Hypebeast100 Awards 2022
Tue 13 Dec
We are proud to see that five creatives that we work with so closely – Bianca Saunders, Objects IV Life’s Daniel Arsham, Post Archive Faction (PAF)’s Dongjoon Lim, A-COLD-WALL*’s Dr Samuel Ross, and Martine Rose – have been selected for Hypebeast 100 Awards 2022.
Now in its 10th year, Hypebeast100 continues its recognition of the world’s most influential creatives for 2022. Fashion designers, creatives and artists make up our collective roster who’ve continued to inspire vast industries and communities with their seasonal collections, gallery works, numerous collaborations and meaningful contributions to social efforts.
Creativity is an outlet for hope and while the year highlighted global uncertainties, the names on this list pushed on with fervor to galvanize imaginative minds and invite the curious into their encouraging worlds. What they’ve created in 2022 reflects the times we live in. There were innovations in technology that evolved the link between fashion and the metaverse, and more sustainable efforts were made this year by luxury brands.
The industry is now seeing “what’s next?” in the world of fashion. These 2022 Hypebeast100 leaders hold the answers in the coming years, but for now, we recognize and praise them for always audaciously pushing culture forward.
After launching her eponymous label four years ago and receiving nominations and recognition nods for the ANDAM prize and her British Fashion Council BFC NEWGEN award in 2021, Bianca Saunders continues to be one of the most-watched young menswear designers this year. After a year of being mentored by Balenciaga's CEO, Saunders proved that she is ready to take her vision to center stage.
When it comes to finding her signature menswear look, the British designer is known for her precise interpretation of masculine body contouring. At just age 28, Saunders is considered one of the most coveted menswear designers of the year. Her clothes have a way of speaking for themselves, exemplifying her exploration, interrogation and celebration of masculinity, mixed with sexual appeal, glamor and heritage. With each collection, Saunders invites audiences inside her own micro-universe as she interprets the world around her. This year, Saunders continued her exploration of her Caribbean heritage with a summer capsule collaboration with Farah. Later in the year, Saunders made her debut in furniture design, broadening her creative intent.
Contemporary artist Daniel Arsham is a multidisciplinary visionary that has transcended traditional boundaries with his signature crossovers with fashion, footwear, sports, automotive and furniture design.
The New York City-based artist expands his fruitful collaborations by continuing his ever-popular work with Pokémon revealing a new project titled "A Ripple in Time." Arsham unveiled a series of new crystallized sculptures including that of a Pokémon trading card. He used his signature technique to also create an eroded helmet sculpture with Lewis Hamilton, as well as reimagined classic automotives like the 1968 Ford Mustang GT and the Porsche 930. He continues to go above and beyond, revealing a Tiffany & Co. exclusive Wilson basketball for the NBA All-Star Weekend, a first of its kind.
Beyond sculptures and accessories, Arsham debuted his new Objects IV Life apparel line, which he calls "uniforms for a creative life." With hyper-functional shirt jackets and vintage-inspired straight denim bottoms featuring integrated hardware, Object motifs were seen throughout the line, alluding to Arsham's crystal corrosion pieces. Arsham continued to broaden his workmanship with a set of new dino chairs with Friedman Benda as a part of his Arsham Living collection.
Creative Director of Post Archive Faction (PAF), Dongjoon Lim has quickly grown the brand to become one of the most sought-after streetwear labels coming out of South Korea. In 2021, the brand gained international recognition after it was a semi-finalist for the prestigious LVMH Prize. Later this year, it opened its first physical retail store in Seoul's industrial district of Dasan-ro, bringing the co-founders Lim and Sookyo Jeon's dreams to a physical reality.
Since its conception, PAF has had a clear vision that stems from focusing on an artful and iterative approach that continues to refine its prototype garments with each collection. The brand aims to appeal to all with the label's pieces designed on a spectrum. Each piece lands on a relatively conservative "RIGHT," experimental "LEFT" or in-between "CENTER" which indicates the boldness of each garment.
The brand has recently presented its fifth collection earlier this year, also debuting its first womenswear expression. With a technical focus, Lim's latest vision with PAF conveys a new sense of fashion style boundless by gender. Lim continues to highlight this ethos with the opening of the brand's first retail experience, staying true to his minimalistic curation that lets the pieces stand out and speak for themselves.
Dr. Samuel Ross consistently stays ahead of the times with his futuristic collections that often explore the brand's social architect. With A-COLD-WALL*, his designs often survey new shapes and silhouettes that disrupt the conventional apparel and blueprints of fashion, while also introducing a fluid commentary on emotional and external expression. His visual language is evident in his conceptual wardrobe for the brand's style-savvy and athletic-minded consumers.
Ross understands the power of collaboration and he is not one to shy away from joint creations. This year, the designer delivered several hard-hitting collaborations, kicking off the year with Dr. Martens for a duo of footwear collaborations for the Rikard 8-eye Boot and the Rikard 3-eye silhouette. Ross expanded A-COLD-WALL*'s continued Converse partnership with the Aeon Active CX, a radical laceless pair fit for the future athlete. Ross takes it one step further with a five-piece collaboration with footwear brand ROA for a five-piece collaboration that featured its Andreas and Minaar models aimed at tackling the urban landscapes.
Perhaps one of the most talked about releases was the A-COLD-WALL* x Converse Sponge Crater shoe which saw the brand jump on the clog bandwagon with their own less is more approach, while still offering the latest of Converse technologies. The Converse partnership does not stop there, expanding into Chuck 70 Hi collaborations while A-COLD-WALL* also reimagines the classic Timberland brand, bringing a new vision for the heritage outdoors brand. A-COLD-WALL* continues to show it has traversed the struggles of the pandemic, growing its presence with the recent opening of its first Chinese retail store in Shanghai.
Based in London, Martine Rose has joined the ranks of menswear designers to watch. As her eponymous brand skyrockets to becoming a major cult favorite for fashion connoisseurs, Rose’s unconventional approach to design has caught the attention of the world. Taking inspiration from the melting pot of subcultures in South London, including the reggae and rave scenes from the 1990s, Rose relies heavily on her community to inspire her collections and to make sure they feel tangible.
Rose brings forward the trompe l'oeil effect in her collections, where she deconstructs hypermasculinity with textures and colors to redefine the definition of London cool. Rose is known for reinventing existing genres of clothing by taking them out of the ordinary with simple tweaks, capable of turning heads. Perhaps one of her most head-turning designs this season included the Martine Rose x Nike Shox MR4 where Rose gave a bold take on the classic 2000s silhouette. Martine Rose's Nike Shox MR4 features a pointed nose with sleek lines, new panel placements, and reflective accents and was initially debuted at her Spring/Summer 2023 show. The design showed off the British-Jamaican designer's knack for reconceptualizing silhouettes with her unique language.
Her creative prowess has been spotlighted and noticed by many industry veterans and beyond, so much so that she was rumored to be amongst one of three contenders to succeed Virgil Abloh at Louis Vuitton. While that has not been confirmed, Martine Rose continues to make major moves as she is set to be Pitti Uomo 103's guest designer, taking place in January 2023. Additionally, Rose does not cease to amaze fashion lovers as she continues to bring gender-free liberation to Tommy Jeans' '90s archive as she explores the American subculture that spotlights marginalized communities in her campaign.