Conner Ives

Conner Ives appeals to people drawn to designer fashion with a point of view rather than mass-produced basics, and his work carries genuine art-world credibility. The value case rests on buying into an emerging designer whose pieces have already entered museum collections. If you want recognisable big-house branding, his more singular, upcycling-minded approach is a different proposition, but that is exactly the draw for his fans.

In 2025 Ives designed the 'Protect the Dolls' T-shirt, which went viral and saw high sales. The shirt is sold to raise money for the Trans Lifeline. It became the piece that brought his name to a much wider audience and is the most talked-about item he has made.

Conner Ives, born in 1996, is an American fashion designer from the town of Bedford, New York. He studied at Central Saint Martins in London, graduating with a BA in fashion womenswear in 2020. He is the designer behind his own eponymous label.

Ives is a young designer whose reputation was built through striking individual pieces rather than a long catalogue of staples. His standout item is the 2025 'Protect the Dolls' T-shirt, sold to support the Trans Lifeline, which is both the easiest and most meaningful entry point. Beyond that, his womenswear is the heart of the label and reflects the vision that earned him early industry attention.

Ives studied at Central Saint Martins in London, where he graduated with a BA in fashion womenswear in 2020. He had already put out his own first collection while still a student. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic he did not have a final show for his graduate collection, though it was featured in Vogue.

While still a student at Central Saint Martins, Ives dressed model Adwoa Aboah for the 2017 Met Gala, which brought him to wider attention. That moment caught the eye of Rihanna, who hired him to help create her first Fenty collection as an in-house designer. It was an unusually fast rise for a designer still in school.

Yes. After Ives dressed Adwoa Aboah for the 2017 Met Gala, Rihanna noticed his work and hired him to help create her first Fenty collection as an in-house designer. It was one of his earliest major credits and came while he was still a student. The connection underlines how quickly his talent was recognised.

It has. A piece from Ives' graduate collection was chosen by Andrew Bolton for the 2021 exhibition 'In America: A Lexicon of Fashion' at the Anna Wintour Costume Center at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. At the gala opening, the design was worn by model Natalia Bryant. That museum inclusion is a notable marker of his early standing.

In 2018, Ives was hired by the London fashion boutique Browns to design T-shirt dresses. It was an early professional commission that came before he had even graduated. The job is part of the run of opportunities that marked his time as a student designer.

The 'Protect the Dolls' T-shirt Ives designed in 2025 is sold to raise money for the Trans Lifeline. Its viral popularity and high sales turned it into a vehicle for that cause as much as a fashion item. For many buyers, supporting Trans Lifeline is a central reason to own one.