Four days after a London Fashion Week show, most designers had long ago given up on sleep, worked long hours and survived on a diet of black coffee and Haribos.
It was a quieter scene than I expected at David Koma’s Shoreditch HQ, which houses an office, design studio and workshop. The team was busy but no one seemed stressed.
So does Koma himself: “This is a new me,” he says. “I’m trying to enjoy the journey.”
And what a fun journey it was. The Tbilisi, Georgia-born designer has dressed Adele, Jennifer Lopez, Lady Gaga and Rihanna. Beyoncé wears Koma on the cover of her new single /Texas Hold ‘Em/. Florence Pugh, Poppy Delevingne and Mary Charteris wore Koma to the Baftas after-party last Sunday night. Not bad for someone who’s never actively sought the attention of celebrities.
“Celebrities… It was something that came very naturally to me as an artist and as a brand. “It was never my focus,” he says. It’s been this way since the beginning. Koma came to London in 2003 to study at Central Saint Martin’s; here he was identified as a potential star and mentored by the late legendary Professor Louise Wilson. A sketch from his 2009 Master’s program, with his notes scribbled in pencil, is framed and waiting to hang on his office wall. She also notes that the second half of her surname, Komakhidze, was also defamed.
His graduation collection won numerous awards and shed light on his talent; This was enough to fly under the radar of some notable celebrity stylists. Within months, Beyoncé wore a David Koma dress to the MTV Europe Music Awards, and Cheryl Cole wore one, too. X factor“And after that came Lady Gaga, Rihanna, Kylie Minogue and a bunch of other people,” he recalls. “[The collection] it was only nine dresses [and] We have nine amazing people. And it never stopped.”
His relationship with Beyoncé is probably the one he’s most proud of. He appreciates her attention to detail. “He’s so obsessed with everything,” she says. Nothing is signed without her approval: “She really, really cares. “And actually what I love about her is that I’ve worked with her for many years and she works with multiple stylists, but they get back to me, so I believe that comes from her.”
She designed a variety of looks for the Renaissance tour, including the headline-making iridescent leather outfit. “The technical part is important when it comes to working on a tour,” he explains. “For certain looks, like the iridescent one, we knew she was going to wear it for a pretty active part of the performance… You have to use certain metallic zippers that are strong, and even if you use super high boots, you have to make sure they won’t move or slide down; There are special bones that you add.
“You do that and you also make dancers. So he needs to be consistent… In some looks he really needs to be in control, but I think in this particular look he can just be himself and dance.
Beyoncé’s favorite moment so far? When she opened the Oscars two years ago with a performance of ‘Be Alive’ from the soundtrack King RichardBiography of Richard Williams, father of tennis champions Venus and Serena.
Beyoncé performed in Compton, California, on the court where the sisters practiced as children, wearing a neon tennis ball-inspired dress made for her by Koma. She did not expect it to be worn in this context. “We were already working on it. [Renaissance] tour,” he explains. “We were doing quite a lot, so I didn’t really know what was going to show up where.”
The fact that Koma is a tennis enthusiast made the situation even more meaningful. “It was funny because my dad really wanted me to be a tennis player. I was like, this won’t happen. That’s why he let me make art. When this happened, I called him and said: ‘Does this count as me winning the prize? [fashion] Grand Slam?’”
Koma has great respect for the stylists who are the architects of these famous looks. “There are so many publishers, so many ideas. “Being a stylist is not an easy job,” he says. “They must gain the celebrity’s trust and then convince designers to be bold and be part of your vision.”
Each look is the result of a broader team effort: “Obviously, the dress is one thing, then the stylist, then the stylist, the synergy between hair and make-up, and the fit of message and momentum; everything must be in harmony. It will be a successful red carpet ‘moment’.” says. “Maybe it wouldn’t be as ‘wow’ if the same dress was on the same girl a month earlier or later, but some manage to be extremely relevant in the moment and have the best team around to achieve it.”
Koma’s celebrity following means his company has never been in the spotlight, but it’s really gained momentum in the last four years. Before that, he was juggling multiple projects, including a four-year stint as creative director at Thierry Mugler, so his own label lacked his undivided attention. “Okay, I decided first, “It’s time to really, really focus,” he said of the turning point. “We did a few things like changing investors, preparing a new strategy. [business] plan, strengthen the team and then Covid happened.”
For any other casual clothing brand, this might have been the kiss of death, but Koma has accomplished the seemingly impossible and quadrupled its business during the pandemic, largely through dress sales. “People said it wasn’t possible. To me, luxury is like chocolate; no matter what, people still want to have it.”
Her appeal lies in the empowering nature of her designs, which celebrate the contours of the female body as a form of armor for ass-kicking, agenda-setting women. “I always had this idea about this superwoman,” she says. “Different collections are inspired by different incredible women. Somehow… they feel it and then they come back [because] There is this chemistry.”
Contact sheets for past collections are pinned to the walls of his office. He told me that last season was inspired by Marlene Dietrich. The next pre-fall was inspired by the work of Truman Capote. swans – perfect timing considering its upcoming release Fight: Capote vs. Swans.
Ultimately it keeps coming back to the same guiding principle. “I always want to bring out the best in the body and give the user confidence and strength,” she explains. “Because yeah, people are pretty nice.”