For as long as seasonal collections have been presented to lunching ladies in private salons, the world of luxury fashion has largely tapped Eurocentric experiences and disregarded the contributions of other cultures. But as the industry continues to expand its definition of beauty and style, more designers—many of them women—are ushering in new cultural perspectives. Whether through fabric, silhouette or respect for sustainability, this cohort is expanding luxury’s borders.
“We’re definitely paying more attention to [cultural influences] and seeing the benefits of incorporating diverse voices into the fashion ecosystem,” says Bruce Sinclair, associate dean of business marketing, fashion and beauty at Toronto’s Humber College. He attributes this movement to three main drivers: personal identity and representation in designers’ work; innovation in design; and consumer demand.
“These [new] designers are bridging the gap for people outside these cultural heritages and sharing their philosophy for a global audience,” adds Sinclair.
From reviving a legacy fashion house with personal codes of femininity to empowering artisans in developing nations, the below eight designers are celebrating diverse cultural voices and placing them at the heart of luxury.

Stella Novarino, founder of Stella Jean
The first BIPOC member of the Italian Fashion Chamber since its inception in 1958, Stella Jean’s style ethos sits at the intersection of multicultural perspectives and ethical fashion. Self-taught, Jean originally studied political science and worked as a model. Since then, her designs have been worn by everyone from Beyoncé to Rihanna and in 2024, she designed the Olympic uniforms for Haiti.
But there’s more to her than her love of classic Italian tailoring. It’s her respect for sustainability and cultural artistry that creates enduring appeal.
“What’s interesting about her is the use of artisans from across the globe and putting their techniques in contemporary design,” Sinclair explains. For fall 2023, she worked with Peruvian mountain women skilled in handcrafting alpaca designs, which Jean styled on pleated Prince of Wales checked skirts, mini dresses and cropped jackets. “Her target customer traditionally hasn’t been directly spoken to before.”
Which perhaps is not surprising for Italy’s first Black designer, who also founded a sustainable development platform called Laboratorio delle Nazioni or World Labs. Each season, Jean collaborates with female artisans from a different developing nation to create a capsule collection that blends her distinctive aesthetic with artisanal work that drives the cultural conversation and development.

Chemena Kamali, creative director of Chloé
Chemena Kamali’s debut fall 2024 collection for Chloé was met with some of the loudest fanfare of the season. To wit: If the fluid chiffon, thigh-high boots and leather capelets weren’t enough to get tongues wagging, a perfectly curated front row shot of four celebrities—including Sienna Miller—wearing the same Chloé wedge sandal surely did it.
For Kamali, a half-Iranian, half-German designer who split her formative years between Germany and Laguna Beach, her aesthetic comes from “a really honest place,” she told Vogue earlier this year, “expressing the most honest form of femininity.”
To that end, she has established Chloé Arts, a new program that promotes female artists and gives them a platform upon which to tell their stories. By featuring their work in the Chloé flagship on Rue Saint-Honoré, she aims to facilitate interdisciplinary conversations across various art fields. The first exhibit featured Danish artist Mie Olise Kjærgaard, whose works celebrate the freedom experienced by women who’ve let go of society’s expectations and pursue their own desires.

Aurora James, founder and creative director of Brother Vellies
Aurora James’ geographical trajectory might be New York by way of Toronto, but her design-focused one has decidedly more global cultural origins. For instance, her collection of luxury accessories, Brother Vellies, launched with a version of a classic South African desert shoe known as a “Veldskoen,” hence “Vellies.”
When she launched Brother Vellies in 2013, the goal was to help sustain traditional design practices and techniques in South Africa. Now, it has expanded to include artisans and farmers around the world, including from Mexico, Kenya, Burkina Faso, Haiti and others, and leans into sustainable practices to honour both the artists and the planet.

Grace Wales Bonner, founder of Wales Bonner
Few designers have managed to create both menswear and womenswear with such effortlessness as Grace Wales Bonner. Just look at her intrinsic understanding of tailoring or her unique use of colour. A men’s sharply cut tuxedo jacket with concealed fastening and one shiny lapel springs to mind. But it’s perhaps her “European heritage with an Afro Atlantic spirit” that really lies at the heart of her appeal.
“What’s so interesting about her is that she uses her designs to talk about Black history and Black identity so that it becomes accessible to everyone,” Sinclair says. “What that does is it sets the social commentary.”
Her cultural reach and diversity of perspective—especially as a Black woman who grew up in London—are what make her such a strong voice today. And her long-time reverence for subcultures like Black dandyism (which is being celebrated by the Met Gala in 2025) prove she’s well ahead of the curve.

Liya Kebede, founder of lemlem
Supermodel-on-holiday might be the most accurate way to describe lemlem, a line of colourful resort wear created by Ethiopian artisans. And that description is pretty apt, given the brand was founded by supermodel Liya Kebede in 2007.
With a core mission to support and promote artisan creations in Ethiopia, lemlem (which means “to bloom and flourish” in the Ethiopian language Amharic) uses vibrant cotton fabrics made by traditional weavers. Since its launch, the brand has expanded its presence to Kenya and Morocco, where its swimwear is produced.
Kebede also launched The lemlem Foundation, which has established numerous job training and opportunities for African women and girls, as well as access to health services and products.

Bojana Sentaler, founder of Sentaler
It’s thanks to the likes of Kate Middleton and Meghan Markle that Canadian label Sentaler became a household name, but Bojana Sentaler’s mission was somewhat more humble when she launched nearly two decades ago.
Growing up in Belgrade, her architect mother introduced her to “lines and form” and by the age of eight, she was designing fashion sketches, she told the Toronto Star. In her 20s, she took a trip to Peru that turned into a life altering mission when she began researching the benefits of Peruvian alpaca, a scarce and natural fabric, and designed her first capsule collection of coats. Prized for its sustainability and warmth, she continues to use the fabric exclusively, supporting local alpaca farmers and artisans.
“She’s successful in using cultural appreciation in her work and [we see that] through her sustainability efforts,” Sinclair says. “I think the way the consumer has gravitated toward her design shows it has captured a demographic that is really hearing what she’s trying to tell people through her clothing.”

Jessica Hendricks Yee, founder of Zahava
As far as heirloom appeal goes, it’s hard to beat jewelry. But even more so when it’s jewelry that draws from ancestral heritage.
Enter Jessica Hendricks Yee and her jewelry brand Zahava. Ethically produced between Tel Aviv, Jaipur and Los Angeles, the pieces are crafted from 10K gold and infused with ancient symbolism evoked from antique amulets.
“The spirit of Zahava is really about honouring rituals of the past and passing them on for generations, especially in such a digital age,” Yee recently shared with Holt Renfrew, whose H Project carries her collection.
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Guo Pei, founder of Guo Pei
When Rihanna practically breaks the internet by wearing one of your show-stopping designs on the Met Gala red carpet, it’s easy to say you’ve made it. But in the case of Guo Pei, her reputation had already been cemented.
Beijing is the epicentre of Pei’s ethos, both as a designer and a Chinese woman. Her work has resurrected centuries-old embroidery and painting techniques, and her atelier Rose Studio is a breeding ground for the next generation of Chinese embroiderers. Although she’s now a member of the Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture and shows on Paris’s couture calendar, her style remains rooted in heritage Chinese craft and her vision is firmly set in generational appeal.
“Changing your look every season to please a fickle customer isn’t how I work,” she told The New Yorker in 2016. “I aim to create heirlooms that a woman can pass down.”