Beyoncé provided the first significant Oscars moment of the night only hours before Will Smith smacked Chris Rock in the face. The singer opened the 94th Academy Awards on Sunday night with her most high-profile televised performance in over two years, a performance that was broadcast worldwide. Using bright yellow and black pride, Beyoncé converted a tennis court in Compton, Calif. (where tennis greats Venus and Serena Williams practised as youngsters) into a spectacle of Black pride and neon yellow.
She sung “Be Alive,” her first Oscar-nominated song, which was used in the film “King Richard,” which was based on the life of the Williams sisters’ father, in the film. Beyoncé sported a tennis-ball-yellow feathery dress, which she accessorised with elbow-length gloves and a sparkling garter. She was surrounded by a swarm of dancers and an orchestra, all of whom were dressed in bright neon yellow outfits of their own.
Beyoncé’s gown was the first thing to go viral on the internet. A fan said on Twitter, “Beyoncé dressed like a fine couture tennis ball, this is beautiful.”
Who was the fashion designer behind one of the most talked-about ensembles from yesterday night? David Koma, who resides in London and was the creative director of the fashion label Mugler from 2013 to 2017, is a designer who has worked in the fashion industry for almost two decades. He also has a clothing business that bears his name.
Mr. Koma has been a go-to for Beyoncé for a long time. Mr. Koma, 36, designed the outfit that was worn by the artist at the MTV Europe Music Awards in 2009. The dress was sourced from his Central Saint Martins graduate collection at the time.
Mr. Koma claims that soon after, he got a personal invitation to one of her shows, where he met the singer in person. The singer has worn a number of his creations on and offstage since then, including a sleek, leotard-inspired dress that she wore on the Mrs. Carter Show World Tour, which began in 2013, and a sequin-heavy Brooklyn Nets courtside ensemble that she wore last year at the Brooklyn Nets game.
In a phone interview from London on Monday, Mr. Koma added, “I was simply overjoyed to see her onstage.” He claims that Beyoncé initially approached him regarding last night’s performance around a month ago and that she has been in touch with him ever since. (The singer’s appearance at the event was only publicly revealed a few days before it took place.)
According to Mr. Koma, the hue was the first item he and his colleagues agreed on. It was then more about the silhouette and what the dress was meant to look like,” she said. We mixed and matched styles from two different collections that I’ve created. There were two collections on display: one was the autumn collection that we recently exhibited, and the other was the spring collection that I displayed on the Zaha Hadid-designed Olympic swimming pool.”
Dua Lipa, Anne Hathaway, and Scarlett Johansson have all worn his creations, as well as other celebrities. Mr. Koma collaborated with stylist Marni Senofonte to create the look for last night’s event. Mr. Koma said that once the specifics were chosen, the garment could be constructed in a matter of days, not weeks.
The technological knowledge that went into the creation of the visually appealing design is evident. “The cloth is the most important aspect of this outfit,” Mr. Koma said. I fashioned it out of some repurposed transparent sequins that we had on hand.” In addition to that, it drapes really well.” He said that his intention was to create a “deconstructed glamour” atmosphere for the singer, who has previously performed under the guise of “Sasha Fierce,” her boisterous alter-ego.
This is not the first time Mr. Koma has drawn inspiration from the sport of tennis, which he has been involved with since he was three years old. Last year, he used the sport as inspiration for a lot of the designs that appeared in his spring 2021 collection.
Ms. Koma said that she had worked with a “variety of tennis players” during the course of her career. She praised tennis for its “strong” and “power.” His response was, “How can that not be inspiring?”
