From drawing silhouettes, hats and shoes at the age of three, to showing his first collection at 13, Georgian-born fashion designer David Koma set about his fashion career at a remarkably early age. And after his mother gave him a book on the best colleges in the world, he decided to study fashion at Central Saint Martins (CSM) aged 14.
“From that day, I knew I had to go to London,” Koma told BoF’s commercial features director Sophie Soar on a recent LinkedIn Live.
He was accepted into the prestigious design college, undertaking a BA in fashion design. Following this, he completed an MA in fashion under under the tutelage of the late Louise Wilson — an influential course director who taught the likes of Alexander McQueen, Phoebe Philo and Jonathan Saunders.
Koma launched his eponymous label upon graduation and in 2009, he won the Harrod’s Design Award — an accolade granted to outstanding fashion design graduates from across the UK. His graduate womenswear collection was picked up by luxury fashion retailer Browns shortly after.
Since then, Koma has remained at the helm of his brand, and in 2020, he won the British Fashion Council/Vogue Fashion Fund, after being shortlisted in both 2018 and 2019. He recently expanded into menswear, showing at Berlin Fashion Week.
Over the past two decades, Koma has also held the role of creative director at French luxury fashion house Mugler from 2013 to 2017. He was later appointed creative director of Italian brand Blumarine in July 2024. Splitting his time between the two creative director roles, Koma and his respective teams design 10 collections per year.
In the most recent BoF Careers LinkedIn Live broadcast, he shared his advice for starting out in fashion, the importance of originality and a clear artistic vision.
For the full interview, watch our LinkedIn Live, Building a Career in Fashion with David Koma.
What drew you to pursue a career in fashion?
From a very early age, I was drawn to art and drawing. Fashion [turned out to be] the quickest way to make my art come to life.
From the age of three I was drawing silhouettes, hats and shoes. I participated in my first designer competition when I was 13 and I was the youngest participant. It really [focused] a lot of attention [on] me and I was very excited. From that day, I knew [fashion would be] my career.
Do you think it is necessary to have a design degree or formal training?
I do recommend it. I made so many friends [at university] and it is a safe space to experiment and learn criticism, while building connections for the rest of your life. […] [I valued the perspective] of my classmates. Because there were so many students from all over the world, I could learn opinions about the same project from different angles.
[…] But, at the same time, there are beautiful examples of different ways of achieving your dreams and [a degree] is absolutely not a necessity. There are a number of creative directors who famously don’t have formal training and design degrees.
Having technical skills can definitely lead to more responses when trying to find your first job in the industry, because there are a lot of designers with beautiful artistic ability [without such skills]. You can be at an immediate advantage over those solely with creative skills.
Depending on the brand, there [may be] no need to have a beautiful hand drawing, but it’s always a bonus.
How did you gain hands-on experience before launching your own business?
During my gap year, I worked on my collection and did a couple of internships. […] With design, besides the obvious need for originality, creativity and [a] point of view, there is a business side to run.
To understand what it takes to run any kind of business — but specifically in fashion — really allows you to learn from other people. Plus, all the hats you have to wear [while] interning makes it a very [valuable] experience. It’s also possible the team and [the] people [you meet] will support you […] and be vital to the future of your brand.
Chemistry, balance, creativity and uniqueness are important but to keep things rolling and to [sustain a brand’s] longevity is something completely different that I had to adjust to and learn. It’s also important to master the balance [between creative and commercial] when looking to build a team that grows with you and supports you.
How important are fashion shows for presenting collections?
I personally love fashion shows because everything that you’ve been working on for a couple of months becomes a reality with the sound and set design. And, you have the immediate reaction of your audience.
At the same time, there are so many different ways of presenting — especially now with access to social media, everyone can find a creative twist and get attention. Creating videos or strong imagery could be as [impactful] as a show. Nowadays, the sky is the limit.
How did you balance working at Mugler with running your own label?
It was about believing in myself and keeping my artistic soul alive, above everything else.
I was running my own label from London. At the time of [stepping into my role at Mugler], I was eager to grow, and I think it matched the ambition and determination I had to achieve something bigger and better. That led me to this incredible opportunity to work for such an iconic French mega house [Mugler].
How do you avoid creative overlap between Blumarine and your own label?
Although it can be quite difficult [in general] to do that, in my case it is easy because it’s like talking two different languages. Plus, on top of that, both houses have their own [distinct] identity, archive and storytelling narrative.
So, there is always a balance and a very clear vision. I imagine it could be much harder to direct houses [with a similar style]. The fact that I work for a beautiful heritage Italian house [that] already has so much history behind [it] really helps me to conceptualise it differently.
With my continued work at Blumarine, my day-to-day is [busy], but I absolutely love it. It [involves] a lot of travelling on top of movement between London and Milan. There are a lot of different shoots, fittings and meetings with incredibly interesting people. So keep believing, keep pushing. It’s not always easy, but it is fun.
With 10 collections to develop each year, how do you stay inspired each season?
Ideas can come from anywhere — from art or fashion. […] I have genuine curiosity and I always say I keep an imaginative cupboard with ideas. It also depends on having the right ideas and concepts that can be drawn on for different concepts at different points.
If you stay true to yourself and keep pushing, there will be a spot for you to shine.
[…] Having a support system is very important. In my case, I turn to my wonderful team — and the fact that I learned how to trust [them] really helps me to have a free-spirited space for me to be excited and be creatively charged.
Where do you see opportunities emerging for the next generation of designers?
Every decade needs new talent. […] The right creative talent will always shine — no matter what’s happening, no matter what decade. If you stay true to yourself and keep pushing, there will be a spot for you to shine. Not just in the UK but also in Europe, America and the Middle East, where there is a lot of investment in discovering and supporting young talent. And remain optimistic.
What advice would you give someone looking to break into fashion?
If working in fashion will make you happy, then you have to find a way to do it.
Every business is tough, but you need to believe in yourself. If this is what you want to do, then you just keep moving and keep pushing [ahead]. Success would be around the corner.
[…] If there is no drive, if there is no desire, no business can exist. So, keep believing and keep pushing. It’s not easy, but it’s fun.
Originality and artistic vision will always find an audience and always will always have the needed response. The rest is a combination of different talents that really need to align in order for you to shine. That combination will define how successful you [are].
Disclaimer: This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.