Spring Summer 2019 Womenswear

As well as the first collection since graduating from the master’s programme at Central Saint Martins, the London Fashion Week debut of Laura and Deanna Fanning also marks a new chapter for the Kiko Kostadinov label. The Melbourne-born sisters will now oversee the Womenswear for the label, creating a synergistic counterpart to the Menswear line, which was launched by its eponymous designer in 2016. United by an emphasis on pattern-cutting and uniforms, Kostadinov, Laura and Deanna are working towards a collaborative brand that houses a mutual passion for sartorial innovation and experimentation.

For their first collection, Laura and Deanna took inspiration from one of the most important books of the twentieth century: Aldous Huxley's Brave New World (1932). Each caste in Huxley's dystopian 'World State' is distinguished by the colour of its clothes. In order of caste from lowest to highest: 'Epsilons' dress in black; 'Deltas' wear khaki; 'Gammas' wear leaf green; 'Betas' dress in mulberry; 'Alphas' wear greys.

In Huxley's dark and dreary dystopian world, the juxtaposing of colour becomes a sign of liberation and resistance. Hence, graphic blocks and stripes of saturated paintbox brights, intensified to evoke sun-drenched childhood memories in Melbourne, are a lively antidote to London’s drizzly grey mood — a fashion equivalent to a S.A.D. lightbox. The silhouettes take their cue from a futuristic take on the severe styles of the 1940s — epitomised by the MGM costumes of Gilbert Adrian and WWII make-do-and-mend journals; as seen through the postmodernism of the 1980s — think of Alexis Colby’s shoulders and her bold, clashing hues.

One papery nylon jacket, crafted from a rhizomatic network of panels, is a thoroughly modern take on classic ‘80s sportswear. Another dress of the same material is artfully sculpted the body with geometric panels, complete with puffed sleeves and panniers at the hips, both sharpened by fluoro-chartreuse piping. Mother-of-pearl shells, dotted with beads, punctuate several pieces. Upon closer inspection, fastenings are actually slices of horn encased in metal and even the more muted pieces in sandy cottons and pearl grey have intrinsically engineered seams and panels.

However, the severity of each look is softened by touch-me textures, such as interlocked crochets, stretch nylons and hand beaded star-shaped cuffs, each of which take two days to complete. Deanna’s background in knitwear design informs her pushing the boundaries of what’s possible to knit. Each of the integrally-knitted garments is either seamless or has just one seam, a result of the entire garment being knitted in one piece and the yarn being engineered around the body. Strands of metallic woven into the knitwear lend it a hint of sci-fi shimmer.

The space-age boots, spliced from metallic patents and buttery soft leathers, have been created in collaboration with Camper and are most definitely designed to be sisters, not twins.

Credits

Design and Direction: Laura and Deanna Fanning
Styling: Agata Belcen at MA + Group
Casting: Troy Fearn
Hair: Kiyoko Odo at Bryant Artists
Make-up: Nami Yoshida at Bryant Artists
Set Design: Dean Edmonds
Musical Direction: Paride Calvia
Press: A.I. PR