Kiko Kostadinov ( bg, Кико Костадинов; born 1989) is a
Bulgaria
Bulgaria (; bg, България, Bǎlgariya), officially the Republic of Bulgaria,, ) is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern flank of the Balkans, and is bordered by Romania to the north, Serbia and North Macedon ...
n fashion designer based in
London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
. He currently is the creative director of his eponymous label as well as British heritage brand
Mackintosh
The Mackintosh or raincoat (abbreviated as mac) is a form of waterproof raincoat, first sold in 1824, made of rubberised fabric.
The Mackintosh is named after its Scottish inventor Charles Macintosh, although many writers added a letter ''k' ...
's premium line Mackintosh 0001. Kostadinov's work is centered on modern-day uniform and contemporary workwear.
Early life
Kostadinov was born in Bulgaria, but emigrated to London at the age of 16. His father was a construction worker, while his mother was a childcare worker and cleaning lady. During his upbringing in Bulgaria, Kostadinov's only exposure to arts and culture was receiving clothes from his uncle who resided in London. Although he was interested in his own personal style, Kostadinov was never exposed to fashion in Bulgaria. Kostadinov's clothing is greatly influenced by fellow designer
Yohji Yamamoto
is a Japanese fashion designer based in Tokyo and Paris. Considered a master tailor alongside those such as Madeleine Vionnet, he is known for his avant-garde tailoring featuring Japanese design aesthetics.
Yamamoto has won notable awards for ...
. He is also inspired by designers
Rick Owens
Richard Saturnino Owens (born November 18, 1962) is an American fashion designer from Porterville, California. In addition to his main line, Owens has a furniture line and a number of diffusion lines.
Early life and education
Richard Saturnino ...
and
Christopher Kane
Christopher John Kane (born 26 July 1982) is a Scottish fashion designer based in London.
Biography
Kane was born as the youngest of five children in Newarthill, North Lanarkshire, to an engineer and draughtsman father and housewife mother.
K ...
Education
Kostadinov obtained a degree in
information technology
Information technology (IT) is the use of computers to create, process, store, retrieve, and exchange all kinds of data . and information. IT forms part of information and communications technology (ICT). An information technology system (I ...
before deciding to pursue fashion. He initially enrolled in a foundation course at
London College of Fashion, but realized he wanted to attend
Central Saint Martins
Central Saint Martins is a public tertiary art school in London, England. It is a constituent college of the University of the Arts London. It offers full-time courses at foundation, undergraduate and postgraduate levels, and a variety of shor ...
. After being rejected from
Central Saint Martins
Central Saint Martins is a public tertiary art school in London, England. It is a constituent college of the University of the Arts London. It offers full-time courses at foundation, undergraduate and postgraduate levels, and a variety of shor ...
, Kostadinov would assist a number of menswear designers and stylists, such as
Aitor Throup,
Nicola Formichetti
Nicola Formichetti (; born 31 May 1977) is a fashion director and fashion editor. Born in Japan, he is most widely known as the artistic director of the Italian fashion label Diesel and for being a frequent collaborator with singer-songwriter Lad ...
, and Stephan Mann. He was accepted to
Central Saint Martins' B.A. fashion design and marketing program two years later. Kostadinov attempted to transfer to the school's menswear program many times, but was repeatedly refused.
Kostadinov returned to
Central Saint Martins
Central Saint Martins is a public tertiary art school in London, England. It is a constituent college of the University of the Arts London. It offers full-time courses at foundation, undergraduate and postgraduate levels, and a variety of shor ...
for his master's degree in fashion. During his education, Kostadinov created commission pieces made from
Stüssy
Stüssy ( ) is an American privately held fashion house founded in the early 1980s by Shawn Stussy. It benefited from the surfwear trend originating in Orange County, California, but was later adopted by the skateboard and hip hop scenes.
Hist ...
clothing for an editorial featured in
Clash magazine. Although the clothing was bespoke and never intended to be sold,
Stüssy
Stüssy ( ) is an American privately held fashion house founded in the early 1980s by Shawn Stussy. It benefited from the surfwear trend originating in Orange County, California, but was later adopted by the skateboard and hip hop scenes.
Hist ...
reached out to him to collaborate on a capsule collection to celebrate their 35th anniversary in 2015. Each piece was hand made and took 1–2 days to produce through deconstruction and cut-and-sew. He would use the money earned from the sales to continue his education. Later that year he would release another collection with
Stüssy
Stüssy ( ) is an American privately held fashion house founded in the early 1980s by Shawn Stussy. It benefited from the surfwear trend originating in Orange County, California, but was later adopted by the skateboard and hip hop scenes.
Hist ...
to be sold by
Dover Street Market
Dover Street Market is a multi-brand retailer originally located on Dover Street, in Mayfair, London. It has stores in New York City, Tokyo, Singapore, Beijing and Los Angeles.
Dover Street Market was created by Rei Kawakubo of Japanese fashio ...
.
Career
Kostadinov experienced little transition from schooling to the runway. After graduating from his master's program in 2016, he would immediately be funded by the
British Fashion Council
The British Fashion Council (BFC) is a non-profit organization that aims to enable sustainable growth of British fashion in the global fashion economy. Founded in 1983, the BFC organizes biannual womenswear and menswear showcases, London Fashi ...
's NEWGEN initiative. In January 2017, he presented his debut collection, characterized by meticulously engineered garments with highly functional cuts and finishes. This theme would pervade his later work.
In November 2017, Kostadinov was appointed as creative director of Mackintosh 0001, a fashion focused offshoot of outerwear brand
Mackintosh
The Mackintosh or raincoat (abbreviated as mac) is a form of waterproof raincoat, first sold in 1824, made of rubberised fabric.
The Mackintosh is named after its Scottish inventor Charles Macintosh, although many writers added a letter ''k' ...
. Kostadinov's creative direction would be inspired by Italian art movement
Arte Povera, characterized by an emphasis on traditional product and material.
Kostadinov partnered with Japanese brand
ASICS to produce footwear for his eponymous label's Spring/Summer 2018 collection. The partnership would continue for his Autumn/Winter 2018 collection. In 2018, Kostadinov would also collaborate with
Camper to create his own rendition of three of the brand's hiking boots.
In the fall of 2018, Kostadinov introduced a womenswear line to be led by Laura and Deanna Fanning, who had graduated from
Central Saint Martins' master program 7 months prior.
In 2019, Kostadinov was a semifinalist for the
LVMH Prize for Young Designers which awards winners a 300,000 euro grant along with 12 months of support from the LVMH Group. However he did not progress beyond the semifinalist level.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kostadinov, Kiko
1987 births
Living people
Bulgarian expatriates in the United Kingdom
Bulgarian fashion designers
English fashion designers
Menswear designers