Welcome to the first edition of The Roundup, a monthly guide to new brands and collections as they arrive on the The Folklore Connect platform. Each week, Connect adds dozens of new products and brands to its wholesale marketplace, making it easier for diverse designers to be discovered by global retailers and buyers.
The Roundup is where to discover just-landed products and key pieces across ready-to-wear apparel, accessories, shoes and more, and be the first to source them for your wholesale assortment as soon as they arrive.
Over the past month, the fashion calendar brought new collections for the fall/winter 2023 season, including 15 diverse designers who presented their collections at The Folklore Connect x RAISEfashion NYFW showroom. Now, some of those brands and collections have arrived on site and are available to be sourced for wholesale assortments.
Read on to discover the nine new brands that we recently welcomed onto Connect, across categories of ready-to-wear, accessories and shoes.
BruceGlen
The latest collection from BruceGlen, “The Sermon”, was first presented at the recent New York Fashion Week, as part of The Folklore Connect x RAISEfashion’s fall/winter 2023 showroom exhibition. Known as “The Fashion Preachers”, the designers behind BruceGlen, identical twins Bruce and Glen Proctor, took inspiration from their church beginnings for the collection, which comes with a warning that it “may cause extreme joy” and to “wear on repeat”. Pieces such as the Eve Anatomy Dress and Stained-Glass Denim Pants feature the brand’s instantly recognisable design elements, such as rainbow-bright hues and mixed patterns.
Dur Doux
Also presented at NYFW was the “Toute L’Année” collection from womenswear label Dur Doux. With vibrant prints, lots of color, and metallic brocades, velvets and sequins, the collection brings an exuberant take on occasion wear that the brand has become known for. The standout item is the Maxi Ballon Brocade dress, a voluminous A-line dress with a pleated skirt, rendered in a metallic gold hue and lined with satin. Other highlights include floral-print slip dresses, tie-dye separates and an ostrich feather-trimmed sequin velvet duster jacket.
Elexiay
From Lagos in Nigeria comes Elexiay, a womenswear label that specializes in handcrafted knit pieces such as crochet caftans, sweaters and coordinating separates. While Elexiay is known for its casual and resort wear looks, the brand also offers a range of elevated cocktail dresses. Experimenting with details such as fringed hems, ruched flower accents and braided edges, Elexiay’s designs are a sophisticated take on one of the oldest methods of crafting textiles.
Elvira Jude
Established in Lagos, Nigeria by creative director Chioma Nwankwo in 2010, ready-to-wear brand Elvira Jude is known for its modern aesthetic of sleek tailoring and structured silhouettes. From smart work dresses to occasion wear, Elvira Jude creates timeless feminine pieces that appeal to the modern woman.
Florian London
Founded in 2013 by designer Tola Adeagbo, UK-based accessories brand Florian London offers elegant statement handbags for the modern woman. The designs employ lustrous colors, vivid prints and unusual shapes for pieces that combine style, functionality and innovative construction. Crafted by hand, in a third-generation family-owned atelier in Europe, each collection from Florian London is made in limited runs for distinct, statement pieces that are designed to last from season to season.
LarAllan
Founded by Lara Olutunbi in 2019, UK-based accessories brand LarAllan has a goal to bring quality and luxury handbags to the everyday fashion lover. Olutunbi’s inspiration for LarAllan comes from other women and their diversity, which can be seen in the whimsical Shero design that features illustrations of female figures of different cultures and backgrounds. Designed to make a statement, the brand’s acrylic clutches and leather bags are available in an array of colors and finishes, such as tortoiseshell, marble effect and exotic skins.
Nalebe
After spraining her ankle and being unable to wear high heels for a number of years, designer Amina Means was inspired to start her own footwear label, with a mandate to create shoes that “infuse comfort with style in a sustainable manner”. The result is Nalebe, a brand driven by core principles of innovation, artisan craftsmanship and sustainability. The latest collection features trendy designs such as square-toed sandals, PVC mules and block platform heels. Each pair is crafted in Milan from Italian leather, with a zero-waste policy that ensures that materials are not wasted during production.
TJWHO
Collection 3 from Lagos-based brand TJWHO is a continuation of the modern design aesthetic that the designer Taju Ibrahim has made his calling card ever since the brand was established in 2018. Described as the “embodiment of pride and resilience”, the collection borrows from various cultures and references for its avant-garde take on utilitarian style. The looks in Collection 3 range from cowboy-inspired blazer and rodeo pants to a Japanese denim apron and satin tuxedo jumpsuit. The muted color palette of black, white, gray and blue are punctuated with artistic details such as origami-fold sleeves and contrast stitching.
Wisdom Fashion House
Inspired by street wear and art, Atlanta-based accessories brand Wisdom Fashion House was founded by illustrator and graphic designer Latif Rashad in 2010. With a penchant for surrealism and artistic shapes, Rashad’s eyewear designs for Wisdom Fashion House are bold and playful, featuring colorful acetate frames and chrome sunglasses that are as functional as they are unconventional.
Discover Wisdom Fashion House here