“No Strategy Is the Strategy”: Kiko Kostadinov on Opening a London Store
The new store will be located beneath the brand’s latest studio, allowing the designers to directly oversee how their clothes are showcased to customers. “It should be fine,” Kiko Kostadinov said optimistically last Friday afternoon, as the noise of a power drill echoed through his office floor.
Kostadinov and his team moved into their East London studio in April, and now his third store is being fitted out beneath it. The store is set to open on Friday, 7 November, with a show that will be the first to combine Kostadinov’s menswear with the womenswear designed by Laura and Deanna Fanning.
Location and Design
The space is at 21 Whiston Road, near Columbia Road and Broadway Market. The studio occupies the first floor, while the store below is currently mid-construction. The design centers around a reassembled artwork by frequent collaborators Ryan Trecartin and Lizzie Fitch.
“It’s really an artwork recontextualized into a store,” Kostadinov said. “It’s exciting to keep the narrative between the three stores, Tokyo, LA and now London, all part of Ryan’s universe.”
The installation piece arrives in 10 crates and has not yet been fully assembled, but Kostadinov is confident it will be ready by the opening.
Completing a Trilogy of Stores
The London store will complete a loosely connected trilogy of Kostadinov flagships, each developed independently. Tokyo opened in March 2024, followed by Los Angeles in November last year.
“Tokyo is sustainable and solid,” he described. “LA is a bit intense; there, it’s a different way of shopping.”
London’s new space promises to build on this evolving story, merging art and retail in a fresh way.
Author's summary: Kiko Kostadinov’s new London store, opening below his studio, merges fashion and art while completing his global trio of distinctive flagship spaces.