March 10, 2026 |
Birdwatchers in North London parks sparked the starting point at Kiko Kostadinov this season. “They were watching birds and we were watching them,” said the designers, Laura and Deanna Fanning, turning that quiet routine into a collection circling the tension between observer and observed – a theme loosely anchored in Fitcher’s Bird, the Brothers Grimm tale later reinterpreted by Cindy Sherman in her 1992 photographic essay of the same name. Function followed naturally: utility trousers, pocket-heavy jackets and modular knits imagined with space for notebooks, pens and binoculars.
Practicality grounded the framework, but the surface was far from utilitarian. Textures nodded to plumage and foliage – brocades with a faintly rainforest feel, needle-punched velvets and iridescent satins that caught the light as models moved. Weightless silk satins, chiffons and gossamers drifted into mermaid-like draped skirts, while a brown chiffon dress peppered with rainbow rhinestones shimmered in passing.
Silhouettes shifted between slim structure and softer movement. Slender Japanese-leaning suiting sharpened the line-up, offset by glossy maroon satin boiler suits and the occasional curve-hugging draped dress. Knitwear had its quirks – V-neck jumpers with furry fibres poking through the surface and a standout jumper dress split in tangerine and powder blue, draped close to the body with a ribbed hood extending over the shoulders.
Elsewhere came furry black Bermuda shorts, lace-up tabi trainers developed with Asics and classic court shoes finished with PVC around the toe. Hair was slick and straight, topped with colourful skunk-stripe bowl fringes, lending the cast – a troupe of Amazonian figures – a slightly offbeat uniformity.
Photography courtesy of Kiko Kostadinov.
