One of the challenges that emerging designers face is the inability to carve out a distinct visual identity because they lack the resources that bigger brands have. Yet, the few who have the tenacity to plough through, and the gumption to find creative ways of doing things, are often rewarded. New York‐based designer Kate Barton is one such example. Her namesake label (katebartondesign.com), which launched in 2022, presents a captivating dialogue between form and function through its avant‐garde silhouettes and fabric‐first creations.
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It all started when Kate felt the need to explore her artistic side after completing an unfulfilling course in fashion merchandising. Despite lacking the technical expertise, the Kansas native took the plunge to move to New York for a design internship, before she enrolled in a fashion design degree course at the Savannah College of Art and Design. There, she felt disadvantaged because she didn’t have the fashion foundation that her course mates were equipped with. However, she refused to let that deter her and sought out innovative draping and fabric manipulation methods that let her achieve what she wanted.
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Leveraging her inexperience led to a transformative period that influences her designs to this day. “This ‘not knowing’ has been my biggest advantage—it has allowed me to explore all these other possibilities of how things can be created, and that’s been a core of the brand since it started,” shares Kate.
It didn’t take long for the 28‐year‐old to get noticed. Shortly after her graduation, her experimental pieces caught the eye of industry insiders and celebrity stylists. Her label also debuted at New York Fashion Week last September, while she made Forbes’ 2025 30 Under 30 list. She has created custom pieces for Katy Perry and actress Camille Razat for Netflix’s Emily in Paris series, and other viral works include body plates and an acrylic fishbowl bag with a “floating” goldfish that has been spotted on Heidi Klum and Bella Thorne.
Kate’s fascination with futuristic eveningwear can also be seen through her more wearable pieces—specifically, sculptural gowns that look like they’ve been crafted from metal sheets but are actually hand‐crafted from recycled chrome‐finished leather.
Kate’s fall/winter 2025 collection is further proof of her deeply rooted intuitions as a designer. Showcasing notable women across all industries—from ex‐Olympic gymnast Nastia Liukin to model Winnie Harlow—the collection is an exploration of how clothing moves and adapts through the lens of female empowerment. “I like to have a balance. There are some very avant‐garde pieces that showcase our creativity and are great for the red carpet. And then there are other pieces where you can see the brand DNA distilled into these more subtle details,” she explains.