David Koma is doing it for women everywhere. The prêt-à-porter designer is the latest notch on Topshop’s bedpost, producing a capsule collection of five dresses you won’t want to dress down.
Fashion’s favourite figure hugger David Koma graduated from Central St Martins in 2009, and has rapidly established himself as a LFW favourite and bodycon King. The boy wonder received the coveted prize of Central St Martins Best Womenswear Collection in 2007, as well as the Vauxhall Fashion Scout Merit Award and NEWGEN sponsorship, racing him to the top in record time. From the one to watch two years ago, to the one your eyes have to dart to keep up with, Koma has cemented his signatures of luxe bodycon and heavy embellishment in the Topshop collection. Featuring four dresses and a skirt and top two-piece, the all-black collection (besides one camel option) is so sexy, it hurts.
Koma has been uncompromising, upholding his principles of quality over quantity, resulting in Topshop’s highest end collaboration coming soon to a rail near Oxford Circus. With just thirty of each piece available, the fight will be a big one, but worth every drop for the sake of exclusivity. With the collection due to hit stores on 16th February, i-D Online made a beeline for the designer to learn more, whilst composing our very own shoot of the collection.
Describe your design aesthetic in three words… Sculptural, feminine, tailored.
What inspired the collection? Did you have anyone in mind whilst designing? My main inspiration was metal. I find the contrast between metal and femininity utterly fascinating. It’s almost like the water/metal sculptures of William Pye. I wanted to give this collection a similar feeling of contrast: strong and sculptured but at the same time feminine and sexual. I was also looking at Pierre Cardin’s way of using fabric in the 1960s. He has always been an inspiration to me.
It’s the most high-end collaboration Topshop have done, how close are these pieces to your mainline collection? The quality of the materials is very high and there are a lot of handcrafted elements, so I think this capsule collection is very close to my mainline.
Can you talk us through how the collaboration actually works? As I’m a NEWGEN scheme recipient, sponsored by Topshop, it felt quite natural when Topshop approached me to design the collection. On a first meeting we agreed to produce five pieces that wouldn’t compromise my original vision. It was a really exciting project for me. Topshop’s team is amazing!
Will bodycon ever die?! I have no idea – I personally love to see a beautiful female body in a dress that can enhance it and make it look even better.
Can you give us any hints for your autumn/winter collection? 50s, colour, Art Brut.
