The world’s best up-and-coming clothing designers are banging their heads together .

Great clothes are rarely as straightforward as an individual’s stroke of genius. Increasingly, groups of artists, DJs and designers are behind some of the most exciting brands. Are collectives the future of fashion? We chart some of the most seminal below.

Look around at some of the most prolific new designers in 2018, and you’ll see more than a few alumni of Been Trill, a collective of artists, DJs and designers that emerged almost a decade ago. Messrs Virgil Abloh and Heron Preston cut their teeth here, as did 1017 ALYX 9SM’s Mr Matthew Williams.

Founded by the brothers Messrs Denma and Guram Gvasalia, Vetements took the fashion world by storm in 2016 with its DHL T-shirt. It began as a collective of designers and friends who brought together their experience in various fashion houses, including Maison Margiela, Louis Vuitton, Balenciaga, and Céline.

A quartet of design and marketing talent, AFFIX is the brainchild of London-based designer Mr Kiko Kostadinov, Central Saint Martins graduate Mr Taro Ray, Stüssy branding whizz Mr Michel Kopelman and creative consultant Mr Stephen Mann. Masters of creating hype around their utilitarian streetwear without overexposing themselves, in keeping with the stripped-back logo and clean aesthetic.

An enigmatic collective that defies categorisation. Founded by Mr Tremaine Emory (Denim Tears as he’s better known online) and DJ Acyde, the collective manages to do everything from making buzzy streetwear, run a nomadic radio station and throw some of the best underground parties you probably won’t, in all honesty, find yourself on the guestlist to, unless you’re some sort of artist or cult internet user. (Sorry.)

A$AP Rocky’s agency AWGE is a collective of creative consultants and experts whose ethos reads a bit (or a lot) like Mr Chuck Palahniuk’s Fight Club. There are rules, the first of which is “never reveal what AWGE means”, while rule two states: “when in doubt always refer to rule one”. Still, whether you’re aware of it or not, AWGE consults for some of the biggest brands in fashion, although who or what they are, well... that’s a closely-guarded secret.