"We've known each other since we were teenage outcasts in Nebraska," says Davora Lindner, who co-designs the year-old label Prairie Underground with Camilla Eckersley. "We were both on the periphery of the punk scene in the '80s. Living in the Midwest and not fitting in can really make you feel like a part of a resistance league.

That was the inspiration for the name." Now based in Seattle, Lindner and Eckersley (who have backgrounds in sculpture and corsetry, respectively) temper their body-shaping silhouettes with masculine, muddy colours and plenty of dark denim. "Elephants were an unconscious recurring theme this season," Lindner says with a laugh. "Our pencil skirt looks like an elephant's face and ears. We have a lot of grey pieces with generous amounts of gathers."

‘Little House’ author Laura Ingalls Wilder might be slightly taken aback, but we think she'd also be proud. ANDREA CUSICK
For more information, see prairieunderground.com.