Shaping Creative America 2025: The Influential Individuals from the USA

Rising Stars Shaping American Creativity in 2025

In the vibrant world of art, fashion, and design, a new generation of talented individuals is making their mark. Here are some of the notable names shaping the creative landscape of the United States, as highlighted by Wallpaper* USA 400, a definitive guide to Creative America.

Architecture and Design

Adam Charlap Hyman and Andre Herrero, principals of Charlap Hyman & Herrero, blend art history and engineering in their multidisciplinary design and manufacturing firm, Atlas Industries.
Aiden Bowman and Josh Metersky, founders of lighting studio Trueing, create immersive installations that merge art and engineering.
Astraeus Clarke, a Brooklyn-based furniture and lighting designer, explores biracial identity themes in her work.
Augusta Hoffman and Casey Kenyon, both recognized interior designers, are acclaimed for their innovative contributions.

Fashion

Catherine Holstein, founder of the womenswear label Khaite, is celebrated for her sophisticated balance of masculine and feminine elements.
Chase Hall, an artist, works with coffee on cotton canvases to explore themes of biracial identity.
Chris Maggio, a photographer, reinvent Americana and internet culture aesthetics.

Emerging Talents

Local and specialized platforms are showcasing up-and-coming artists and designers:

The Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design (MIAD) announces rising artists such as Lauren Marvell (Integrated Studio Arts), and product designer Fabian Rico Sanchez, recently hired by Andis Co.
DC Fashion Week's upcoming Emerging Designers Showcase in late September 2025 spotlights new fashion designers making waves in the capital’s scene.
The Rambler Summer Program 2025 highlights 10 young fashion talents who rapidly develop and present innovative visions.

These rising stars embody diverse creative disciplines and are recognized for their innovative contributions that are shaping the cultural and aesthetic discourse nationally.

Notable Figures in Architecture and Design

Thomas Wright and Joseph Fratesi are founders of multidisciplinary design and manufacturing firm Atlas Industries.
Harry Nuriev is the founder of Crosby Studios, creating immersive design installations.
Alexandria Cunningham Cameron is the curator of contemporary design at the Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum.
Kelly Weastler is an interior designer for the hotel industry, residential, commercial, retail, and hospitality spaces.
Alexis Bittar is a jewellery designer, filmmaker.
Amanda Hunt is the head of public engagement at the Walker Art Center.
Tessa Watson is a creative director and stylist.
Donald Glover is an actor, comedian, rapper, singer, writer, director, and producer known as Childish Gambino.
Giorgia Lupi is a data designer, Pentagram partner.
Taska Cleveland is an interior designer.
Ido Yoshimoto is an artist and arborist whose work focuses on forms and objects from the natural world.
Nick and Rachel Cope are co-founders of Calico Wallpaper.
David Farruggia is the founder of Uniform Object.
Peter B Staples is the founder of lighting design studio Blue Green Works.
Oliver Haslegrave is the founder of interior architecture and design firm Home Studios.
Gabriel Shelton is a sculptor and designer, co-founder of Shelton Studios metal fabrication studio.
Nan Goldin is a photographer, activist.
Simone Leigh is a multi-media artist from Chicago.
Tyler Hays is the founder of BDDW.
Ethan Hidalgo is a furniture designer and founder of Studio Hidalgo.
Sam Klemick is the founder of Studio Sam Klemick, furniture design practice that utilizes salvaged materials and deadstock/vintage textiles.
Todd Nickey and Amy Kehoe are co-Founders, Nickey Kehoe.
Stephen Kent Johnson is a photographer.
Ambera Wellmann is an artist.

Creatives in Show Business

Architects and designers are contributing to the aesthetics of popular culture, from cinema and theatre to museums:

Augusta Hoffman is an interior designer.
Raul Lopez is the founder of fashion brand Luar.
Peter B Staples is the founder of lighting design studio Blue Green Works.
Frank Ocean is an artist, founder of Homer.

Gallerists and Collectors

These individuals bring historical design, contemporary makers, and emerging talent to the world:

Jonathan Cross is a ceramicist whose work is created using ancient wood-firing techniques.
Michael Kors is Fashion Designer.
Deanna Van Buren is co-founder and design director of nonprofit architecture and real estate development firm Designing Justice + Designing Spaces, working to end mass incarceration through place-based solutions.
Suzanne Demisch is a gallerist.
Ben Green is a speaker and inclusion consultant.
Paola Antonelli is the senior curator of architecture and design at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), New York, and a Wallpaper* October 2020 Guest Editor.

Multidisciplinary Creatives

Astraeus Clarke is a furniture and lighting designer based in Brooklyn.
Humberto Leon is a fashion designer and restaurateur.
Swizz Beatz is a producer and collector.
Craig Bassam and Scott Fellows are founders of lifestyle brand Bassam Fellows.
Nicola Lees is the CEO and artistic director of the Aspen Art Museum.
Olalekan Jeyifous is a Nigerian-born, New York-based visual artist and designer whose work reimagines social spaces that examine the relationships between architecture, community, and the environment.
Nadim Ashi properties include the Four Seasons at The Surf Club in Florida.
Jenny Nguyen is Founder, Hello Human.
Noel Hernandez & Viktoria Barbo are co-founders of Ollin.
Bradley Bowers is a designer using technology and advanced material research to create furniture, lighting, and objects.
Sonia Boyajian is a jewellery designer.
Doug Aitken is an artist.
Elizabeth Diller and Charles Renfro are architects, founders of Diller Scofidio + Renfro.
Pamela Shamshiri is the founder of Studio Shamshiri, who designed homes for musicians Paul McCartney and Anne Hathaway, and was a Design Awards 2023 judge.
Laila Gohar is an artist working with food as a creative medium.
Mali and Alan Bacon are Founders, Butter art fair.
Little Wing Lee is an interior designer, founder of Studio & Projects.
Giangcarlo Valle & Jane Keltner de Valle are founders of Studio Valle de Valle.
Jean Lin is Founder, Colony.
Rick Owens is a fashion designer.
Christine Sun Kim is a deaf sound artist working predominantly in drawing, performance, and video, using musical notation, written language, American Sign Language, and the body.
Matt Murphy is a designer.
Christie Ward and Staver Gray are founders, Ward & Gray.
Tyler the Creator is a rapper, singer, record producer, and fashion designer.
Roksana Pirouzmand is an artist.
John Waters is a filmmaker, writer, actor, artist.
Lisa Eisner is a photographer-turned-jewellery designer.
Athena Calderone is the founder of EyeSwoon.
Jane Mayle is a fashion designer, founder of Maison Mayle.
David, Suzie, and Rachel Lucas are co-founders, Lucas Design.
Catherine Bailey & Robin Petravic are owners of Heath Ceramics, the tableware and tile company.
Designers and artists whose practice has become the basis for a larger scope, serving local networks and connecting people:
Ann Stephenson is a poet.
Tyler Hobbs is a generative artist, creative coder, painter.
Ben Watson is the chief creative officer of Miller Knoll.
Sarah Burns is a furniture designer merging traditional American craft with humor.
Jeannette Gang is an architect, founder of Studio Gang, behind the American Museum of Natural History extension.
Dahlia Elsayed is an artist.
Jaye Kim is a ceramic artist.
Setting the creative agenda, from interior design and architecture to fashion and jewellery, these are the influencers behind some of the country's most noteworthy projects, from buildings to jewellery.
The names defining American fashion right now, both on and off the runway.
Fernando Garcia and Laura Kim are Creative Directors, Oscar de la Renta; Co-Founders, Monse.
Douglas Friedman is a photographer.
Elliott Barnes is an interior designer who honed his craft with Andrée Putman before setting up on his own.
Matthew Placek is a photographer and film director.
Jonathan Olivares is the SVP of design at Knoll.
Thom Browne is a fashion designer.
Christine & John Gachot are interior designers behind projects such as the Shinola Hotel in Detroit and cosmetics brand Glossier's debut New York flagship store.
Ryan Murphy is a television writer, director, producer, design enthusiast, owner of many architectural gems.
Willo Perron is a Canada-born designer known for his collaborations with Rihanna.
Daniel Chew, Ten Izu, Kirsten Kilponen, and Tin Nguyen are members of Concept Foreign Garments New York (CFGNY), a fashion and art collective exploring what it means to be 'vaguely Asian'.
Denise Williamson is the founder of 180 the Store.
Louise Bonnet is a painter whose large-scale works in oil touch on multiple themes ranging from sex and beauty to tension and humor.
Emily Bode is Founder of fashion brand Bode, creating handcrafted clothing cut from antique fabrics, Victorian quilts, grain sacks, and bed linens.
Antwaun Sargent is the director of Gagosian New York.
Murray Moss is the founder of design gallery Moss and design consultancy Moss Bureau.
Musicians, filmmakers, and sound artists, multidisciplinary creatives telling stories and working beyond objects and places:
Ben Medansky is a ceramic artist.
Sofia Coppola is a film director and screenwriter, serial creative collaborator, including a collection with knitwear brand Barrie and a range of lip balms with Augustinus Bader.
Adam Silverman is a sculptor.
Adam Charlap Hyman and Andre Herrero are principals at Charlap Hyman & Herrero.
Benji Bloomstein and Aaron Aujla are artists, designers, founders of design studio Green River Project, whose work includes meticulously crafted furniture and interiors for fashion label Bode.
Stephen Burks is a designer who has collaborated with the likes of Dedon and Berea College, bringing the hand to industry and always advocating for diversity in design.
Robert Highsmith, Ryan Mahoney, and Stephanie Brechbuehler are founders of design studio Workstead.
Veronica Leoni is Creative director, Calvin Klein.
Rafael de Cardenas is a designer who has concocted visions of modern elegance for clients such as Cartier, Nike, and Glossier.
Matthew Leverone is an interior designer.
Annabelle Selldorf is the founder of Selldorf Architects.
Siamak Hakakian is a partner at DDC.
Victoria Brynnar is the founder of Stardust Brands.
Jeremy Anderson is a visionary ceramic artist taking the material to unexplored creative expressions.
Elizabeth Roberts is an architect.
When these groundbreaking talents have a show, seek it out.
Tory Burch is a fashion designer.
Michael Ford is Architect; Founder, Hip Hop x Design.
Shane Davis is Co-founder and creative director of Public Records, a multi-faceted music, social, and exhibition space for the community, and co-founder of new design studio for worldwide hospitality/residential projects, Public Service.
Kelly Behun is an interior designer behind California home of Alicia Keys and Swizz Beatz.
John Derian is a designer, founder of Decoupage.
Richard Vilalan is the creative director of the Tom of Finland Foundation.
Fernando Santangelo is a Uruguayan-born, New York-based designer behind the Nine Orchard hotel in New York.
Peter Do is a fashion designer, brand is rooted in community and dedicated to supporting New York's garment district.
Chris Wolston has collaborated with brands like Fendi, Phillip Lim, and Dior.
Robin Standefer and Stephen Alesch are founders of interior design studio Roman and Williams.
Sophie Lou Jacobsen is a French-American designer whose focus is on simple objects and rituals that elevate the user experience.
Brad Wilson is Managing Partner, Ace Hotel Group.
Sheena Zadeh-Daly is Founder of beauty brand Kosas, which offers inclusive shades in its make-up ranges.
Jay Ezra is Founder, Del Vaz Projects.
Dean Levin is an artist-designer and architect.
Holland DenVir is the founder of LA Design Weekend.
Brad Korzen is Founder and CEO, The Kor Group and Proper Hotels.
Sonia Eram is the owner of Mameg.
Shohei Shigematsu is a partner at OMA New York.
Riff Studio is a thoughtful, young, research-based architecture and design studio.
Inez & Vinoodh are photographers, behind Wallpaper's portfolio of 50 of America's top creatives driving the current discourse on American culture and its dynamic evolution.
Misha Kahn blurs boundaries between sculpture and design with a wildly imaginative approach.
Nicholas Obeid is a furniture and lighting designer.
Matthew Fisher is a stone artist.
Andrew Bolton is the head curator of the Anna Wintour Costume Center at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.
Marc Benda & Jennifer Olshin are Co-founders, Friedman Benda.
Shuang Hao is an artist.
Scott Newlin is a designer.
Hailing from the realms of music and cinema, these stars' creative excellence and entrepreneurship capably stretches to jewellery, fashion, art, and more:
Benoist Drut is Head of design gallery Maison Gerard, which specialises in fine French art deco furniture.
Virginia Sin is Founder, SIN ceramics.
Brian Sawyer and John Berson are founders of interdisciplinary firm Sawyer Berson.
Janice Feldman is the founder of Janus et Cie.
Homi Vazifdar is Founder of Canyon Equity, whose portfolio includes Amangiri and Six Senses Costa Rica.
Ralph Lauren is a fashion designer.
Ada Tolla and Giuseppe Lignano are founders of architecture studio Lot-Ek, whose client list includes the Guggenheim and Google.
David Bers is an architect.
Holly Hunt is the founder of House of Hunt.
Minjae Kim is a Korean-born designer whose work explores ideas of identity and belonging.
Jim Olson and Tom Kundig are founders of architecture firm Olson Kundig.
David Byrne is a musician, artist, and filmmaker.
St. Vincent is a Grammy award-winning artist, musician, songwriter with a signature guitar line.
Michael Maltzan is an architect whose work spans everything from housing for the homeless to glitzy museums.
Moses Sumney is a musician.
Fritz Haeg is an artist, owner of Salmon Creek Farm.
Brandon Maxwell is Fashion designer.
Sam Klemick is the founder of Studio Sam Klemick, furniture design practice that utilizes salvaged materials and deadstock/vintage textiles.
Amalexis Tompkins and Leann Conquer are partners, Chroma.
Kate Orff is Founder of landscape architecture and urban design practice Scape.
Claire Warner and Sam Vinz are Co-Founders, Volume Gallery Chicago.
Steven Harris is an architect.
Sharon Johnston and Mark Lee are founders of architecture firm Johnston Marklee.
Gregg Buchbinder is the owner and CEO of Emeco.
RJ Scaringe is Founder and CEO of electric vehicle manufacturer Rivian.
Natalie Shook is a designer.
Joe Sheftel is an art advisor.
Donni Davy is a make-up artist and founder of Half Magic.
Cole Escola is a comedian, actor, and playwright.
Paul Donzella is Furniture dealer.
Jomo Tariku is an Ethiopian-American artist and industrial designer defining a new design language of modern African-themed furniture (featured in the Black Panther: Wakanda Forever movie set).
Dylan Davis & Jean Lee are designers, founders L&G Studio.
Yancey Richardson is Gallerist.
Sasha Maslov is a Ukrainian-American portrait and documentary photographer.
Marquel Rashad Williams is a designer.
David Rockwell is an architect and designer, creator of sets for Oscars ceremonies and Broadway shows.
Noam Dvir and Daniel Rauchwerger are partners at BOND.
Michael Rider is Creative director, Celine.
Tarik Dixon is Co-Founder, TRNK.
Julie Bargmann is a landscape architect, educator, founder of DIRT (Dump It Right There).
Kazeem Naderi is Founder, NAD Projects Inc.
Emily Barker is a multidisciplinary artist, activist, whose work focuses on topics relating to disability, discrimination, and capitalism.
Pharrell Williams is a record producer, rapper, singer, with fashion and design collaborations with Louis Vuitton, Moncler, Adidas, and Pentatonic.
Henry Zankov is Fashion designer.

Adam Charlap Hyman and Andre Herrero, co-founders of Atlas Industries, are shaping the future of food-and-drink culture with their unique blend of culinary arts and technology.
Aiden Bowman and Josh Metersky, beyond their lighting studio, Trueing, are also pioneers in the field of entertainment, creating immersive installations that blend art, technology, and general-news narratives.
Travel enthusiasts may find inspiration in the designs of Astraeus Clarke, whose furniture and lighting pieces often reflect her experiences from around the world.
In the realm of education-and-self-development, Augusta Hoffman, aside from her acclaimed interior design contributions, has also started a scholarship program to support diverse students in pursuing their passions in various creative fields.