EXCLUSIVE: David Koma Injects His Glam Handwriting — and a Dash of Pet Therapy — Into His Debut Blumarine Collection
MILAN — David Koma is feeling at ease in Milan. Meeting with WWD on a sunny Sunday morning to offer the first official look at the vision he’s bringing to Blumarine as its new creative director, the Georgian-born designer enthused about life in the city and the way he’s discovering different neighborhoods even before giving insights into his inaugural collection.
The city played a pivotal role in landing him his new job, he revealed. Last year, three months before getting Blumarine’s offer, a lot of his friends started to move into town and when he visited them, he developed an affinity and familiarity with the local lifestyle, so much so that he could picture himself working in the Italian fashion capital.
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“I believe in manifesting and I guess I’ve been heard,” Koma said with a smile. “I guess it was the right time. Obviously I’ve always loved Italy and loved the brand, but it was also about making sure that the team is there and I’m not alone. That took a bit of negotiations and when I felt happy and at home, we started.”
The streets are now offering him plenty of inspiration to shape his Blumarine muse, which — judging by his first, pre-fall 2025 collection — he sees as an unapologetic, free-spirited and fun person.
“If you think about Blumarine, it gives you a positive memory. There are so many people from different backgrounds that have a good memory of this brand. And Signora Anna [Molinari, the brand’s founder] always exuded the good energy, the love and care,” Koma said.
It was only natural then for Koma to start his creative process from the archives, looking at the brand’s codes and its historic campaigns, especially those photographed by Helmut Newton, whose aesthetic highly resonates with Koma’s own sensual approach to fashion. In addition, the designer’s mood board was pinned with images ranging from cinematic shots of Monica Bellucci to editorials and runway moments starring pets — a prelude to the dash of pet therapy and humor Koma injected into the lineup.
“One of the most important things for me was to keep this idea of my first impression and instincts since living in Milan,” he said, praising how friendly the city is to animals. “In Europe, it’s one of the friendliest to go to restaurants or different places with your dog… So for this first collection it was important to connect to the streets of Milan also through this kind of idea of animal-loving,” said Koma, himself a proud owner of a miniature pinscher named Ruby.
Cue to borzois and bull terriers starring along with models in the look book images to be revealed on Friday, adding a sense of “regality, opulence and theatricality” to the pictures, but also to puppies and kitty cats popping up printed on T-shirts and tongue-in-cheek underwear. The whimsy was heightened by words like “Miao” and “Woof” in Blumarine’s signature italic font that appeared on garments and bold jewelry.
“The humor and whimsy is really part of the DNA. The Blumarine woman could be the style queen, but she never really takes anything too seriously,” Koma said.
Another take — the most faithful to the brand’s heritage — was expressed in plenty of animalier pieces, like leopard-printed frilled skirts and sensual slipdresses, as well as a statement zippered jacket with razor-sharp proportions that loudly spoke of Koma’s touch.
The collection was indeed a combination of Blumarine’s lightness and femininity and Koma’s more sculptural and glam hand. For example, the softness of floral prints, lace inserts and lingerie-inspired elements peppering ruched minidresses, bodices and distressed denim pieces flanked the precise silhouettes of beautifully structured tailoring fit for “the boss lady walking around Milan,” as seen in suits with the brand’s rose symbol or logo adorning the lapels.
The color palette expressed the duality, too, with Blumarine’s pastel tones interrupting a lineup rich in black, white, gray and military green hues.
“It was interesting for me to balance the cleaner and structured elements that I love and I’m known for with this kind of nostalgia and romanticism, because the juxtaposition of those two [sides] really creates those characters that I aspire to have around while designing the pieces,” Koma said.
Yet the Y2K vibe that predecessor Nicola Brognano revamped Blumarine with in the recent past and that was scratched by Walter Chiapponi’s one-season tenure still resonated strongly in Koma’s approach. The main point of difference was detectable in the elevation in the quality of both the ready-to-wear and accessories.
Blumarine staples like knitwear came with georgette or lace inserts or with shearling collars, while the brand’s signature Bluvi cardigan was reimagined with marabou trimmings. Parkas and bomber jackets also turned the drama quotient up a notch via furry details — which abounded in cashmere-like sheepskin or cow hair — and even the most casual daywear pieces were cut from cashmere, as seen in a gray knitted set.
Leopard-printed knee-high boots, furry mules and sheepskin-trimmed messenger bags as well as chunky sunglasses, bijoux and pet accessories signaled the company’s commitment to deep-dive into other categories in a more methodical way compared to the past.
“One of the key elements was to really lift the quality and textures, because growing up I’ve always had this idea of Italian fashion being extremely luxury,” Koma said. “And because the fans of the brand are really multigenerational, it was incredibly important to keep the youth, freshness and connection to this extremely modern girl, while [working] this nostalgia and heritage aspect into luxury materials and exquisite finishing. I was like: ‘Come on, I’m in Italy. We can make it luxury and be accessible at the same time.’”
Starting his tenure with a pre-collection rather than a runway show helped in the process, the designer said. “I prefer to start like this. First of all, these [collections] are always more product-oriented and it was important for me to connect to even the simplest pieces, but work on the elevation of the execution and the quality. I liked that I started with the collection that has more categories.…I love shows, but in general, it’s more important to have all the correct ingredients before doing a show,” said Koma, who summed up the collection as “nostalgic, futuristic and fun.”
He combined the youthful appeal of the daywear with a whiff of darker, gothic energy, which turned into sheer seductiveness for the nighttime offering. This included chiffon dresses and Chantilly lace gowns cut in the body-conscious shapes he is known for and that left little to the imagination, as well as buttery soft napa leather minidresses that seemed cut from Newton’s iconography.
Even in these looks, Koma wanted to offer pieces light and easy to pack, that can “take you from beach to the red carpet.” No wonder some of them were already teased with styling tweaks at the British Fashion Awards last month, when Koma walked the red carpet with the likes of Ashley Graham, Lily McMenamy, Georgia Palmer, Malika El Maslouhi, M?neskin’s Victoria De Angelis and Italian actress Alice Pagani, all wrapped in see-through gowns with plunging necklines and deep side slits.
These talents added to the posse of celebrities — spanning from Beyoncé and Rihanna to Kylie Minogue and Alicia Keys — that Koma has dressed over the years with his namesake brand and who might bring additional visibility to Blumarine now, too.
The designer launched his London-based fashion house in 2009 right after completing his studies at Central Saint Martins, and has been a participant at London Fashion Week ever since. He marked the 15th anniversary of his own label by introducing menswear last June. As reported, a couple of months prior of that, he launched a swimwear brand called Let’s Swim, a venture with new partners and one of his childhood friends that’s operating separately from his eponymous brand.
From 2013 to 2017, Koma also served as Thierry Mugler’s artistic director of women’s ready-to-wear.
Asked about the differences between his work at Blumarine and for his brand, Koma addressed the “two different cities, completely different teams, which gives a very different lens and perspective to the way I work.”
“At David Koma, there is the personal heritage that we’re evolving every season. With Blumarine, there are so many codes and archive left through so many years of beautiful existence of this brand that, with the new team and all those filters, I can stay myself, but create a very different vision for the brand,” he said. “Experience gives you the ability to see what’s right and wrong earlier, which then saves you time, energy [and] nerves, and makes you more effective and happier at the end. I’m very open-minded in that sense: I like to listen but it’s good to know where you’re exactly going.”
As for the lessons learned from his Mugler era, he again pointed to the role of communication. “With that experience, I kind of became a better conductor and I have better people skills,” he said. “The main thing are people and synergies.…We all work super hard but the process needs to be joyful. And especially in Blumarine, this fits the ethos. I can’t imagine doing a cool Blumarine collection when everyone’s like stressed and screaming backstage. It doesn’t fit the image. So even before designing, it’s key to just make sure that the energy and attitude are there because it’s going to reflect.”
Launch Gallery: A Preview of the Blumarine Pre-Fall 2025 Collection with Designer David Koma
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