DRIFT

When Fox Lab, the progressive division of Fox Racing, first teamed up with Kiko Kostadinov, the result was an unexpected but deeply intelligent fusion of performance and avant-garde design. Now, with their second collab, the partnership reaches a new gear—an evolved 28-piece collection that pushes motocross apparel into a language of modern fashion, material storytelling, and cultural design philosophy.

racing

This latest Fox Lab x Kiko Kostadinov drop cements an identity that refuses to stay confined to the dirt track. Instead, it looks outward—toward contemporary fashion, streetwear, and even conceptual uniforms. The foundation is unmistakably Fox: rooted in the world of racing, built for movement, and tuned for performance. But under Kostadinov’s design direction, that DNA is reinterpreted through the lens of texture, silhouette, and controlled chaos.

The collection ranges from paneled rib tops and perforated fleece hoodies to reworked bomber jackets, technical gloves, and textile hybrids that blur traditional categories. What unites them all is purposeful deconstruction—every seam, vent, and cutout has a lineage in motocross engineering. Yet, the styling now feels just as at home in a gallery space as it does in the paddock.

The color palette takes direct cues from the racing world—vivid red, yellow, pink, and blue—tones once used for visibility in dust and glare now elevated into a cohesive chromatic code. These aren’t decorative choices but translations of adrenaline into color: each hue carrying a kinetic charge.

 

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motif

At the heart of this collection is one defining detail—perforation. While today’s racing gear relies on high-tech mesh panels for ventilation, Kostadinov reinterprets an old motocross hack: when riders used to punch holes into their own jerseys to cope with desert heat. It’s a small act of necessity turned symbol—a gesture of adaptation, resourcefulness, and individuality.

In Kostadinov’s hands, perforation becomes philosophy. He applies it as a recurring design language across bomber sleeves, fleece panels, and technical bases. Each piece breathes—literally and conceptually. It’s as if the garments are alive, designed to inhale motion and exhale speed.

This technique recalls Kostadinov’s long-standing interest in functionality turned aesthetic—seen throughout his menswear work in London. Here, in collaboration with Fox Lab, the theme gains new physicality. It’s not just performance clothing; it’s a statement on how performance and vulnerability coexist.

element

To visualize this intersection of body, machine, and environment, Fox Lab enlisted photographer Jim Mangan, whose lens has long explored humanity’s relationship to nature and endurance. Mangan’s past works—especially projects like Blast and The Salt Series—bridge documentary and art, capturing the raw presence of riders and landscapes in elemental tension.

In this campaign, shot in sun-bleached terrains with rider Jimmy Hill, the clothes appear not as costumes but as second skins. The imagery emphasizes dust, motion blur, and the tactile geometry of the gear. Hill isn’t merely modeling; he’s inhabiting the design. Mangan’s eye finds poetry in speed, echoing how Kostadinov finds meaning in structure.

Together, they produce visuals that redefine what a fashion campaign can look like when rooted in motorsport—neither nostalgic nor futuristic, but wholly present.

evolve

If the first Fox Lab x Kostadinov collection was a prototype—a study in merging craftsmanship with sport—this second edition feels resolved. Kostadinov has refined the dialogue between Fox’s technical core and his own architectural discipline.

Pieces such as the perforated fleece hoodie highlight that equilibrium. Constructed with layered airflow channels, it combines classic racer ergonomics with city-ready comfort. The ribbed tops showcase controlled elasticity—designed for riders’ torque but styled for sculptural drape. Meanwhile, the bomber jackets pull from military lineage, updated through panels that mimic body armor and chassis geometry.

Even accessories like the Dirtpaw gloves, one of Fox’s most iconic products, receive Kostadinov’s treatment. Once pure performance gear, the gloves now carry asymmetrical cutouts and subtle chromatic contrasts—fine-tuned for both grip and aesthetic harmony.

This isn’t a collaboration chasing trends. It’s a cross-industry experiment that exposes how technical heritage can evolve when seen through the lens of design abstraction.

tech

There’s a palpable sense of what could be called technical romanticism within this line. Every stitch and material choice exists for a reason—yet the outcome feels emotional. Kostadinov approaches Fox’s functional vocabulary as if it were literature, reading between seams and symbols. The result: garments that tell a story of transformation, of how machinery and human will intertwine.

In some ways, this collaboration parallels the broader cultural resurgence of moto aesthetics. From Balenciaga’s padded leathers to Diesel’s oil-streak futurism, the motorcycle world has re-entered high fashion. But Kostadinov and Fox Lab resist the urge to stylize for spectacle. Instead, they extract honesty from utility, turning the practical into the poetic.

That restraint is what gives the collection longevity. These are not costumes for an imagined rebellion—they’re living artifacts of one.

studio

Fox Racing’s decision to create Fox Lab as a progressive platform was already an acknowledgment that motorsport gear could have a second life. The collaboration with Kostadinov proves it. Where the original Fox brand remains anchored in high-performance racing, Fox Lab operates as a sandbox—an experimental wing for exploring design, sustainability, and future silhouettes.

Kostadinov, known for his meticulous patterning and complex layering, thrives in such an environment. He brings an academic rigor to materials that mirrors Fox’s engineering mindset. The conversation between the two entities becomes a study in shared precision: one born from mechanical necessity, the other from conceptual design.

The resulting garments sit between function and fiction, much like a prototype vehicle—ready for testing yet already iconic in form.

the lab

Few collaborations in recent years have felt as symbiotic as this one. It’s not a case of a designer decorating an existing product, but of two systems merging. Kostadinov’s team deconstructed Fox’s production process, studying materials like Cordura, ballistic nylon, and flexible knits from the inside out. Fox engineers, meanwhile, provided feedback on aerodynamics and comfort.

That mutual curiosity led to subtle innovations—micro-perforated panels that align with the body’s heat zones, bonded seams that replace stitching for aerodynamic flow, and pattern geometries that echo engine component design. The collection feels engineered, not assembled.

the symbol

Every image, texture, and motif in the campaign revolves around one central idea: motion as identity. Whether it’s the flicker of heat rising off the desert or the shimmer of light across polished metal, Mangan’s visuals extend Kostadinov’s approach. The motion is both literal and emotional—a manifestation of tension between man, machine, and environment.

This theme recalls the early futurists of the 20th century, who viewed movement as the purest expression of modern life. In Fox Lab x Kostadinov, that energy becomes wearable—rendered in form-fitting lines, perforated exteriors, and aerodynamic tailoring. The body becomes the engine, the garment its casing.

aesthetic

The beauty of this second collaboration is its refusal to fit neatly within any genre. It’s not streetwear, not motocross gear, not luxury fashion—but an entirely new hybrid. It exists in the interspace where culture, performance, and design intersect.

That hybridity mirrors the current cultural moment. Just as cars, music, and gaming bleed into one another, so too do our wardrobes. Fox Lab x Kostadinov reflects that convergence—functional enough for sport, expressive enough for art, and technical enough for the next era of mobility wear.

It’s an aesthetic that feels ready-made for what fashion theorists are calling the “post-genre” generation: consumers who value narrative and craftsmanship over category.

flow

With two collections now complete, the question becomes: where does Fox Lab x Kostadinov go next? If this evolution continues, it could easily define a new model for performance collaborations—one where creative direction and technical research exist on equal footing.

The collaboration also gestures toward sustainability through longevity. These are garments built to endure physically and conceptually. Their design logic resists seasonal obsolescence, aligning with a slower, more thoughtful design ethic that mirrors the meticulous pace of motorcycle engineering itself.

Whether this partnership expands into footwear, racing equipment, or new materials remains to be seen, but its conceptual foundation feels unshakable.

impression

The Fox Lab x Kiko Kostadinov second collection isn’t just a follow-up—it’s a culmination. It represents how industrial performancewear can achieve aesthetic transcendence without sacrificing authenticity.

Through color, form, and technical ingenuity, Kostadinov has helped Fox articulate a new vision of what motion looks like in 2025 and beyond. The collection is a portrait of evolution, where speed becomes language, and utility becomes design poetry.

In that sense, the collaboration functions like a race itself: the first drop was the starting line, and this second one is the turn where control meets chaos. As Mangan’s images show, it’s not just about going fast—it’s about knowing why you move.

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