Have you thought about hospitals recently?
Neither had most people, from the look of editors backstage when Kiko Kostadinov explained the inspiration for his spring 2025 collection.
“You forget how much you’re relating to these institutions post-COVID,” he said.
But the designer wasn’t thinking about the pandemic or grim connotations. His train of thought started with liposomes, a recent encapsulation technique used to make medication more effective.
For spring, he referenced surgical scrubs and patient gowns, giving jackets side closures or even back closures; taking the easy-access pockets and long boxy fit from lab coats; and nodding to adaptive clothing with the extensive use of snaps rather than buttons or zips throughout the collection.
Also slotted in were pieces riffing of earlier seasons, such as K-shaped seams — a much better way to sign his work than any logo, opined Kostadinov.
Between the sleek functional lines and embellishments brought only by functional elements or the weave of textiles, the lineup exuded a sci-fi vibe.
The standouts included a t-shirt turned asymmetric thanks to one of those seams and decorated with a striped placket; a smart blazer with slanted pockets; trousers with curving seams down the legs that gave them a lightly padded look, and a lightweight black coat with a side zip and contrasting cream-colored panels on the upper arm.
There were also prints of an alien-looking schematic representation of molecules. Kostadinov extolled about how well liposomal vitamins had worked for him. From the looks in this functional yet zesty collection, they’d been quite effective on his lineup, too.