In 2026, San Francisco style is all about craft, community, and intention.
From fresh voices to cult favorites, check out these nine Bay Area designers and artisans telling stories through their work, from moto jackets to inlayed stone rings.
Brandin Vaughn
Brandin Vaughn has been cutting and stitching clothes since he was twelve, learning from his grandmother's sewing lessons and building a practice around thrift stores and deadstock fabrics. From biker jackets to kimonos, his work moves between womenswear and menswear, often cut from upcycled textiles. Now based between San Francisco and St. Louis, Vaughn blends couture-level craftsmanship with storytelling and social impact through his namesake label. Fresh off a runway show at Karl: The Art of Fashion, part of Museum of African Diaspora's Nexus: SF/Bay Area Black Art Week, the Tony Award–winning designer known for dressing icons like Beyoncé on her Renaissance and Cowboy Carter tours creates garments that help people show up as their best, most unapologetic selves, building community through custom and bespoke pieces.
// Shop online at brandinvaughn.com
