Brand Assembly is a company that nurtures and elevates design talent by providing the infrastructure and guidance needed to launch and grow successful brands.

This year, they worked with YouTube Space NY to present the collections of six up-and-coming designers including Hunter Bell, Michelle Kim, Caroline Constas, Nikki Chasin, C. Keller and Maria Dora. Each designer partnered with a YouTube creator on a variety of collaborations, including styling hair and makeup for their presentation as well as interviews and first looks leading up to the event. The initiative is called “The New Class” and is providing the emerging designers with a unique opportunity to present their collections to an array of media, buyers and influencers.

Below we are highlighting one of the stellar collections:

Michelle Kim provided us with a highly personal collection, feeding off her experiences and interests. She has a robust interest in prints, from puppies playing with green balls (her dogs are her muses) or a compact ‘eyelash’ print paired with a ‘heart’ print, a nice nod to the 50’s. She told us: “I make my own patterns and what I love about working with fashion, I can be as creative as I want, but when it comes to patterns, there’s a system and a math to it.” Beyond that, she has a clear commitment to the Edwardian style, especially found in the hemlines and lacey sleeves. Many of her works have vintage details, but a thoroughly modern silhouette. Her collection is a commitment to these principals. Entering her fourth collection, she’s acutely aware of her need to preserve her principals, and that means hand finishing, as well as including tokens of design excellence, be it ribbon lining inside a jacket, a washed and pressed element to a edwardian inspired dress or a careful pinch in an otherwise straight-lined dress.

-Benjamin Schmidt

Photo by kimmyhuynh