Marta Jakubowski — New East 100

The complex cultural duality of East and West is familiar to designer Marta Jakubowski from her childhood: she was born in Poland and grew up in Germany, with holiday visits to her home country giving her a different perspective on material culture and clothes.

Now based in London, Jakubowski is one of the city’s most intriguing emerging talents. She graduated with an MA from the Royal College of Art in 2014 and gained experience with Hussein Chalayan, Alexander Wang and Jonathan Saunders before setting up her own label — which was endorsed in the British Fashion Council’s NEWGEN program.

For Jakubowski, material, fit and cut outs are indispensable tools in creating visceral emotion. She is also no stranger to reinvention: while in the past her trademarks were monochrome or red one-piece outfits, for the SS 17 collection she’s been experimenting with neon-acid colours, as well as tailoring and reworking puffer jackets.

In any case, Jakubowski’s creations are instantly recognisable, which has helped her attract the love not just of industry insiders but also celebrities like Beyoncé and Hercules and Love Affair.

Text: Anastasiia Fedorova