Tracing Island Time at Kiko Kostadinov SS26

A chronological story of a day of fabrics at Kiko Kostadinov Spring/Summer 2026 unrolled across a brutalist, concrete car park tucked away in the 17ᵉ arrondissement in Paris on a breezeless, torrid Saturday morning. But briefly, just for that morning, it was not a car park, a venue, nor a presentation — we were spectators of a day in the life of a small fictitious island town that exists only inside its self-contained universe, disconnected from the cultural weather outside.

 

The collection is a studied observation of the textures of everyday life. Lighting tracks the course of a day, with the first frames of the space bathed in an incubator-orange glow of dawn. The day breaks as models descend a parking ramp, casting long shadows against the wall. Each look, presented unhurriedly, invites a slow gaze over the rich diversity of materials. Melting ombres of amber, carmine, and ochre were daubed over the models’ foreheads and eyebrows, as if kissed by the colours of the drifting sun across a coastal sky.

 

The morning materializes with a sartorial sunrise at 5:50 AM, with elegant, relaxed silhouettes cut from cotton jerseys, textured and crinkled cottons, and paisley twill, carried by a score that echoes the notes of wind chimes hanging above an imaginary front porch. Bulgarian military pyjama-inspired silhouettes are rendered with thin vertical stripes that shift the orientation of the garment, revealing the directional paneling that meets bias-cut contrast blocks, thereby exaggerating the pieced construction of a pair of pants, a shirt, and ultimately, an ensemble look.

 

Footwear keeps pace with the day’s rhythm: lightweight flip-flop sandals styled with contrast five-toe socks, polychromatic Asics tabi runners, and suede utility work boots. Fabric bags that reference Bulgarian bagpipes and shepherd pouches took on a new shape.

 

A system of workwear is revealed as the day builds, including shorts and jackets in technical stretch twill, utilitarian shirting, cotton jumpsuits, and striped shirting. There are jackets constructed with slash panelling, irregular plackets, and sharp seamwork, and military-inspired shoulder tabs appear on shirts. For a designer who rarely self-references, the engineered, deconstructed drapes seen throughout the collection feel codified in Kostadinov’s design language, marked by structural precision and architectural tailoring. Stepping into a new space for the label, this season debuts bespoke suiting developed and made in Japan. A beaded boutonnière with the charm of a folk-art talisman is styled on the breast pocket of one of the blazers, the beading later reiterated in jewelry throughout the day.

 

Specialized treatments imbue a time-weathered character to the garments, from stonewash on Japanese denim, resist dyed knits, and over-dyed jersey inspired by Yomitan pottery glazes. Diagonal blue contrast-stitched stripes appear on a soft walnut brown leather jacket, styled with pants with the islander’s pinstripe of vertical windblown streaks reminiscent of Arashi shibori. A pink and turquoise tie-dyed jumper in fine wool is patterned with the crisp symmetry of nested rhombuses and a geometric tessellation in a combined jacquard and print composition. Abstract resist-dyed floral pattern, a panel slashed across a jacket.

 

The afternoon folds into night with élan: ruched and cropped blazers, heavily pleated trousers, long coats with K-dart construction. Garments featured a mosaic of distressed, cutwork appliqué in teal and beige with a painterly construction that echoes the textile work of Japanese avant-garde designer Kansai Yamamoto. Contrasting layers of fabric are revealed in collaged, asymmetrical windows, rimmed with soft, raw edges.

 

Kostadinov is a first-class worldbuilder and storyteller, masterfully articulating internal mythology into form. The unexpected presence of quotidian materials such as striped ribbed knits, Supima cotton jersey polos, henleys, and hoodies lends a lived-in, tactile sensibility. The diverse assemblage of fabrics throughout the collection also tells a story of the deep material exploration and research that underlie this season’s narrative. These are clothes that demand to be held and felt, inviting touch as much as observation.

 

At the show’s finale, it’s 1 AM on the island, and the music stops. As the opening lines of the show notes read, “it’s a moonless summer night. Starless and inky black.” Maybe you can catch the sounds of the small town breathing. “Listen. The day is breaking.”