Ones to watch: The new fashion and grooming brands to know this season

Founded by high school friends Megan Balch and Jaime Barker in 2016, Flagpole NYC has quickly become something of a cult favourite among women thanks to its stylish, sporty aesthetic, colour block designs and flattering cuts. Having recently expanded into cover-ups and beachwear, in summer 2018 the brand took things one step further by releasing its first collection for men.

The an initial offering of two swim short designs - one drawstring and one tailored - is available in sophisticated but simple colourways that emphasise quality and fit. All crafted from fine Italian fabric that boasts SPF50 sun protection and chlorine resistance, the core collection is designed for all-day wear from city to shore and hints at great things to come.

Visit flagpolenyc.com

Between 1946 and 1977, the American magazine Holiday was one of the most prestigious travel publications in the world, with contributors including Graham Greene, Joan Didion and Jack Kerouac. After a hiatus of almost four decades, it has been reinvented by the Paris-based art director Franck Durand. The revamped title has also become one of the coolest new French fashion labels under the name Holiday Boileau. The aesthetic is always light-hearted, with a summer colour palette of ice cream shades of pink and granita lemon yellow – the logo T-shirts inspired by retro travel posters are particular favourites. Everything can be described as a casual travel essential and perfect for tossing into a suitcase for the most relaxed sunshine break you can imagine.

Visit holiday-magazine.com

Parisian designer Isabel Marant founded her womenswear label in 1994 and her chic French take on everyday style has always been heavily influenced by men’s fashion. So it is only right that she has now decided to return the favour by launching her first capsule collection for men – this time taking her cue from the girls, albeit recut and resized to make it appeal to a masculine audience rather than simply a straight copy. Fabrics have also been tweaked – check out the super-comfortable stretch leather. The look is sharp but casual, with a nod to streetwear alongside the knitwear she is already famous for, and promises something for male customers of all ages, with pops of colour such as brick red and slate blue.

Available at matchesfashion.com

The Upside founder Jodhi Meares certainly lives her brand, with a schedule that includes shuttling between Hawaii and New York and practising yoga every day. Meares started her career as a model and singer, and it was this lifestyle that led her to identify a gap in the market for a label that makes activewear with a strong fashion twist for the perfect marriage of function and style. To ensure the latter, Meares has been inspired by 1970s French leisurewear translated into a more beach-and-boating feel. Matty Bouris, a veteran of other sports labels, designs the men’s collection, ensuring that performance is always firmly at the forefront.

Visit theupsidesport.com

Some of the world’s finest shoes have been made in the Marche region of Italy. But the designing, cutting, sewing and finishing skills honed over centuries will be lost forever if a new generation of craftspeople isn’t encouraged. Crafted Society’s Lise Bonnet and Martin Johnston travel around Italy, seeking out the best craftspeople to build up a collection of shoes, scarves and knitwear. The company donates five per cent of its revenues to organisations that support the training of the next generation of these artisans.

Visit craftedsociety.com

The performance clothing brand Aztech Mountain was founded in 2013 in Aspen, Colorado, by David Roth and Heifara Rutgers, who had previously worked for Marc Jacobs. They believed there was a gap in the market for truly refined sportswear and now split their time between New York and the Colorado ski slopes making just that.

To ensure their clothing has the highest levels of performance, America’s greatest ever Alpine skier Bode Miller, Olympic gold medallist and twice World Cup champion, is on board as chief innovation officer.

While Aztech Mountain’s first focus was skiing, its clothing is designed for an all-round outdoor lifestyle, without compromising on cut or fit. As

Roth says: “Usually if you wear even a well-made ski jacket on the streets of New York, it doesn’t vibe with the city life. We wanted to create a jacket that functions well on the mountain and it looks just as great in the city, too.”

Visit aztechmountain.com

The north of England was once a fashion powerhouse, with factories in cities such as Manchester and Leeds exporting clothes around the world. By the end of the 20th century those factories had all but disappeared. One survivor was Cooper & Stollbrand, in Salford, Manchester, that produced garments for Aquascutum, Burberry – even Virgin Atlantic – and it was here that Private White VC was born.

Jack White was the grandfather of the founder of Cooper & Stollbrand and a previous owner of the factory. In 2008 his great-grandson James Eden realised that making garments for third parties was a mug’s game so he decided to produce for himself.

His great-grandfather had won the Victoria Cross in 1917 in the Middle East and in his honour Eden named the new label Private White VC. One of his first moves was to recruit Nick Ashley – formerly of Kenzo and Tod’s, and the son of Laura – as creative director. Ashley’s aesthetic – a sharp take on utilitarian – has been a hit. Today the label’s store in London’s Mayfair is a destination for men who want to look good without taking risks.

Visit privatewhitevc.com

Watching your waistline at sea can be hard, especially with Michelin-starred restaurants to visit, but serious scientific help is at hand for those seeking the ideal body. Genetic Pure Lifestyle is a new DNA kit that can be delivered to pretty much any port in the world.

The test comes with foolproof instructions: you simply swab your mouth with three cotton buds provided and send the samples back in a pre-paid box for a genetic nutrition analysis (£850). Within two weeks you are sent an in-depth nutrition and exercise plan. More than 1,000 food types are evaluated based on your genes and the subsequent report, detailing optimum foods to eat and equally importantly those to avoid, helps you get to your target weight with menu plans that take the guesswork and frustration out of yo-yo dieting.

For those looking for a deeper dive there is a genetic health analysis (£1,550) that looks at your risk of suffering any of more than 35 disorders and diseases, from diabetes and IBD/Crohn’s to Alzheimer’s and arthritis. This test also answers questions such as: is it fat or carbohydrates that make you overweight? How effectively can your body detoxify heavy metals, chemicals and smoke? And what relationship between strength and endurance sports is recommended for you?

Visit puregeneticlifestyle.com

Absolutely Fabulous’s Edina Monsoon once wailed: “I don’t want more stuff, I just want nicer things.” A pretty good wardrobe philosophy, one where new British brand Sørensen comes in. Founder Wayne Sørensen was formerly the design director of Orlebar Brown and he has brought the latter’s pared-down-but-perfect aesthetic to his new venture. The feel may be utilitarian workwear but the result is far from functional.

Taking six archetypal professions – driver, engineer, painter, dancer, butcher and officer – as his starting point, Sørensen offers a collection of reworked menswear classics to build into a perfect wardrobe for the modern man. He says that everything he creates goes through a filtering process based upon his three key design rules: “quiet, precise and confident”. Personal favourites are his shirts, from a reworked bib-fronted artist’s shirt to a denim number inspired by French abattoir butchers in the 1890s.

Visit studiosorensen.com

New York designer John Elliott always knew he wanted to work in fashion – he submitted designs to top brands such as Nike when he was only eight years old. So he never doubted that he would one day start his own label. In spring 2012 he did just that, launching John Elliott with his best friend and business partner Aaron Lavee.

From the outset, it focused on function by creating brilliant basics that form the building blocks of a man’s wardrobe, such as sweat pants, bomber jackets and parkas. Elliott sources the finest fabrics and components from around the world; for example, he uses the world’s best zips, made by Riri in Switzerland. Already one of the biggest names in American fashion, Elliott looks set to conquer the world by producing what some claim will be tomorrow’s classics.

Visit johnelliott.co