86% matchOttolinger
Twisted, deconstructed jersey with the same raw femininity
What changes: Berlin club-wear energy, less historical corsetry or metalwork
Brand profile
Elena Velez
New York label by Milwaukee-raised designer Elena Velez, fusing forged metalwork and corsetry with distressed, romantic gowns shown at New York Fashion Week.
New York CityOrigin
WomenswearFocus
Avant-gardeStyle
$$$$Price
4 brands like Elena Velez like Ottolinger, Marques'Almeida, Vivienne Westwood →
What to know about Elena Velez
Shipyard metal, not soft tailoring
Velez builds clothes around forged and cast metal hardware from a Milwaukee shipyard upbringing, paired with corsetry, draped jersey and deliberately muddied, torn finishes.
Institutionally backed, not underground
Despite the wrecked finishes, the label won the CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund and CFDA Emerging Designer of the Year in 2022, joined the CFDA in 2023, and shows at New York Fashion Week.
Midwestern production, internet-native collaborations
Collections are produced in part with Midwestern makers, and a February 2026 tie-up with net-art collective Remilia Corporation produced Remilia Atelier's Universal Work Suit.
If you like Elena Velez
86% match
82% matchMarques'Almeida
Frayed raw-edge grunge on womenswear staples
What changes: Denim-led and more commercial; no forged hardware or gowns
80% matchVivienne Westwood
Original corsetry-and-punk lineage, heritage version
What changes: Established house with broad accessories range and tartan codes
78% matchRick Owens Lilies
Draped stretch-jersey dressing in a muted dark palette
What changes: Cleaner, wearable diffusion pieces without distressed finishes
Brand facts
Elena Velez runs her eponymous New York label, drawing on a Milwaukee shipyard upbringing: forged and cast metal hardware, corsetry, draped jersey and muddied, torn finishes on gowns and separates. Collections show at New York Fashion Week and are produced in part with Midwestern makers. Velez won the CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund and CFDA Emerging Designer of the Year in 2022 and joined the CFDA in 2023. In February 2026 the label partnered with net-art collective Remilia Corporation on Remilia Atelier, debuting a Universal Work Suit.
- Founded
- 2021
- Origin
- New York City, United States
- Made in
- China, Bangladesh, Vietnam, India, Turkey, Indonesia, Pakistan, Mexico, USA, Europe
- Price
- $$$$
- Focus
- Womenswear
- Facts checked
- August 2026
- Styles
- Avant-garde, Punk / Grunge / Goth, Workwear / Heritage