Who would have thought that David Koma, emcee of West End glitz, would turn his gaze towards the everyday pedestrians strolling past the windows of his east London studio? Well, good thing he has: the designer’s second menswear collection delivered some serious hits, chief among them oversized trench coats and cropped leather bombers with chest-puffing lapels of auburn fuzz—photographed here with baggy mélange sweatpants and loafers, as if casually thrown on to collect a parcel. “It’s very easy for me to amp up the drama,” said Koma. “But everything needs to be more subtle when you’re designing for men, and so the challenge has been to bring a sense of high-end luxe to the street.”
Stadium scarves, traditionally a symbol of fandom, were reimagined as shimmering grids of chainmail, and draped over slim-cut blazers with stand collars. (These will do well on the red-carpet circuit, where standard-fare tuxedos are on the decline.) It was a meeting with Merab Sharikadze, the Georgian rugby captain, that first sparked the idea, alongside jerseys deconstructed into muscle-flashing knots of cashmere, and prep-school cardigans scattered with branded organza patches. “I think I’m going to cast the Georgian team in a campaign soon,” Koma added. “This is like my first ‘hello’ to them.” The designer’s enthusiasm for motorsports, meanwhile, was invoked in checkerboard-knit polos, distressed leather jackets with armored pads, and T-shirts bearing the image of a hot rod in motion.
Much of this collection—good shirts, good suits—will resonate with the fashion-cautious man, but even more will tempt him to step beyond his comfort zone. “If you don’t have fantasy, you can’t arrive anywhere fresh,” Koma said. “But go too far, and it loses the point. I’m figuring out that balance.” Case in point: crystal-piped trousers, velvet-flocked denim, fringed neckties, and zip-off waistbands remain just (just) on the safe side of sass. The question is whether Koma’s menswear clients will prove as confident as his women’s. “I haven’t thought about that,” he said. “But the Koma girl surrounds herself with stylish men, and I’m sure they’ll be the first to catch on. Let’s see who picks up the call, shall we?”
