Two years ago, designer and Central Saint Martins graduate David Koma won the coveted Merit Award at Vauxhall Fashion Scout and ever since he has had great success to critical acclaim with some of the world's most famous celebrities, Beyonce to name one, becoming fans of his designs. David Koma revealed his Spring Summer '13 collection this morning at Somerset House and provided beautiful spring designs inspired by the amazing summer of sport that London has just been home to.
Influenced mainly by Tennis and Wimbledon in particular, to inspire his designs David spent time at the event, getting to know the sport and the players. Taking this sportswear influence, he put the David Koma twist on it and consequently created something intelligent and refined but still true to it's original inspirations. The collection featured a palette of tennis white, Wimbledon greens and yellow and inclusions of black and electric blue that gave the collection a more futuristic edge. Describing the collection as “Hard, fast and beautiful” in an interview with VFS partners Fashion Monitor earlier this year, this was exactly what it was with bold panelling juxtaposed with voluminous pleats that provided movement as if playing in the wind at Wimbledon. Enlarged net-like prints played with scale and almost created a 3D look, bringing contemporary edge to a traditional inspiration.
The collection had a stunning array of fabrics, from opaque black heavy jerseys to sheer silks. Translucent vests and shirts layered over tight, panelled dresses and cut in innovative ways enhanced the looks taking them from sportswear to contemporary high fashion. The fabric manipulation was sublime with pleats and folds giving the sports influence within amazing silhouettes. The innocent tennis whites were made slightly more rebellious with geometric cut-outs, and black dresses were embellished with patent elements that gave the whole collection evening looks that were sophisticated and chic. Once again, the designer gave us designs that are wearable and commercial however still pushing boundaries.
Text by Katie Agar (@katie_agar)
Images from Style.com
Images from Style.com