As seen in the art and music worlds over the last few years, the fashion industry is becoming increasingly drawn to under-the-radar talents. Barneys recently beefed up its roster with underground labels like Eventide and Salvor Projects, not to mention Mooka Kinney, a NYC-based line designed by two twenty-somethings with no former fashion experience. Fashion insiders are embracing these young creatives with open arms.

Hand in hand with fashion’s current leanings towards limited-edition goods, younger, up-and-coming designers are now cashing in on both ends: they’re exclusive (most can only afford to produce small collections), and, typically, painstakingly constructed. Thus, designers like Koi Suwannagate, whose namesake line was recently nominated for CFDA’s Fashion Fund, can successfully maintain a locally manufactured, hand-crafted line without gifting celebrities (though Natalie Portman and Nicole Kidman have bought her frocks), and still gain recognition.

Now, more than ever, rather than contemplating potential expansion and mass-market appeal, young labels are instead focusing on staying true to themselves, maintaining small production and high-quality craftsmanship. Here psychoPEDIA singles out some of our favorite under-the-radar lines – the best fresh faces that prove you don’t need a trust fund of socialite groupies in order to garner a following:

Mociun
Caitlin Mociun, designer of an eponymous Brooklyn-based line of mens and womenswear, is as well-known for her distinctive prints as she is for her lack of regard for the fashion industry. The RISD grad, who sells her clothing at boutiques like Brooklyn’s Bird and Jumelle as well as Steven Alan, has said, “I’d like to stay in the market that I’m in—boutiques. I don’t feel that I have to be that big.” Despite her disillusionment with the fashion industry, it appears as though Mociun is one the right track – she can count Mischa Barton a fan, and orders for the internationally-sold line show no sign of slowing down.

Jesse Kamm
Jesse Kamm’s namesake collection is a bit of a double-edged sword – the designer handprints all her fabrics (often adorned with her lifelike renderings of animals and nature) and incorporates sustainable design into her creative process. A one-woman show, the Los Angeles-based designer, who recently showed her Spring 08 collection at St. Louis Fashion Week, even models all her looks herself – exhibiting her self-styled, self-portraits on the line’s website as opposed to showcasing a traditional look book. To boot, you can view close-ups of the designer’s drawings in an online archive. Jesse Kamm is sold at Colette in Paris and Ylli in Williamsburg.

Something Else
Aussie-based Natalie Wood is recognized within her country’s flourishing fashion industry. Following the launch of her line Sample, which arguably introduced Australia to independent fashion, Wood created her spin-off collection: Something Else. Wood describes the latter -- a higher-end, more artful line -- as her “true creativity.” Borne out of dissatisfaction with her role in revamping the prestigious surf wear line Insight, Something Else soon became Wood’s pet project. Giving up the runway for more artistically charged, interactive presentations, the line, which incorporates an eclectic variety of graphics, textiles and fabrics. Something Else is sold at I Heart in NYC and American Rag in LA.

Chronicles of Never
It’s far from shocking that a former Ksubi designer is now making waves via another fashion brand; yet that’s not to say Gareth Moody’s two-year-old line Chronicles of Never doesn’t pack surprises of its own. Inspired by the concept of Never Land (notice that the acronym for the line is CON), Chronicles of Never is both a direct and indirect attack on the fantasies and fallacies that the fashion industry promotes. Moody’s masculine-charged collection is unisex, and adorned with varying iconic symbols that perfectly compliment the cult-like following the line has amassed. Chronicles of Never is sold at Space Junk and will soon be stocked by American Rag in LA and Active Endeavors.

Catherine Holstein
Holstein may have socialite connections, but, surprisingly, that fact couldn’t guarantee her access to production facilities in a time of need. After landing her frocks on the likes of Nicole Richie, and thanks to friend and former Parsons classmate Victoria Traina sporting them during NY Fashion Week a few years back, Holstein had an industry wake-up call. Despite numerous orders from boutiques across the country, factories wouldn’t return the calls of the untried designer. Thus, Holstein was forced to produce only limited numbers of her feminine, graphic, subtly simple clothes; therefore increasing their exclusivity. Now, her collections continue to sell out before countless frantic fashionistas can get their hands on them. (Note to aspiring designers: Holstein swears by The Fashion Designer Survival Guide.) Catherine Holstein is sold at I Heart and Satine Boutique.

~Alisa Gould-Simon