“The show started and I was like, ‘Shazam!’ But there was no Wi-Fi. You’ve got to tell me what that song is, it was so good.” Backstage at David Koma, actress and DJ Ella Balinska hugs the designer, gushing about the show she’s just watched. “It was so strong, at a certain point, models started beat-matching to the tempo. I thought, ‘if I was walking that runway in those looks, I’d be going for it too.’”

“To be honest, that’s important because I love when the girls are happy… with what they’re wearing and when they see the venue and everything,” Koma replies. “Heels can be painful, but when they like how they look and what they’re doing, they just give you something extra.”

Balinska nods. “It’s a show! It becomes an actual show rather than just a show because that’s the word you use to describe it.”

I couldn’t agree more. The David Koma AW24 show was not merely a runway presentation, but a comprehensive, 360° performance. And for a collection inspired by dance, it is only fitting that the looks should come alive in such a manner.

Looking to the late German dancer and choreographer Pina Bausch, a key figure in the 1970s Neo-expressionist dance movement known as Tanztheater, and the contemporary Spanish action artist Candela Capitán, Koma worked with costume designer Marion Cito to merge the cross-disciplinary artistries into something truly dynamic.

“Over the years I’ve really developed some habits and techniques for the way I approach collections,” he tells me. “But sometimes, you can start a collection from the dressing piece, sometimes you start with the music, and sometimes with the environment.” For the AW24 collection, it was the idea of movement that sparked everything — the “synergy between light, music, and the body” as well as the “ease of movement within the garment.”

Balancing minimalism with maximalism in form and colour, Koma creates a push-and-pull dialogue, blurring the lines between a dancer’s off-duty wardrobe and on-stage looks. Ballet bustiers turn into evening dresses, skirts are layered over trousers, tutus take new forms, and feathers take centre-stage.

“For example,” he explains, “Pina Bausch allowed, in some of her performances, everyday life dress codes to come alive on the stage. In this collection, I wanted to bring all kinds of dance attire from onstage to offstage [together] in a beautiful blend. You still have this sophistication and ease and lightness, while the strength, edginess, and hardness is celebrated equally.”

This was reflected in the soundtrack, a soundscape that merged a strong beat with something comforting. So how did he perfect this balance? “Until you do the show, you never know,” he tells me, honestly. “But I’m not alone. I have a beautiful team that works with me to create all these beautiful things. And, you know, with the design team and the styling, it’s a lot of work in order to get the balance right. But as long as you know what you’re going for — and because I was so confident and so into what I wanted — when you make a collection more personal to you, it’s a bit easier and faster to make decisions.”

See runway images, courtesy of ANCC Studio…