David Koma Spring/Summer 2026: Femininity Reimagined in a Mythical Forest

Source: David Koma

Reported By: Hillary Latos

Beneath the stillness of the forest, designer David Koma found the inspiration for his Spring/Summer 2026 womenswear collection, unveiled during London Fashion Week. Imagined as a mythical clearing, the presentation dissolved worldly chaos into a fevered celebration of beauty, femininity, and resilience.

The collection drew on flora from around the world, each plant studied with architectural precision. The sharp geometry of Mexican cactus dahlias, the tensile strength of Brazilian bromeliads, and the lush drama of South Africa’s bird-of-paradise informed silhouettes and embellishments. In Koma’s interpretation, these species flickered between seduction and danger, fragility and strength, transforming flora into symbols rather than ornaments.

Botanicals became sculptural forms: bird-of-paradise leaves in black patent leather and crystal wrapped around the body with consuming intensity, while oversized stained-glass embroideries shimmered like enamel jewels. Satin and organza conjured cactus dahlias and bromeliads across hemlines, their softened spikes still commanding. Even corn husks, reimagined as crystal jewelry, grounded the collection in a motif both humble and mythic.

Koma sculpted the body with heightened tension. Gowns were slashed with sharper cut-outs than ever before, their dangerous precision balanced by flowing movement. This season placed new emphasis on trousers: oversized and fluid, cut in light tailoring wool and glossy satin, merging ease with sculptural strength.

Transparency became a defining thread. Delicate mesh, ruched with bungee cords, echoed the folds of classical marble statues. Silk-fringed knits cascaded down the body like vines, while oversized shirting swelled with volume, worn loose and unbuttoned, suggesting both freedom and revelry. Across certain dresses, feathers unfurled into ethereal wings, transforming models into mythic figures suspended between earth and divinity.

Colors intensified the interplay of light and shadow. Neon peach radiated with tropical heat, acidic kiwi green added biting energy, and electric blue flashed like lightning across a foundation of crisp white and jet black. The palette underscored the duality at the heart of the collection: brightness and depth, fragility and force.

Spring/Summer 2026 envisioned femininity as a global force, blooming across continents yet rooted in myth. Nature was rendered not just as embellishment but as a language of transformation—botanical muses reimagined into sculptural forms that embodied resilience, mystery, and transcendence.

The result was a collection that moved fluidly between power and delicacy, grounded in craftsmanship yet unbound by geography. For David Koma, beauty became universality, alive in a forest where light and darkness intertwined.

• Styling: Marc Goehring
  

• Models: Lea Pliger & Luana Guimarães
  

• Production: ANCC Studio
  

• BTS Videography: Dylan Hayes
  

• Hair: Cos Sakkas for Toni&Guy
  

• Makeup: Lauren Reynolds