Born in Pesaro, Italy, Pompilio’s home was an artistic haven with infectious creativity stemming from his father, an architect, and mother, a passionate painter. Raised in his grandmother’s fashion shop, he knew clearly from the age of 8 that he wanted to be a fashion designer. With a diploma in fashion design from the Institute of Art in Pesaro, Pompilio enrolled in the Master’s program at leading European fashion school Instituto Marangoni. After graduating in 1995, he honed his fashion skills at luxury Italian houses Alessandro Dell’Acqua and Prada as well as Bally, Calvin Klein and Yves Saint Laurent.

Inspired by the laid back style of American sportswear, Pompilio launched his first menswear line for a/w ‘11. His collection of heavy knit cardigans and double breasted blazers expressed a natural, masculine feel. Pompilio argues that there is a lack of informality in a market dominated by austerity and what he calls “fancy” aesthetic sportswear. Pompilio aims to breech those barriers of complex menswear with an understated collection of pants, shirts and parkas defined by quality construction.

His s/s ’12 collection outlines the journey of one traveler from Rio de Janeiro to Milan for Fashion Week. His story commences with a charming light brown suit, thin lapels and skinny chinos with relaxed hips and tapered ankles. Soon thereafter a series of wardrobe changes begins, from a light transparent wool-gauze tank top to multi-pocket linen shirts in floral Hawaiian prints, which provide some relief to the hot Brazilian air. Leafy prints are also found on oversized denim Bermuda shorts with complementing contrast trims and smart lace-up shoes. Pompilio adds a creative outdoor vest in copper teal blue with interesting neck details and simple padding.

What’s hot right now?

I just finished working on my upcoming Fall collection and I must say it is smokin’ hot. I’m not so much of a party freak and I have very, very long working days—when I have some time off, the hottest thing for me is a bottle of Bordeaux, scented candles and a warm bath.

What are your favorite trends at the moment?

I’ve always thought “trends” were an annoying concept. The best trends are the ones that individuals create for themselves. The trendiest trend is to be unique.

What kind of shoes should women get for the s/s ‘10 season?

Mine. Because they’re the sexiest.

Launched as a collaboration between designer Edward Buchanan and SPRAI srl, a luxury knitwear manufacturer for brands from Gucci to Albino, Sansovino 6 is an Italian knitwear label with enduring appeal. Buchanan first worked with owner and knitwear specialist Silvana Galbusera during a stint as creative director for Bottega Veneta in the late ’90s, but they joined forces again in 2004 to produce a promotional range under the Sansovino 6 name, a cause they took up again this year.

Spurred on by the changing market, Buchanan and Galbusera decided to relaunch the label. “When the crisis hit, clients only wanted samples and then did their manufacturing in the Far East,” Buchanan explained. But with this new business outlook, the designer also decided to take a new aesthetic approach. “This collection is very personal—a collection that I feel comfortable with, a collection that me and my friends want to wear.”

“The idea was to take polls with friends as to what’s missing from their closet and also what their favorite things are. There was a lot of overlap: basic v-neck t-shirts, jeans and tailored jackets were some of the pieces that came up over and over again. They were basic local shapes and from a lot of the same brands. Rick Owens and Helmut Lang were two brands that kept turning up.”

Buchanan reinterpreted these personal favorites to create a collection of feather light knitwear items, appropriately titled “Relax.” The well tailored, soft and easy designs are the kinds of pieces that instantly go into heavy rotation in your wardrobe—a double tailored jacket can become a soft fine gauge cardigan, a pleated dress trouser can become a pajama type pant to wear in the day and the versatility of options goes on.

Items from “Relax” were sold at Public Image showroom in Paris earlier this month. Friends of the label turned out in support, placing personal orders that rivaled store orders—a doable proposition since the luxury knitwear is offered at contemporary prices. Fine gauge linen military vest, linen boxer shorts and drop crotched drawstring sweatpants in very tight neutrals (black, beige, range of grays and pink palette) are just some of the unisex looks that had everyone calling it the collection of the season. As for future retail options, Antonioli sells Sansovino 6 exclusively in Italy as does The Apartment in Germany and H.P. France in Japan have all picked up the line.

—Jason Campbell

Berlin may be the newest fashion hotspot, but it just got a whole lot cooler with the opening of Italy’s urban chic label Premiata. Because of the increasing popularity and cutting-edge reputation of the German capital, Premiata’s creative director Graziano Mazza has smartly decided to open the second Premiata boutique in the Mitte district, where new trends and creative energies are boiling.

Mazza developed the brand in 1995, transforming his four generations-old family-run company from classic shoes production into a new modern footwear line. Featuring men’s and women’s accessories and clothing collections, Premiata’s signature style is urban and sophisticated, drawing on tradition while giving garments a luxurious modern feel. Mazza achieves this through rigorous tailoring, the use of the latest production technologies as well as ancient methods in the historic company’s location, in Montegranaro, Marche.

The Berlin 80m² shop is located in a building that dates back to the early 1900s and comprises ultramodern interiors already designed for the Milan boutique. A corner is dedicated to Premiata White collection, a new project launched by the label, that is inspired by the laid-back elegance of the ’80s. With display units in metal with shiny oil-effect shelves and colored cement paste flooring, the new location is a mirror and appropriate container of the label’s fusion of tradition and avant-gard style.

—Camilla Canocchi

Raphael Young is taking things up a notch. With a well-built team of partners in key cities from New York to Tokyo, marketing and PR headquarters in Paris and a devoted cult following around the world, Young is positioned to leverage his fanatical following into a truly global footwear business.

Young was first inspired to design shoes at the tender age of 14 after attending his first haute couture show. Trained under his uncle Alexandre Narcy, who was the head of Yves Saint Laurent’s shoe studio for 40 years, he even received some key advice from Mr. Laurent himself: “keep it simple.” He went on to work at various design houses in Italy before starting his own line.

These days, Young pays close attention to balance, proportion and physics as he handcrafts his own wooden lasts, which are paired with a proprietary sole material. The resulting comfort factor makes fashionistas salivate. His fierce Barbarella-inspired designs feature aggressive Space Age architectural silhouettes paired with gleaming metallic leathers and a genius take on the almond shaped toe box. All you have to do is put a pair on to rule the world.

—Meghan Cleary

Years of working for others inspired the duo to begin the process of developing their own line. As industry insiders, they had a significant head start but were nonetheless determined to take their time with a project that quickly became a labor of love. And with free reign over every design element down to the very last detail, the line is the ultimate in luxury. Lush leather is used in each piece along with a focus on high shine buckles and adornments, all of which are informed by their work in jewelry design. The decision to introduce techniques associated with clothing such as draping and pleating is what really set the collection apart from the pack, however.

Launched during fashion week in October 2007, JT took the bold decision to exhibit outside of the tradeshow circuit: A 1952 English double-decker red bus was transformed into an impossible to miss showroom and unsurprisingly brought the label a great deal of attention.

Their current spring/summer ‘09 offering, Reef, is a move towards lightness and air. Soft textured, tactile leathers are used in a more natural palette of seaside tones, coral, stone grays and aquamarine. Hardware remains highly polished but subtle with shapes still very much inspired by couture cutting and silhouettes, while luxury exotic skins such as eel, crocodile and lizard are combined for a limited edition clutch of just 18 pieces. Despite economic cutbacks, exclusivity and luxury continue to reign supreme at Studio Maggio.

—Lena Dystant

Patrick Mohr is setting tongues wagging by championing his own eclectic look while pioneering a new styling ethos. Sure, the model-turned-designer trend is nothing new, but for Mohr, personal passion transcends professional pursuits.

While Mohr’s creative dabbling has included both modeling and carpentry, he put all activities aside in 2003 in order to study design at the prestigious ESMOD International Fashion School in Berlin. Such dedication certainly paid off: his spring/summer ‘08 graduate collection was awarded the school’s coveted Prix Créateur award.

The Munich-born wunderkind’s subsequent collections were featured and nominated in 2007 and 2008 for the Off Schedule Amsterdam Denim Award, followed by a geometrically inclined collection for s/s ‘09. Hot on the heels of this success, Mohr launched his autumn/winter ‘09-’10 collection at Paris Men’s Fashion Week, featuring denim, jersey and an eyewear line with Adrian Mustelin.

“My signature style is in between avant-garde and streetewear; with high quality, innovation, design and affordable prices,” says Mohr. The designs meld asymmetrical patterns and deconstructed shapes with eclectic items such as Bowie pants and moccasins, using grungy, worn fabrics in subtle tones of black, navy, grey, brown, cream, pink and white. The s/s ‘09 collection, for example, features delightfully weathered ice- skating boots with the blades removed, a modern take on the stylin’ bootie.

Mohr’s designs are available to buy in Australia, Denmark, Germany, Italy, Japan, Norway and the Netherlands. Find out more info about this designer and his creations at www.patrickmohr.net.

—Candice Rafferty