For their Fall 2026 collection, the Fanning sisters, who helm the womenswear design at Kiko Kostadinov, drew inspiration from the birds that grace the skies above North London’s Wood Green, and the birdwatchers below who form a flock of their own.
Having spent the past three years living in North London, I rarely stop to appreciate the wildlife around me or the very necessary connection to nature that it so unknowingly brings. This season, their focus lies squarely on observation. The birdwatchers are watching the creatures of the sky, but Laura and Deanna are watching them. It left them pensive, toying with the question: what happens when the observer becomes the observed?
Instead of peacocking, perhaps a more familiar trope in menswear, the sisters chose subtler ways to subvert the subjects—their references melting into wearable garments, oscillating between swooping drapes and precise silhouettes.
Utilitarian pieces formed the heart of the collection, crafted with the act of watching in mind. Utility trousers and jackets came equipped with hidden pockets, practical for storing binoculars or notebooks, perhaps. Slim-legged tailoring balanced the heft of technical jackets and brocade parkas, cut with strong shoulders reminiscent of a menswear silhouette. The brand’s ongoing collaboration with ASICS kept a sporty rhythm throughout, while a partnership with Oakley protected the gaze of the watcher—models wore Prizm-lensed glasses in custom frames adorned with feather and wood motifs.
Elsewhere, the collection took flight. Luminescent fabrics shifted as they caught the sunlight flooding the Conservatoire National des Arts et Métiers. Satin and organza appeared in regal golds and deep, rich blues—floaty and light-filled as they transformed into fluttering skirts and softly draped dresses.
Sleeves were central—after all, what is a bird without its wings? Cape silhouettes enveloped the models, with near-hidden armholes, while hybrid batwing-balloon sleeves added swooping cuts and a weightless air. Technical jackets cocooned the body as hemlines tapered, and heavy knitwear appeared with hand-gathered constructions offering more voluminous, plumage-like gestures.
Cindy Sherman’s 1992 photographic essay Fitcher’s Bird inspired the season’s palette. Deep tones and iridescent, feather-inspired textiles made the collection a cornucopia of textural detail. Floral motifs and painted camouflage continued the show’s core idea: to watch and to be watched.
Though I’ve never dabbled in ornithology myself, I can say with confidence that the migration from inspiration to final product must have been quite an endeavour. Either that, or North London’s skies host some unexpectedly majestic birds, and a few particularly well-dressed admirers in the parks below.
