8 rising stars you should take note of this summer

Taken from the summer 25 print issue of THE FACE. Get your copy here.

Bands can form in the unlikeliest of places but The Femcels’ story wins top prize for uniqueness. In 2023, ​“me and my friend used to invite girls we thought were cool on Instagram for sleepovers,” West Country coder-by-day Gabriella Turton, 22, explains. After spending the night, Brighton-born Rowan Miles, 25, and Gabriella became friends. By March 2024, the pair were making electropop with producer Ike Clateman of electronic duo Bassvictim. The Femcels’ debut, He Needs Me, was a bouncy, chiptune-flavoured update of The Shining actor Shelley Duvall’s cult 1980 cut (the actor made it for, of all things, her and Robin Williams’ live-action Popeye movie). It was followed in March by Not Ur Friend, a bleepy blast of dreampop that also speaks to Rowan’s fascination for the ​’60s and ​“bands where girls make bad music”. Now, with a show at London nightlife institution The Cause under their belts, a new manager and a backlog of unreleased tracks, they’re keen to get their debut album underway. Dream collabs? ​“Addison Rae, Nicki Minaj, Paul McCartney.” Naturally.

@thef_mcels

“‘Toerag’ is a cockney insult and ​‘rag’ refers to the ​‘gutter press’, so separating the words is meant to emphasise the ​‘rag’ of The Toe Rag,” Sophie Barshall says with a laugh, referring to the quarterly print magazine of which she is editor-in-chief. But it is very much not a ​“gutter press” tabloid: it publishes intelligent essays on contemporary culture. The magazine began as a guide to London’s independent events when the 26-year-old struggled to find a job after getting a Master’s in History of Art and Visual Culture from Oxford. When the first issue came back from the printers, the West Londoner (and her dad) distributed all 6,000 copies by hand. Since then, the mag (cover price: £6.50) has grown to a team of eight and evolved into an in-the-know publication that balances ​“good, serious writing” with a playful edge – meaning you’re just as likely to find an essay on the postmodern condition as you would a horoscopes section in the back. It goes without saying that The Toe Rag is Sophie’s favourite magazine. Her second favourite? ​“The Fence.” None taken, Sophie.

@sophiebarshall

If it hadn’t been for Liverpool​’s Rare Studio, a drama school that provides scholarships for working-class kids, Ellis Howard may have never become an actor. ​“Not to sound like an American Idol pitch, but it changed my life,” the 28-year-old says. Beginning training at 13, the Merseysider later studied at London’s Guildhall before appearing in productions such as Jack Thorne’s acclaimed Covid drama Help (2021) and horror series Red Rose (2022). Now Ellis is taking on his biggest role, playing Byron in BBC series What It Feels Like For A Girl, which follows a teenager’s journey from a Northern town to a hedonistic Nottingham in the early ​’00s. Created by Paris Lees and based on her memoir, it bursts with touching examples of the value of queer community, as well as a good few messy Y2K party scenes – of which Ellis is a big fan. ​“The partying days are not done!” he insists with a laugh. ​“Take out the kitten heels, girl, and get out the poppers. Let’s live again!” We’re in.

@ellisfrancishoward

Growing up in Croydon was inspiring for designer Stanley Raffington, but not in the way you’d expect. ​“People weren’t as open to dressing experimentally,” the South Londoner says, ​“so the influence of everyone dressing the same pushed my interest towards not being like everyone else.” As a teen, Stanley expressed his individuality via customisation, whether through bleaching his jeans, adding patches to jackets or crafting his own tracksuits. Then, while on Central Saint Martins’ BA Menswear course, the 25-year-old interned under fashion innovators Charles Jeffrey and Craig Green. Their business savvy rubbed off – almost immediately after graduation, he founded his eponymous label. Now his designs take inspo from his Jamaican heritage, but blended with modern silhouettes. Scrolling through his SSense page, you’ll find bold colours and lines inspired as much by vintage British reggae band Aswad as the architecture of Zaha Hadid. He is, for now at least, a one-man band, and happily so. ​“I need to be able to take on some more help when I need it, but I definitely like to be in control!”

@stanleyraffington

It took a while for Bea Dero to find photography. Starting off as an actor in her early teens, the North West Londoner leaned into directing at 18. ​“I applied to one university [UAL], one course [Film Practice], and said: ​‘If I don’t get in, I’m not going.’” She did get in, but by her second year she had switched to Art Direction, concentrating on photography. Still, the meandering path paid off, giving the 23-year-old’s images a rich, narrative-filled vision. Her debut solo exhibition, Bound by Two Homes, held at London’s Hackney Gallery back in March, spotlit her heritage through portraits of young Iranian women in London with objects celebrating their culture. ​“There’s a lot of [internal] hate for [our] British side. But I’m hoping to shift the perspective and celebrate that [dual identity].” Now, Bea’s returning to her roots, directing a short film focused on a British-Iranian girl and her friends. ​“It’s easy for diasporic people to dream about going back home. But this film explores how we can bring that warmth and presence to where we are now.”

@directordero

Paris Fitzpatrick has long had a rebellious streak. Although not, perhaps, for the usual reasons. ​“My mum’s a practicing Buddhist, so I’ve always been able to talk to her and question the conventions of the world we live in,” the dancer says. ​“That’s led me to feel a little bit of ​‘fuck you’ to the expectations around me.” Handy, given that his latest role is Quadrophenia​’s Jimmy Cooper, one of 20^th century pop culture’s great rebels. The 1979 film adaptation of The Who’s ​’60s-set rock opera album saw Phil Daniels as Jimmy. Now, it’s been reimagined as a ballet for London’s Sadler’s Wells, with Paris as the geezer-Mod hero dancing through heartbreak, a speed bender and brawls with rockers. ​“He’s in turmoil constantly,” says the 28-year-old from Rugby in Warwickshire. Last onstage as Matthew Bourne’s Romeo, Paris was awarded Outstanding Male Modern Performance at the 2024 National Dance Awards for his portrayal of the doomed lover. ​“I love being vulnerable and laying bare a part of me, [so] it’s a beautiful thing to have that recognised and appreciated.”

@parisalexfitz

For sustainable streetwear designer Abigail Ajobi, fashion is in her genes. ​“When Nigerians go to parties, we’ll choose our own fabric as a family and get outfits made from that cloth,” the North Londoner says. ​“Seeing that subconsciously gave me an interest in clothing design.” Determined to pursue fashion from an early age, and inspired by super-stylish parents, Abigail did a foundation course in Art and Design at Central Saint Martins before completing a Bachelor’s in Menswear at London College of Fashion. Since then, the 27-year-old has kept her loved ones and heritage close in her designs. For her AW22 collection, later picked up by Selfridges, she screen-printed a denim jacket with a love letter her dad wrote to her mum. Earlier this year, she made her solo debut at London Fashion Week with a punk collection that also nodded to her Nigerian-British cultural heritage. Unsurprisingly, if you ask Abigail for her proudest career moment, it involves family. ​“Being able to put my language, Yoruba, and my parents’ faces in Selfridges was such a pinch-me moment!”

@abigailajobi

STYLING ASSISTANT Miranda Mikkola THANKS TO Mill Row Club