Fashion Week. Fashion Scout’s Ones To Watch provides a unique platform for the brightest new designers, with many going on to become established labels in the international fashion industry.
The judging panel consisted of six industry experts including Martyn Roberts – Fashion Scout’s Founder and Director, Hattie Crisell – Acting Fashion Editor at The Times, Ida Petersson – Womenswear Buying Director at Browns, Emma Firth – Online Fashion Editor at Hunger, Kendall Robbins – Fashion Programme Manager at The British Council and Fabio Piras – MA Course Leader at Central St Martins.
Created in 2014, the award is now in its 10th Season and continues to be one of the most anticipated shows during LFW. Ones to Watch is instrumental in raising the profile of emerging design on a global scale. Previous winners include; Eudon Choi, Georgia Harding, Phoebe English, Joanna Berling, Helen Lawrence, EDDA and Typical Freaks, alongside SS18 winners; Neo Design, Starsica, Ji Won Choi and Triinu Pungits.
Kristel Kuslapuu’s eponymous label joins the Fashion Scout schedule, having caught the eye of the judging panel after showcasing at Talinn Fashion Week. Following graduation in 2017, Kristel continues to develop her award-winning label, which has scooped the prizes of 2008 and 2009 supernova in Estonia, Lithuania Fashion Injection and ERKI Fashion Show, alongside being showcased for Estonia at London Fashion Week in the International Fashion Showcase 2014.
The AW18 collection is inspired by dark secrets, phobias, social anxieties and traumas. The pieces themselves, talk about serious and inconvenient subjects through highest levels of self-irony. Most of the bold, colourful designs in the collection are hand knit as a protest against fast fashion. A twist is added by portraying serious topics with cute and fuzzy materials, such as yarns from alpaca, camel, goat and sheep. Flirting with sculptural forms, bold colours, unique patterns, the collection shares provocative messages and symbols, transcending traditional gender conformity.
Kristel Kuslapuu said upon winning a Ones To Watch award, “For me winning was a reassurance that I am at the right place doing the right thing. The excitement of fulfilling one of your dreams is indescribable. I really do feel like I have found something that I am meant to do. Whilst years are passing I feel more and more obliged to give back to mother earth and having this opportunity to share my art with the world is as given from above. I feel very grateful.”
Fashion Scout Founder and Director Martyn Roberts commented: “This season’s Ones to Watch truly demonstrates what the award was created to showcase and we are excited to have expanded the award to the presentation studio to fit with our winner’s creative views. We have a bold and colourful eclectic mix of designers from diverse cultures, making Ones To Watch the highlight of the A/W 18 schedule.”
The Fashion Scout team
Viru Keskus and LUMI cosmetics for being copartners
AirBaltic for transportation
Anna Verschik and Mirjam Aasma for helping with
the making of the collection
Teet Sinisaar for the support.
SHOW PRODUCTION: Fashion Scout Events
MAKE-UP: Lan Nguyen-Grealis and team using products
by KRYOLAN
HAIR: Hair created by the TONI&GUY Session Team lead
by Philipp Haug using label.m Professional Haircare Styling
Martyn Roberts, The team at Fashion Scout, Kryolan, Toni &
Guy and Rebekah Roy.
PR BY
NICOLA HITCHENS
Fashionscout.co.uk