Jan-Jan Van Essche Similar Brands

Label Under Construction is the label of designer Luca Laurini from Perugia, Italy that was founded in 2003 after seperating paths with Carpe Diem and Maurizio Altieri. His work requires the utmost understanding and knowledge of his medium. Though one need not possess such knowledge to admire his handiwork, a deeper understanding of the concepts behind the articles, provides for a deeper appreciation. There is an inherent and asymmetric harmony established in the dichotomy of opposition found in his body of work. He creates flawlessly knit fabrics with constituted deterioration, that when found in its natural state, would unravel in senescence. Yet he manages to suspend that very breakdown and preserves it in time. The patterns he designs in 2 dimensions are architectural. The formulaic logic of fabricating knits fuels his passion for creating and seeking to discover new equations. From its inception, his approach to design is a science. And the creative, disjointing, and dismantling in all three dimensions, drive him in his efforts to breathe life into his pieces. Thus rendering his approach to design, an art.

With the label “Handmade in Germany”, the Munich-based fashion label Hannibal has successfully earned its place on a national and international level since its founding in 2010. The finest craftsmanship in the area of cutting and manufacturing as well as the passion to create a sustainable product with value are the top priorities at Hannibal. To this end, each season new materials are sought from innovative suppliers. In the end, new, distinctive and Hannibal-typical garments are created twice a year.

Isabel Benenato is a fashion designer from Naples, Italy. She released her first fashion collection in Milano in 2008 with an attention on a mantra of straightforward and fundamental living. People wearing Isabel Benenato take pride in representing her sustainable fashion philosophy. Benenato’s all-encompassing objective is to keep the brand little, honest, and legit. Constant growth isn’t the brand’s objective.

Forme D’expression is a fashion label designed by the female designer Koeun Park. She was born in Seoul and studied Haute Couture workmanship at the Ecole de la Chambre Syndicale de la mode Parisienne, Paris, before becoming a Master at Instituto Marangoni in Milan in 1998. Originally from Korea, she now resides and works in Perugia, Italy where she started the Forme D’Expression in 2005. Koeun is known for her soft tailoring and elegant silhouettes. The meticulous approach to construction, followed by many layers of post-work exemplifies the brand’s philosophy of having the clothing be real, and familiar even before the wearer slips the garment on. Her women’s and men’s collections are created with a full wardrobe in mind and cater to men and women who appreciate luxury in subtlety. Quietly elegant and real, the label aims to create different forms of human expression through fashion. With outwardly classic designs at first glance, her pieces hold intricate craftsmanship and attention to detail that brings contemporary style to the forefront. Forme D’expression is a uniquely quiet design structure that gives women and men’s luxury street fashion a subtle breath of fresh air.

Layer-0  is an Italian fashion brand, founded by designer Alessio Zero from Perugia, Italy. After studying the profession of a pattern maker and tailor, he decided to pursue his own vision of what a garment can be. As a result, Alessio founded the label Layer-0 and began to experiment with techniques ranging from the traditional handmade practices of garment construction to modern fabric treatments, crafting his own unique vision. The leather he uses is waxed, oiled, or treated in order to create a unique look and feel. Also, he works with materials such as horse or calf wool, linen, hemp, denim, and canvas. His work reflects the kind of craftsmanship, covetable limited edition pieces that have a vintage look while remaining modern.

He’s a man of few words. And he doesn’t want a picture of him to be shown either. The design of his creations alone must be convincing. Hannes Roether is very strict about that. It has to stand out, be different. It must assert itself without advertising and without chichi. All this might be the result of his socialization? His father advised him to do the same and become a forest ranger. That would have been the easy, straightway. But he became a knitting engineer. That’s good because nobody can fool him at the knitting machine today. In fashion, he says, you have to know the limits of what is technically possible in order to consciously go beyond them.

A single thread. Spun with intent. Towards the source. Nordsee. Abandoned sandy shores. The richness found in our hands. Eyes downward. A single touch. Imperfections, irregularities and broken beauty.

Song for the Mute is an Australian label that was founded in 2010 by lifelong friends Melvin Tanaya and Lyna Ty. In the collections, it is all about imperfection and fabric character. Trademarks of the label are unsewn hems and raw pieces without lining. Taking a textile-centric approach to design, the duo meticulously develops, samples, and selects fabrics in collaboration with artisanal Italian and Japanese mills before patterning their intimate, story-driven collections. The label’s selection of elegantly-executed basics merge the distinctive style aesthetics of East and West, fusing deconstructionist sensibilities with traditional menswear forms to express a uniquely modern point of view. Imperfect raw edges and unlined exposed interiors lend a wabi-sabi aesthetic to expertly-cut outerwear, blazers, and straight-leg trousers, while t-shirts and loungewear are crafted in carefully-sourced luxury fabrics.

Roggykei is an artisanal Avant Garde Fashion brand by Hitoshi Korogi (born in Kyoto) and Keiko (born in Kobe) – a designer duo based in Kyotamba, a satoyama in Kyoto.

Aviva Jifei Xue is a menswear/unisex artisanal fashion brand. The designer Aviva graduated from the Parsons Fashion Institute in New York City and established her brand in New York in 2020.

Gareth Casey’s philosophy is heavily influenced by the principles of Japanese aesthetics—particularly wabi-sabi, which finds beauty in impermanence and imperfection. This influence manifests not only in the garments’ visual restraint but in the deeply tactile nature of the clothing. The fabrics are central to the brand’s identity: washed cottons, textured linens, dry wools, and brushed silks—all treated in a way that enhances their sensory presence. Pieces are often dyed and re-dyed, washed repeatedly, and hand-finished, creating a richness of surface that invites touch. The result is clothing that feels as if it has already formed a relationship with the body, long before it is worn.