New generation of designer talent revealed

We here at Secret Sales HQ have been around long enough to see a number of hot new clothing designers break into the mainstream.

That’s why we’re so pleased that we’ve got another bunch of up-and-coming fashionistas to watch out for.

A shortlist of 12 new brands has been revealed by the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA), who are all up for the organisation’s Fashion Incubator Award.

Collaborating with the New York Economic Development Corporation, the CFDA has whittled down the contestants to the final 12.

Thanks to this new initiative the contestants could find themselves enjoying an increased platform in the fashion industry.

As well as the top-class publicity that winning this award would gain for a new brand, they would also receive some practical help along the way.

The clothing designer who wins the accolade will be given half-price rent on a fantastic studio in Manhattan.

It’s times like these you wish you were a designer - I’ve always fancied a little bolthole in the Big Apple to escape to.

The lucky up-and-coming designers who have made the final 12 include Sophie Theallet, Prabal Gurung and Alice Ritter.

Grazia magazine recently dubbed Prabal Gurung as "the one to watch" after Demi Moore was seen sporting a monochrome creation that he designed for her in October 2009.

Will you be following these up-and-coming clothing designers?