Kiko Kostadinov's Debut Womenswear Collection Was Every Bit as Powerful as His Menswear

Emerging young designer Kiko Kostadinov‘s menswear is well-regarded for its intelligent use of fabric, ingenious pattern cutting and striking technical details. For his brand’s womenswear line, Kostadinov wisely tapped twins Laura Deanna Fanning — who design under a single name — to take over, yielding a line that successfully applies Kostadinov’s signature avant-garde approach to contemporary womenswear.

Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World informed the new collection, influencing the neutral grey and green tones along with the silhouettes, which elevated the severe shapes of the decade that followed the publication of Huxley’s novel. The sci-fi-evoking hair and makeup from Kostadinov’s Spring/Summer 2019 range resurfaced in Fanning’s debut womenswear presentation, along with a few other shared elements. Twisting, flared trousers, snap buttons, trim knit tops and color-blocked shirting was repurposed from the men’s side, executed with slimmer cuts and higher crops. Women’s items also utilized plenty of zippers, creating customizable gussets and easy-access dresses in the process.

However, the lines completely diverged with the introduction of color-saturated appliqué, adding costume-like flair to shirts & skirts. Futuristic Camper boots tied in neatly with the richly tones of contrast-panel dresses, which were elevated with three-dimensional seams that created graceful, seashell-like curves. Intarsia pleats and woven-in metallics allow the knitwear extreme visual texture, as the hourglass silhouette bridges the gap between human and alien.

Take a look at the debut presentation above. Elsewhere, we recently took a closer look at key items from Kostadinov’s Fall/Winter 2018 range.