The Affordable Designer Brands I'm Head-Over-Heels in Love With

Lisa Aiken is Net-a-Porter’s retail fashion director and the woman responsible for our extensive wish lists and dented wallets. She is something of an oracle for the Who What Wear team in the UK. We trust her every recommendation (and attend her seasonal trend presentations without fail); we look to her wardrobe choices and unwaveringly cool NAP edit to make our own moves; and now, she’s a regular columnist here on the site—hurrah! For May, it’s all about the virtues of that contemporary brand price sweet spot…

Looking through my wardrobe recently, I realised the vast majority of pieces I love and wear on a daily basis are made up of my favourite contemporary brands. Of course, I still save up to buy those key designer purchases, but they’re not the items I rely on day in and day out.

Contemporary brands, on the other hand, are the bread and butter of my daily wardrobe. They’re the pieces I pick out first thing every morning, no matter what season or city I’m in. Even during fashion month, when I’m travelling I often wear more statement, fashion-forward pieces, and I actually prefer to wear contemporary brands because they’re more under the radar. I love wearing pieces that feel like hidden gems.

Essentially, contemporary brands aren’t your big-ticket buys—they’re your stealth purchases, the ones people don’t necessarily know where you got them. They’re the ones that form your everyday functional wardrobe and are the answer to a perfect shopping fix.

Now our thoughts are turning to warmer months, I asked some of our favourite contemporary designers—from Ganni, Rixo and Staud to Rejina Pyo, Wandler and Yuzefi—to create a series of capsules just in time for the summer season ahead. In addition, we’re set to stock a raft of new contemporary labels you don’t even know yet—so check back soon for additions. For now, just keep scrolling to see all of my favourite midpriced brands—and good luck stopping yourself from shopping them all.

Don’t forget to see my predictions on next season’s trends.