Up and Coming Designer Spotlight: 16Arlington

Everyone in the fashion world knows that keeping an eye on new rising designers is vital to staying up to date on trends and remaining on the cutting edge.

This week we are profiling 16Arlington— an up-and-coming brand that epitomizes “the cutting edge.”
16Arlington is a London-born and based company that embodies fun and creativity. Italian co-designers Federica Cavenati and Marco Capaldo founded the label in their apartment on Arlington Street, London in September of 2017 after meeting while studying at Instituto Marangoni. The duo describes their collections as “the perfect balance of two extremes, high octane glamour meets London cool.”

“A lot of people say to us that the beauty of our clothes is that, when you wear them, every day can be a party.” -Marco Capaldo

The duo collaborates on each piece in their collections to reach a perfect balance between Cavenati’s minimalistic style and Capaldo’s luxury embellishment edge. They work from self-produced mood boards and photographs to inspire their designs for each collection. All designs by 16Arlington share the same spunk, vibrancy and glamour, but can still stand alone as a statement piece. From feather crop tops to fringe dresses to metallic suits, the brand offers a wide variety of styles, fits, and color palettes for women of any age.

16Arlington pieces are, more than anything, fun. Each piece includes pattern, sequins, animal print, or a combination of the above. While scrolling through the brand’s online collections, the clothes offer an eclectic yet elegant style that is longing to be worn by the fun-loving woman— she is the life of the party but the boss of her professional life.

The brand made its runway debut in February of 2019 at London Fashion Week and has attracted a large fan base in a short amount of time. In only two years since its debut, 16Arlington has already caught the attention of A-list celebrities such as Lena Dunham, Solange and Lady Gaga, to name a few.

Photo of Solange Knowles in 16Arlington via their website

At their recent Spring 2020 runway presentation at London Fashion Week, 16Arlington’s show featured a red-lit runway with models dancing to music from the inspiration of the show— notorious 1970s Italian pop-singer and performer, Raffaella Carrà. Carrà’s music combined with the models’ bob hairstyles and psychedelic, vintage-inspired clothing enhances the show’s late 1960s, early 1970s vibe. Judging from this, the label is keeping true to its love for camp fashion, featuring an abundance of feathers and sequins, while adding in spring pastels appropriate for the season.

16Arlington is a promising name in the fashion industry that is already garnering attention. Capaldo and Cavenati are a powerhouse duo that produce vibrant designs centered around excitement. As of now, 16Arlington looks like it can only keep going up— and we can’t wait to see what they have in store.

Photo of Frederica Cavenati and Marco Capaldo via their instagram