Kiko Kostadinov Honors His Bulgarian Heritage in New Levi’s Collection

Bulgarian-born British designer Kiko Kostadinov is the latest collaborator to modernize Levi’s archival styles.

On Thursday, the men’s wear designer and Levi’s launched a seven-piece capsule collection of men’s and women’s silhouettes. The Levi’s pieces made their runway debuts earlier this year during Kostadinov’s mainline shows at Paris Fashion Week.

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Though the collaboration is Kostadinov’s foray into denim, the mix of conceptual design and utilitarian functionality is in line with the ethos of the brand.

The collection’s denim trouser includes archival features from 90s era Levi’s Engineered Jeans, with new knee and elbow darting construction that introduce diamond inserts inspired by traditional Bulgarian motifs. This same design is used in the denim jacket, with eyelets applied inside the diamond panels.

A hybrid jersey cardigan brings together the style of classic sportwear cardigans and Western shirts with an asymmetric front opening, side patch pockets and top stitching all around.

Women’s denim styles include relaxed fit paneled jeans and a paneled denim jacket with large, shaped sleeve and a darted, waist-cinching gilet overlay. Jersey Henley tops nod to Kostadinov’s fondness for fuzzy textures and stripes with small, paneled details and irregular prints. Materials are washed in umber tones.

The Levi’s x Kiko Kostadinov collection is available now on Levi’s website, app and in select Levi’s stores. It is also available on Kiko Kostadinov’s website and the brand’s store in Tokyo.