London-based conceptual design duo Komakino 's 6th collection continues to fuse military influences with tailoring. Knits are long , leather is meshed with other fabrics for a tough luxury. The vision of Jin Kim and Federico Capalbo has always been directional and rebellious but this season, the duo combined that vision with more rigor. Pre-socratic Greek philosopher Heraclitus of Ephesus (c. 535–c. 475 BCE) was a major inspiration. The reference isn't that obscure, fashion's darling band These New Puritans (feat. model George Barnett) sing about him too. In translation, Heraclitus' quote goes : "War is common to everything, justice is strife. Strife and necessity move everything". Essentially the contradictions in life must be overcome, compromise is denial. Komakino's cœur de cible is young men who may be over physical violence but still want to wear their commitment to the struggle for a good life on their leather sleeve. Basically, something not exactly new, but Komakino does it with detailed panache. Imagine that this season's bomber jacket sports prints of barely pubescent soldiers off to fight in WW2. How high-end is that ? Kudos.
