Kiko Kostadinov

For fans of design-led footwear, they are among the most respected collaborations going. Kostadinov pairs ASICS's technical know-how with his own experimental cuts and finishes, and the releases tend to sell quickly. If you love a sneaker that reads as a serious object rather than a throwaway hype drop, this partnership is a strong pick.

Kiko Kostadinov is a Bulgarian fashion designer, born in 1989 and based in London, who runs his eponymous label. He is best known for meticulously engineered garments with highly functional cuts and finishes, plus his long-running work with ASICS. That blend of rigorous tailoring and technical sportswear is what put him on the map.

Novalis is an ongoing collaborative brand between Kostadinov and ASICS, formally announced in 2023, where he serves as creative director. It is the culmination of several prior collaborations and draws inspiration from archival ASICS designs, but with a heavier focus on athletic use than their earlier projects. Think of it as the more performance-minded chapter of the partnership.

He first partnered with the Japanese brand to produce footwear for his eponymous label's Spring/Summer 2018 collection, and the partnership continued into Autumn/Winter 2018. It has since grown into the Novalis line announced in 2023. That multi-year arc is exactly why the collaboration carries so much weight among collectors.

His work is centered on modern-day uniform and contemporary workwear, with garments built around highly functional cuts and finishes. He presented his debut collection in January 2017, characterized by that meticulous engineering, a theme that has run through his work ever since. If you want the purest expression of his vision, the mainline is where to start.

Yes. In the fall of 2018 Kostadinov introduced a womenswear line led by Laura and Deanna Fanning, twin designers who had graduated from Central Saint Martins' master's program shortly before. In 2024, Deanna and Kiko married. The womenswear has become a celebrated arm of the house in its own right.

He was. In November 2017 he was appointed creative director of Mackintosh 0001, the fashion-focused offshoot of the British outerwear brand Mackintosh. His direction there drew on the Italian art movement Arte Povera, with its emphasis on traditional product and material. It is a key credit in understanding his range beyond his own label.

Otto 958 is a collaborative diffusion label that grew out of a 2019 installation Kostadinov held at the Morán Morán Gallery in Los Angeles, which drew on his Bulgarian heritage and his father's workwear. He has described it as a place to test concepts, such as coats and rugby hoodies, before integrating them into his namesake label. For fans, it is a window into his ideas in development.

He opened his first brick-and-mortar store in Tokyo, Japan, in 2024, with interiors created in collaboration with architect Yusuke Seki and filmmaker Ryan Trecartin. A second store opened in Los Angeles later that year. Beyond those, his pieces and collaborations are stocked by select fashion retailers.

His clothing is greatly influenced by fellow designer Yohji Yamamoto, and he also cites Rick Owens and Christopher Kane as inspirations. That lineage helps explain his appetite for unconventional silhouettes and considered construction. Knowing those reference points makes his collections easier to read and appreciate.