The word "affordable" is one I'm always wary of using within my fashion writing, as one person's bargain is always going to be another person's splurge. The pieces I'm about to talk about below certainly aren't cheap, however, unlike many of the brands on Net-a-Porter and MatchesFashion, they're potentially accessible to those of us who normally shop at Zara and Topshop
The contemporary market is one which has been growing significantly over the past two years. Back in 2017, I wrote about how brands like Ganni, Rixo, Staud and Réalisation are fighting to make your wardrobes brighter, better and more affordable. Instead of diffusion lines that mimic the aesthetic of a bigger design house at a lower price point, this new breed of labels are independent selling direct to consumer, with their own instantly identifiable design. Over the past two years, most of the cult buys that we have written about at Who What Wear are by these designers and priced around the £200 to £300 mark.
This direct-to-consumer contemporary bracket is one that's still hugely growing, and these are no longer just small Instagram-led businesses but a key priority for leading luxury retailers. In fact, buyers now scout for brands by scrolling. Net-a-Porter this summer launched seven brands that were previously only direct-to-consumer, taking niche brands to a global audience. Keep scrolling to shop the new affordable cult brands that we at Who What Wear are championing in 2019.