Natasha Zinko. Fall 2026 - London Fashion Week
At times, I adore Natasha Zinko's fashion ethos, and her Eastern European backstory is as equally interesting, aligning with the Demna and Guram Gsvalia's 1990 East European romanticism of do-it-yourself styles, brand knock offs, underground raves aesthetics; be it that fit, in all its charm, that wasn't quite like a Western style fit. And you also have to admire the presentation of Zinko's past collections, as a lesson in how scarcity, ala materials, forced one to be even more creative, and as she explained in her shows notes, prior to the runway presentation, growing up in 1990s Odessa, Ukraine, when it was under post-Soviet control, which inscribed the basis of her label, as "challenging", and "complicated" times.
As we know, without condensing what it would have been like growing up in an East European country in the 1980s and 1990s, yearning for a taste of Western indulgence, while crafting with what scarce materials you had on hand. Maybe, now in the West (and everywhere else), we are getting that taste in reverse, as inflation is chewing into everything, and you live from paycheck to paycheck, going without every two weeks after the rent is paid, with no food, bills coming in and living off a credit card, just to survive. Can new styles, unavertable, evolve out of this social strain?
The thrift, upcycle trend pre 2020, was a hopeful, and I use this term loosely, a liberalism effort, to tone down consumerism. But, after the pandemic, the trend almost petered out overnight, with, yes inflation again, those high costs of living, shop rents and volume over quality outstipping function, be it 'dry rot' ripping apart a pair of Versace jeans you bought for $60, in less than a week. You might as well save up for the designer 'thrifty' look, ala Natasha Kinko, as sit with that for years to come.
And for Zinko's Fall 2026 collection her postmodern layering, early 1990s East European stylisation, of the unintentional oversized sports jacket 'knock off', flared, wide hemmed trousers, with ad hoc fitting, not only holds the line, it transcends into shock value. Make sense? Her latest styles on show, would have to be some of the most anti-fashion to date, to an almost comical level. The collection seems themeless, and Kinko works best, when she applies a creative, postmodernist backstory to the collection, her Fall 2026 array, unfortunately feels aimless, even, dare I say nihilistic.
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(A.Glass 2026)
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