Let’s get this part over with: David Koma’s pre-fall 2026 collection was developed in collaboration with Warner Bros. Discovery Global Consumer Products—the licensing arm overseeing fashion, toys, homewares—and was themed around, and timed to coincide with, the theatrical release of Supergirl in June. Now that the promotion of a film is as much a part of the entertainment as the viewing experience, it should come as little surprise that a big-budget studio would partner with a fashion brand. “I’ve always been inspired by the superwomen around me,” the designer said, as a model in a slit-up-to-there silk-chiffon dress and knee-high boots stormed across his Paris showroom. “So there’s real chemistry here.”
Warner Brothers, Koma added, gave him creative carte blanche, even as its IP features throughout the collection. The S-shield insignia appeared as cut-outs on tank tops, navel-skimming mohair knits and jersey dresses; archival illustrations from the original 1950s comics were printed across T-shirts and sweatpants; while the only flashes of color belonged to the franchise’s blue-and-red suits. These references will obviously appeal to long-standing fans of the source material—and the diamante-strewn logo tees seem primed for an ironic Insta-girl moment—but the collection was at its most compelling without all the overt branding. Such as: a shoulder-padded, sequined column dress that appeared to rise from a puddle of molten gold; a bonded, scuba-leather mini with its skirt in a permanent superhero kick; hot pants with a trailing panel redolent of a cape in mid-flight; or a silken LBD suspended from one aerodynamic swoop of a patent-leather bandeau. “It should feel coded rather than literal,” Koma said. “For me, it was all about posture, an easy-to-read confidence and silhouette.”
And that, ultimately, is the point. What makes someone feel superhuman? The answer, in Koma’s world, may be as simple as an enormous, parapet-shouldered “eco-fur” coat that changes the way you enter a room. Throw it on with a generously cut suit and you might feel ready to take on the boardroom; pair it with velvet-finish jeans and it becomes a highly effective social-distancing tool on the dance floor. “This time, more than ever, we paid attention to the full spectrum of categories,” Koma said. “Even though the collection was born from fiction, I wanted to create something for real women, a day-to-night wardrobe that can accommodate all their needs.” But is there a risk of cynicism when fashion aligns itself so openly with the machine of mass entertainment? “Designers already translate a movie’s narrative through clothes,” he said. “So if the timing and synergy align, then why not? It’s exciting.”
