Five fashion brands you need to know about in 2019

Start compiling your wish list

La Llama (Michelle Beatty)

A new year calls for a new aesthetic.

Whether you’ve decided it’s time to bin your bell bottoms or catapult your kitten heels into sartorial Siberia, there’s no better time to revamp your wardrobe than in January.

But instead of playing it safe with one of your high-street heroes, why not glide into 2019 with some fresh-fashion flair and try something new?

Instagram is now a hot house of emerging design talents, with hundreds of labels using the platform to engage directly with their consumer and create aesthetically pleasing brand identities. Start there.

And because everyone likes to be the person who “knew them before they were famous”, here are some of our favourites to note for the year ahead.

La Llama

The Electra coat in mustard cord and orange faux suede, £325 (Michelle Beatty)

This London-based label takes playful dressing to a brave new frontier.

La Llama was founded by University of Bristol graduate Lydia Cooper, 24, and is aimed at millennials who are as dedicated to their eccentric wardrobes as they are to their favourite brunch spots.

The clothes are fun, with faux fur cuffs and corduroy flares evoking a nostalgic 70s vibe while hand-painted wrap dresses show off Cooper’s artistic talents.

Lady Amelia Windsor is a fan, and soon you will be too.

La-llama.com

Retrofête​

Every other piece from this New York-based label is soaked in sequins (in a good way). And we’re not just talking about the odd sparkly mini dress.

Retrofête​ excels in applying glitzy glamour to the most unsuspecting of garments, like ankle-grazing track pants and cropped co-ords.

One look at its Instagram profile and you’ll see that the brand subscribes to a “more is more” aesthetic, with hot pinks, vivid purples and sunflower yellows demanding attention. It’s disco dancer-meets-sparkle hoarder. Find Retrofête​ at a rave near you – you won’t miss ‘em.

Retrofête.com

Fruity Booty

Nothing beats the feeling of brand new undies, especially when said undies are comfortable, flattering and feminine.

Fruity Booty is the ultimate nightwear and lingerie label for someone who thinks they don’t like nightwear and lingerie.

Rather than conforming to cliché, Fruity Booty’s garments put female autonomy front and centre.

Itchy fabrics and straps that pinch are traded for soft-cup bras and cotton briefs that come complete with matching crops (the gingham ones are very Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz) and full-coverage bras.

In an unusual twist for an underwear label, its marketing is pretty empowering too, with women of all shapes and sizes modelling the designs on Instagram.

Radish

If trawling through the rails in your favourite vintage shops for pre-loved treasures is your idea of a perfect Saturday, Radish is your newbie to note.

Think paisley dresses with pussy-bow neck-ties and long-sleeved maxi dresses that billow with bohemian verve.

Radish is, unsurprisingly, inspired by classic 60s and 70s styles, and was founded by scrapbooking fanatic Lisa Piercy, who describes the label as “spirited, fun and dreamy”.

Thisisradish.com

Ayla

Shopping for swimwear can be a precarious endeavour. Will these bottoms ride up? Will this top ride down? How dodgy will my tan line be?

Thankfully, new beachwear brand Ayla is on hand to provide some much-needed respite to such pressing queries.

It was founded by half-Trinidadian Kirsty Ames and Heidi Sommerau, who grew up in Hong Kong, and the garments combine comfortable, eco-friendly fabrics with eye-catching Eastern prints.

Aylaswim.com

Rotate

Scandinavian style reaches its uber chic, understated climax at Rotate, the label that fashion editors and influencers have been fawning over since its launch in August 2018.

With a focus on dresses, Rotate’s clothes mix stiff Eighties silhouettes with contemporary colour palettes that will bewitch and beguile even the most unsuspecting of fashion fans.

You might’ve already seen the bubblegum pink jacquard dress doing the rounds on Instagram in all its oversized puff sleeve glory, but it’s the embroidery blazer that will truly enchant you with its delicate but decadent patterns.

Rotatebirgerchristensen.com