Russians in London: Julia Kondranina, fashion designer
Over the past week, Wonderzine talked about the key moments of London Fashion Week, which is traditionally famous for its avant-garde and young fashion designers. What is not surprising - in the development of youth culture with the city can be compared except New York. In London, always come the guys who want to get the best education in art or fashion and / or join teams that form the taste of an entire generation, be it Dazed & Confused, Love and i-D magazines or KTZ or Palace clothing brands.
We gathered 6 girls who are currently building a career in the London fashion industry, and asked them whether it is difficult to survive in one of the most expensive cities, how to get a job in a place where almost the biggest competition in the world is, and whether return to Russia.
Julia Kondranina
On Julia: Yulia Kondranina top and skirt
I was born and raised in Moscow. Many drew and sewed clothes for dolls. At the age of eight she entered the art school, and then - at the Kosygin Moscow Textile University. After graduating from university I was lucky, I found a job in the notorious Savage company. Four years later, in Russian mass market companies, I decided to get an education abroad. The choice fell on Central Saint Martins. Studying at St. Martin, I started working at WGSN, with which I have been with three and a half years.
Now london for me the most comfortable city on earth. Everything here is much more comfortable and convenient, the climate is milder. There are no huge distances between stops and houses. Transport works perfectly, so if you stay at a party until two o'clock in the morning, it’s no problem to take the night bus and get to any point of the city. In London, there are many places, districts, markets where you can go on weekends and not necessarily have a lot of money. In England, the fashion industry appreciates your individuality, your qualities as a specialist, rather than money and connections (at least I would like to believe in it). In Russia, I would not be able to bring the brand to a high level as quickly as here.
I decided to launch my brand by chance. After graduating from Central Saint Martins, I was sure that I would work for a particular brand. I was at the interview in Saint Laurent, where I was offered an internship at the initial stage. To which I, of course, did not agree, assuming that work invitations would shower like a summer rain. Well, in general, I wanted to take a short break in a continuous race at work, then at school. There was another opportunity to start working at Givenchy: I went through numerous interviews and I was offered the position of a junior designer, but I had to start almost the next day, and by that time I was preparing the first independent collection - it was only two weeks before the show and everything was gone absolutely pointless.
First collection After the release, Fashion Scout, one of the organizations that supports young designers in Britain, helped me. After I submitted the application again and received the Meritt Award, which is awarded only to one designer in a season and which gives the right to get a free location of the show and models. I develop my brand, but, of course, there are many difficulties: fashion is a very expensive thing. Always just hope that there will be an opportunity to make the next season.