Gen Art Is Back: Designers Guaranteed To Blow Up (We’ve Got Exclusive Pics!)

Ann Yee, ace & jig, Sunghee Bang, Eighteenth, Jennifer Chun, William Okopo, Baron Wells, Collina Strada, Falconiere, Osborn, and Wool and the Gang—if you don't already know these names, start taking notes now. These clothing- and accessory-designers are this year's Gen Art Fresh Faces in Fashion, which means you never know who in this class is soon be the Next Big Thing. We're not kidding—ever heard of Zac Posen, Rodarte, or Philip Lim? That's right, Gen Art helped all of these big names get their start. Designer liaison Aurora James predicts that one of the featured designers in particular—Sunghee Bang—will be this year's breakout star, thanks to her innovative mixing of materials (hello, leather and cashmere) and impeccable construction skills, but we've got the exclusive pics by Jason Eric Hardwick to prove that each and every designer deserves some serious recognition. If you want to get in on the action, Gen Art's Fresh Faces in Fashion show—presented by smart car—will take place on Friday, September 9, at the Grand Ballroom of the Manhattan Center, and you can score tickets here. However, if you just can't resist a little sneak peak (and how could you?), click on through our slideshow to see some of the goods from the next household names in style.