Marco Capaldo: The Designer Behind 16Arlington

Marco Capaldo is the creative director of 16Arlington, the London fashion house he founded in 2017 with Federica Cavenati, known as Kikka. Italian by family and born and raised in London, he met Cavenati at the London campus of Istituto Marangoni, and has designed the label alone since her death in October 2021. In 2024 the British Fashion Council gave him the award for New Establishment Womenswear. This is his story, and what he has built.

By Gemma Deeks, Fashion Editor at Coveti. Updated 1 October 2026.

Key facts

• Role: co-founder and creative director of 16Arlington, London.
• Training: Istituto Marangoni, London, where he met his co-founder Federica (Kikka) Cavenati; they graduated in 2017 and started the label.
• The name: 16Arlington is the address of the Mayfair flat the two founders shared.
• Recognition: British Fashion Award for New Establishment Womenswear, 2024.
• Recent work: the 43-piece M&S x 16Arlington capsule (October 2025), the 16 Looks show with Antony Price (November 2025) and the Autumn/Winter 2026 collection (February 2026).

Early years and the founding of 16Arlington

Capaldo is Italian by family and London born and bred. Cavenati came from Bergamo, near Milan, and arrived in London after a foundation course in Bournemouth. They met at Istituto Marangoni and, on graduating in 2017, started a label that combined his taste for European couture with her knowledge of tailoring. The division of labour was clear from the start: Capaldo, minimal in his own clothes, had a taste for exuberance on the rail, and Cavenati was the pattern cutter, precise and quieter in her work. They named the label after the Mayfair flat they shared.

Early pieces were worn by Adwoa Aboah and Jorja Smith, and by 2019 the label had a slot on the official London Fashion Week schedule.

After Kikka

In October 2021 Cavenati died suddenly, aged 28. Capaldo showed the Autumn/Winter 2022 collection as a tribute to her and has designed the house alone since, as creative director. The signature they built together has stayed: a sharp, often minimal silhouette carrying one extravagant material: ostrich feathers along a hem, sequins woven into a column gown, Japanese satin trimmed with scalloped lace.

Recognition and recent work

In 2024 the British Fashion Council gave Capaldo the award for New Establishment Womenswear at the Fashion Awards. In October 2025 the house released a 43-piece capsule with Marks and Spencer, covered in the M&S collaboration guide. It took the house’s feathers, sequins and satin to the high street across clothing, bags, shoes and jewellery, and it introduced the label to a far wider audience than its own boutique stockists reach. In November 2025 it staged 16 Looks with Antony Price, the designer’s first show in 36 years, at a studio in Hoxton; Price died in December 2025, aged 80. The Antony Price guide tells that story.

What Capaldo designs now

The Autumn/Winter 2026 collection, shown in London in February 2026, is the clearest picture of his current direction: longer silhouettes, darker colour, more tailoring and new materials, including leopard-print pony hide, velvet, devore and hand-pulled fringe. Several pieces are designed to change, with scarves and collars that detach. The Autumn/Winter 2026 edit covers the full collection.

1. Rosalind Coat in Black

The Rosalind coat in wool and cashmere, with a scarf trimmed in sequin fringe that detaches. Tailoring with one area of embellishment, the house formula.

2. Electra Gown in Black Diamond Sequin

The Electra column, a signature silhouette, in black diamond sequin.

3. Nolan Jacket in Leopard Print

The Nolan jacket in leopard pony, the new material of the season.

4. Roia Mini Dress in Black and Navy

A sequin fringe mini in the house’s bespoke navy and black fringe fabric.

Timeline

• 2017: Capaldo and Cavenati graduate from Istituto Marangoni in London and found 16Arlington, named after their Mayfair flat. The brand dates its launch to 2018.
• 2019: the label joins the official London Fashion Week schedule.
• October 2021: Kikka Cavenati dies, aged 28. Capaldo shows Autumn/Winter 2022 as a tribute.
• December 2023: Kate and Lila Moss wear 16Arlington on the cover of British Vogue.
• 2024: the British Fashion Council names Capaldo the winner of New Establishment Womenswear at the Fashion Awards.
• October 2025: the 43-piece M&S x 16Arlington capsule launches.
• November 2025: 16 Looks, the show with Antony Price, in Hoxton.
• February 2026: the Autumn/Winter 2026 collection is shown in London.

How he works

The clothes are made close to home: most are produced in the United Kingdom and Portugal, and the house runs its atelier in East London, where it describes each special project as crafted. Capaldo designs for an evening that runs late, and the pieces are built to be worn: corsets inside strapless dresses, stretch linings in sequin gowns and elasticated waists on the wide-leg trousers.

Read next

Who is 16Arlington? Who wears 16Arlington? The Antony Price show. Is 16Arlington a luxury brand? Shop 16Arlington at Coveti.

Frequently asked questions

Who is Marco Capaldo?

The co-founder and creative director of 16Arlington, the London fashion house he started in 2017 with Federica (Kikka) Cavenati. He has designed the label alone since her death in 2021.

Who owns 16Arlington?

The house was founded by Marco Capaldo and Federica Cavenati. Capaldo leads it today as creative director.

Where did Marco Capaldo study?

At the London campus of Istituto Marangoni, where he met his co-founder Kikka Cavenati.

What award has Marco Capaldo won?

The British Fashion Award for New Establishment Womenswear, presented by the British Fashion Council in 2024.

Why is it called 16Arlington?

It is the address of the Mayfair flat Capaldo and Cavenati shared when they started the label.