While Kiko Kostadinov’s past work has been heavily focused on bold sportswear-inspired looks, his SS22 collection shows a new, more relaxed side of the designer.
Titled ‘Yesternow’, the menswear collection explores modern formal wear through precise tailoring, something Kostadinov started playing with in his last season. His formal wear is met with a hint of playfulness, also an aspect explored in his last collection. The designer experiments with skin-showing clothes such as his tank tops or grunge-inspired striped sweaters with oversized necklines. Continuing on their long-time collaboration, Kostadinov also included a new pair of ASICS sneakers in his show.
For his SS22 collection, Kostadinov turned to a migratory theme, navigating the relationship between one’s culture and their adjustment to a new country. Being from Bulgaria, the London-based designer merges the two cultures for a celebration of his ‘Yesterday’ and his ‘Now’, making up a complex yet diverse identity. Speaking to i-D, the designer stated “Everyone that comes to a new place, even if you’re just moving from a small town to the capital, tries to adjust themselves to whatever’s relevant to that place. What you might wear in one place could be considered dated or inappropriate in another, so you try to adapt to fit in”.
Merging grunge, sharp tailoring, playfulness all while conveying his own identity, Kiko Kostadinov’s SS22 felt like a fresh start to a new era for the designer. Make sure to check out the collection below.
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See also: HYBRID SNEAKERS & MISMATCHING COLORWAYS: ASICS X GMBH SS22
