Autumn Winter 2018 Menswear
Obscured By Clouds
00052018
As the maddening pace of a hyper-connected world is accelerated by technology and globalisation, the allure of the great outdoors looms larger than ever. Kiko Kostadinov’s fifth collection, Obscured by Clouds, is a breakaway from digital suffocation and embrace of an altogether warmer outlook, venturing into the fragrant warmth of Ibizan sunshine and a summer romance.
The louche, bohemian spirit of the 60’s and ’70s, seen through the lens of West German magazine ‘Twen’ (1959 – 1971), is an elusive influence felt within the relaxed proportions, crochet toggle bags, artisanal Japanese kaleidoscopes and Roman jewels made by Joanne Burke. Barbet Schroeder’s More (1969) and La Vallée (1972) are also central cinematic points of reference for the collection, informing the narrative and dialogue between the two characters.
Sporting garments, such as kayaking suits and cycling pants, are approached with technical flair. Pockets are concealed within seams that twist around and inform the garments, many of which are reversible. Kostadinov’s triple-darted trousers, developed for his graduate collection, return in slouchier incarnations, precisely cut from Loro Piana double-faced nylons. A new silhouette, emphasised at the waist and harnessed by pocketed bandeaus, riff on athleticwear and utilitarian uniforms. Reversible knitwear tops, constructed from two circular panels, also feature throughout, adding to multi-coloured jacquard knitwear.
The soothing colour palette — seafoam green, hessian brown, rosewood pink and sky blue — takes its cue from traditional Bulgarian pottery, native to the Kostadinov’s place of birth, blue and deeper tones of bordeaux, emerald and terracotta.
Yves Klein’s The Foundations of Judo (1954), which immortalised the French artist’s little-known love of judo (he left Paris for Japan to study at the Kodokan, returning with a fourth-dan black belt to open the Judo Academie de Paris) evokes the sense of duality between sportswear and traditional mid-century dressmaking techniques found in the womenswear, which Kostadinov has designed for the first time. Micro-corduroy, traditional flannels and papier cotton are transformed into modern daywear that draws on belle époque silhouettes.
The ASICS trainers mark the second collaboration between Kostadinov and the Japanese performancewear brand. Designed by Kostadinov to mirror the colour palette of the clothes, the shoes feature multiple panels of pottery-inspired knitted jackquard layers. For the men’s shoes, the designer has collaborated with Camper on a re-edition of their innovative hiking boot, TEIX.
Credits
Production: Laura Holmes Production
Stylist: Stephen Mann
Casting: Henry Thomas at Bryant Artists
Set Design: Thomas Petherick at CLM
Art Direction: Jamie Andrew Reid
Hair: Katsuya Kamo
Make-up: Jenny Coombs at Streeters
Musical Direction: Paride Calvia
Text: Osman Ahmed
Press: A.I. PR
Thank you: 180 Strand, ASICS, Deanna and Laura Fanning, Elliott Farquharson, Daiki Fujita, Laura Holmes, Adam Iezzi, Michael Kopelman, Tinka and Kostadin Kostadinovi, Aitor Martinez, Kai Ninagawa, NEWGEN, Taro Ray, Reneta Samsieva, Mark Tarbard, and Molly Zinar
