A while back I dedicated a post to London-based fashion designer David Koma.
Koma's Spring/Summer 2010 collection moves from the work of artist Niki De Saint Phalle, mentioned in yesterday's post in relation to the use of colours, of different materials and body-changing silhouettes in fashion.
So it seems apt to continue today the "art and fashion" thread with the following extract of an interview I did with David Koma that you will find on the next issue of Zoot Magazine (Spring/Summer 2010 - soon out).
What inspired your S/S 2010 collection?David Koma: That collection was really challenging because it was the first time that I included in it a lot of irony. I’m usually more serious, but with that collection I wanted to have more fun and enjoy colours. Everything started after I saw the work of Niki De Saint Phalle: there was a lot of humour in the materials she used and I wanted to incorporate her vision into my designs and started doing researches about what kind of techniques I could have used. I spoke to two incredible artists based in Saint Petersburg about my ideas and we developed glass pieces together. I used the pieces to embellish the designs and to add a bit of colour and fun to my creations, always bearing in mind geometric forms to make the female silhouette stand out.
What was the starting point instead for your Autumn/Winter 2010 collection?
David Koma: The starting point in all my collections is a beautiful female body, that’s what always inspires me. Yet I also like sculptures, so, when I think about dresses, I often try to combine my obsession with the female body with sharp and graphic lines. In the case of the Autumn/Winter 2010 collection, I was also inspired by Umberto Boccioni’s sculptures. I love metal and metallic textures and sculptural shapes, so after seeing Boccioni's amazing works I was inspired to play with metal zips and with combining and contrasting soft and hard materials like leather and wool.
Was becoming a fashion designer what you always wanted to do in your life?
David Koma: I started drawing when I was 8 and, when I was 13, I did a first small collection, so I’ve always been in love with art and fashion and I never stopped drawing since I was 13. After I moved from Georgia to Russia I enrolled at the Art School in Saint Petersburg. I studied classic paintings, drawing and anatomy, to understand the human and female body. I’m really finding useful what I learnt then, because every time I do a design or a dress now, I know how to tackle the structure of the body.
Who was your style icon when you were younger?
David Koma: I didn’t have anybody like that at the time, but I found movies very inspirational. I really liked Pedro Almodóvar's films and actresses like Sophia Loren.
How does the creative process work for you? Do you find it difficult to get inspirations for your collections?
David Koma: Usually as soon as I finish one season, sometimes even a week before the new collection is finished, I already have some ideas in my mind for the next one. Sometimes I may be walking in the street and get a feeling about what I want for the next collection. It usually comes to me in a very natural way.
Your designs won you a sort of celebrity fanbase that includes Beyoncé, Rihanna and Lady Gaga, how do you feel about it?
David Koma: It was amazing and exciting to hear that such contemporary icons of style wanted to wear my dresses, but, when I created my designs, I never had in mind any celebrities, I just settled on doing beautiful pieces that all women would like to wear.
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