From a designer rethinking how we use knitwear to an entrepreneur challenging the alcohol industry with frozen drinks, we introduce you to the young innovators creating the future of fashion, art and food in Europe.
Simone Melvin, Kristin Stoller, Julie Goldenberg
The odds were stacked against Paolina Russo when she launched her eponymous fashion brand. Having just graduated from Central Saint Martins fashion school, the young designer and fellow CSM alumna Lucille Guillemard set out to create an experimental clothing label in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic.
But the duo’s design faith paid off: Known for its eclectic knitwear that combines traditional materials with innovative construction, the London-based brand quickly became a favorite among British fashion aficionados. In 2023, the pair won the International Woolmark Prize for emerging fashion stars, were finalists for the LVMH Prize, and were the inaugural recipients of the Zalando Visionary Award, the latter of which earned Russo and Guilmard a $54,000 prize and a trip to Copenhagen Fashion Week.
Levon Biss (Forbes)
“It’s great that we’re based in London, we show in Copenhagen and we have connections in Paris, but who says we have to show there? We can do it anywhere. We’ve stated our intention to take the brand internationally. That’s our dream.”
Russo, 28, and Guilmard, 27, are two of the 30 young innovators selected for this year’s 30 Under 30 Europe Arts and Culture 2024 list. The nominees were evaluated by a jury of leading figures in their fields, including model and designer Elsa Hosk, arts entrepreneur and Under 30 Europe 2018 alumna Marine Tanguy, chef Elena Arzac, who runs the kitchens of Spain’s three-star Michelin restaurant Arzac, and designer Fisayo Longuet, founder of contemporary fashion brand Kai Collective and Under 30 Europe 2021 alumna. To be eligible for this year’s selection, all nominees must be 29 years of age or younger as of April 9, 2024.
Those on the list received the highest scores from the judges and represent leading innovators and entrepreneurs in the worlds of fashion, culinary and art. For many on this year’s list, community was a top priority. London-based designer Saida Haqq never played soccer as a child because there was no sportswear for Muslim girls, and with no fashion experience, Haqq launched her eponymous brand in her room, reinterpreting the traditional abaya into utilitarian and streetwear clothing. Since 2021, she has shown her designs on New York runways and partnered with Nike to launch a line of abayas and niqabs with the company in anticipation of the Women’s World Cup. “The mission of my brand has always been more than the physical aspect of the clothing,” says the 28-year-old Haqq. “It’s always been about my community and the story of the clothing.”
Some sculptors are breaking new ground in the industry, in different ways. London-based Raven Sharria DeKlerk is the creator of the new Freedom Monument Sculpture Park in Montgomery, Alabama, which is one of the largest sculptures by a woman under 30. The monument park aims to reframe and rethink the narrative of slavery and black history. DeKlerk’s other work has been exhibited at institutions such as the Carl Freedman Gallery, the Royal College of Arts, the Victoria and Albert Museum, and the Saatchi Gallery. She says she is pursuing more public-facing projects, creating work that represents the diversity of the people who interact with her work. “There are very few black women working in sculpture,” says DeKlerk, 28. “My work is about creating visual representations of people like me who are outside of the typical narrative.”
For De Klerk and her goals, bigger is better. The same can be said for designer duo Joe Granger (27) and Callum Viniah (28). The two founders of streetwear brand Unknown London started out by selling their designs on Facebook. Since then, their brand has gained a cult following and reported $5 million in revenue in 2023. Granger and Viniah say they expect to double that revenue this year. Unknown London is also known for its lavish pop-up sales, featuring DJ sets, booze and the occasional helicopter stunt. One helicopter event in the UK in 2023 in particular cost Granger and Viniah more than $50,000, but they say it was worth it. “For most of the pop-ups we do, people camp out in the open overnight,” Granger says.
Speaking of aficionados, Armin Vahabian, an Iranian immigrant living in the Netherlands, has had similar success in the culinary world. Vahabian, 28, fell in love with American diner food during a trip across the ocean and founded Fat Phil’s, an American-style restaurant chain, in Amsterdam in 2019. Fat Phil’s, which serves burgers, fries and other sandwiches, now has 16 locations across the Netherlands. The chain made more than $16 million in revenue last year and is expected to hit $31 million in sales this year, benefiting from several international expansion deals, Vahabian said. The company announced a franchise agreement in January to open 100 new locations across the UK over the next 10 years.
This year, a big trend in culinary-conscious list beers is canned beer. Sam Hunt, 29, of London, founded MOTH, a canned ready-to-drink cocktail company, in 2019 with co-founder Rob Wallis. They are currently selling their products at Hilton Hotels, British Airways, and even across the ocean at Total Wine stores on the East Coast of the United States. The company reports revenues of more than $11 million in 2023, with funding of about $9 million. Another list beer trying her luck with alcohol is Grace Ubauchi, who spent two years developing a food technology that freezes high alcohol content with the expertise of Parisian pastry chef Nina Metayer. Ubauchi, 28, founded Sin & Voltaire, a frozen sorbet cocktail company, in January 2023. Since then, Singh & Voltaire has expanded its four flavours to 300 locations across Europe and reported sales of about $1 million last year, but expects to do $2.5 million this year.
Some members of this year’s Under 30 European Arts & Culture class have been active since they were kids. Creator Kyle Thomas started selling homemade slime online at age 12, and went viral for posting videos of himself chewing on it. His online presence has expanded and changed since then, but the content creator now boasts 35 million followers on TikTok and 1.5 million on Instagram. Outside of social media, the now 19-year-old is signed to London’s Select Models agency after walking in Dsquared2’s show in Milan last year.
This year’s list was compiled by Kristin Stoller, Simone Melvin and Julie Goldenberg. For a link to the full 2024 30 Under 30 Europe Arts & Culture list, click here. For the full 2024 30 Under 30 Europe list, click here.
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