01WHEN ZENDAYA OR MICHELLE OBAMA WANTS TO STOP A ROOM WITH PURE
COLOUR, THEY OFTEN CALL CHRISTOPHER JOHN ROGERS. THE LOUISIANA-BORN
DESIGNER BUILDS VOLUMINOUS, ELECTRIC, PERFECTLY-CUT CLOTHES IN
SHADES OTHER BRANDS ARE TOO SCARED TO TOUCH.
02HE IS FORMALLY TRAINED AND SERIOUSLY FAST. ROGERS GREW UP IN BATON
ROUGE, GRADUATED FROM SCAD IN 2016, AND BY 2018 WAS SHOWING AT NEW
YORK FASHION WEEK. WITHIN A COUPLE OF YEARS HE HAD THE WHOLE
INDUSTRY, AND EVERY STYLIST, PAYING CLOSE ATTENTION.
03COLOUR IS HIS WHOLE THESIS. FUCHSIA NEXT TO TURQUOISE NEXT TO ACID
YELLOW; WIDE STRIPES, BOLD FLORALS, VAST TAFFETA VOLUMES. HE USES
COLOUR LIKE A PAINTER, NOT A STYLIST, AND MAKES MAXIMALISM LOOK
CONFIDENT INSTEAD OF CHAOTIC.
04AND THE CUT IS AS SHARP AS THE COLOUR. UNDER THE DRAMA IS REAL
TAILORING: STRUCTURED GOWNS, PRECISE SUITS, CLOTHES THAT HOLD A
SHAPE. ROGERS IS NOT JUST LOUD, HE IS EXACT. THE VOLUME WORKS
BECAUSE THE CONSTRUCTION UNDERNEATH IS DISCIPLINED.
05THE AWARDS CAME QUICKLY. ROGERS WON THE CFDA VOGUE FASHION FUND IN
2019, THE FIRST AMERICAN EMERGING DESIGNER OF THE YEAR IN 2020, AND
AMERICAN WOMENSWEAR DESIGNER OF THE YEAR IN 2021. A BLACK DESIGNER
FROM LOUISIANA, RESHAPING THE NEW YORK COLOUR STORY.
06AND HIS TIMING LOOKS PERFECT. AS FASHION SWINGS BACK TO COLOUR,
ORNAMENT AND JOY, ROGERS HAS BEEN THERE ALL ALONG, MAKING THE CASE
THAT BOLDNESS AND CRAFT ARE NOT OPPOSITES. THE MAXIMALIST MOMENT
FINALLY CAUGHT UP TO HIM.