Designer: Melitta Baumeister

Melitta Baumeister is truly one of my favorite conceptual designers - aside from Rei Kawakubo, whom her creations actually seem to be reminiscent of. Melitta received a BA in Fashion Design in Germany and later completed her Master's in Fine Arts and Design at Parsons in 2013. In February 2014, she premiered her first collection during NYFW via VFiles Runway, which is a collective that showcases talent from an array of independent and up-and-coming designers.

Melitta describes her design aesthetic as "something between bold quiet, sculptural, and contemporary weirdness." She is inspired by hyperrealism, 3D product printing techniques, and the mass production of utilitarian materials such as plastic and vinyl. It's certainly evident how all of these elements provide inspiration for her designs.

The garments she creates seem to drape so beautifully off the body, creating these rigid yet shapely sculptural-esque silhouettes that I absolutely love - some looks serving androgynous feels more than others. I think her designs exude such a pure, clean finish. I also really appreciate a label that stays true to its aesthetic in every aspect possible. Everything, and I mean EVERYTHING is monochrome (black and/or white) even down to the set design of each look book, garment hangtags, as well as the look and feel of the e-commerce website.