Maybe it’s just because I’m now more aware of what’s hot on the fashion scene than before, but I think that 2010 has been THE year of the up-and-coming designer. With newly established names such as Mary Katrantzou, Hakaan and David Koma starting to gain international recognition, the fashion world seems hungry for fresh design talent and luckily enough there’s plenty more where that came from. One of the most exciting new arrivals we’ve encountered during the past few seasons has to have been 22 year old Brazilian designer, Pedro Lourenco.

Pedro Lourenco S/S 2011 collection

I think it may be fair to say that Pedro Lourenco was destined for fashion greatness. After all, his parents, Reinaldo Lourenco and Gloria Coelho are Brazilian fashion royalty, having been two of the countries foremost designers for over 20 years. Whilst every other 2 year old was playing with tonka trucks, Pedro was gracing the front row at the likes of Yohji Yamamoto and it appears that from this moment on, his fate was sealed. By the time he was 7 years old, the talented youngster had staged a show with Brazil’s fashion press in attendance and from the tender age of 12 Pedro began presenting collections as part of Sao Paulo fashion week.

Pedro Lourenco S/S 2011 collection

But before you accuse Pedro of having his fashion career handed to him courtesy of his parents sartorial success, take a look at the designers debut collection for Paris fashion week. He may have been exposed to the fashion world from an early age and undeniably had every possible advantage when launching his career. However no amount of guidance or number of useful contacts can make up for talent and inspiration and those are both qualities Pedro clearly has in spades.

Pedro Lourenco S/S 2011

Pedro Lourencos’ Spring/Summer 2011 collection was undoubtedly one of the boldest debuts we’ve seen this year. Through his clever use of contrasting colours, cut-outs and sculptural shapes many of Pedro’s pieces appeared to create optical illusions and their ultra modern aesthetic certainly made for a striking collection. Going through the looks, I found Pedro’s style rather reminiscent of legendary conceptual designer, Martin Margiela. The way Pedro plays with the structure of his garments creates a vision of the human form that could not be further from traditional fashion silhouettes. It is conceivable that Lourenco’s work really is a means of self-expression, rather than a product designed to appeal to the tastes of the masses. Like Margiela’s revered collections,  there is nothing commercial whatsoever about Pedro Lourenco’s S/S 2011 offerings and it is probably as close to being ‘fashion as an art form’ as is humanly possible.