Who invented Goldmans - the first street brand for women in Russia
In the new category "accomplices" we will talk about girls who came up with a common cause and achieved success in it. But at the same time to expose the myth that women are not capable of friendly feelings, and can only aggressively compete. Today, our heroines are Yulia and Zhenya Goldman - the founders of the only streetwear brand in Russia. They are sisters, Julia is an artist, and Zhenya is once a professional snowboarder. They invented the Goldmans brand back in 2010 and use provocative inscriptions and drawings in their clothes. But unlike many, they do not refer to topical slogans on clothes as a marketing ploy, but prefer to create big money. We spoke with the Goldmans founders about their projects and plans.
Purpose - creativity
Julia: I wrote oil paintings, including on large canvas - not everyone can afford to buy such. So, Zhenya once offered to transfer pictures to T-shirts. The first we bought in "Auchan". I remember there was a drawing of a woman in a leather jacket with green hair reading a book in the subway. Another dad with two children, drawn by pencils, and a girl in a cowboy hat on a horse — I have been wearing a t-shirt so far, for eight years now.
We didn’t want to create any new clothes, there was a goal to share creativity - so that people could buy these T-shirts and wear them because they liked the pictures.
Zhenya: But the idea failed right away. We realized that the paintings are not adapted and on T-shirts they do not look as cool as on canvas. Over time, we began to make more suitable drawings and sketches. All illustrations are our own, and even if these are collages, they are not just pictures from the Internet, but processed by us.
We were swinging very slowly, not in a hurry. We created a group on the VKontakte network, posted something there, but at first it was somehow inactive. Gradually, they began to make T-shirts of their own style, because those that were sold in Auchan were no longer satisfied. We did not focus on specific items of clothing and were not limited to any one - the main thing is that the clothes could fit and the pattern was clearly visible. So we added skirts and swimsuits. Then Julia painted leather jackets and dresses by hand. For a long time they didn’t add pants, because you can’t print anything on them, but now we think that the pattern on the pants is very cool.
JULIA: We definitely gave away the first collection, although everything was put up for sale. We had an expensive unfavorable seal, and the first things were sold literally at cost. We knew nothing about it. For example, T-shirts with pictures for 666 rubles were posted on the Lambada Market. As it turned out, in Moscow it is expensive to do all this. But we still do not pursue the goal to earn heavily or open stores in all cities. Just doing what we like. And it's cool that we have an audience that likes it too.
Zhenya: Goldmans duet not only creates things - we cooperate with different creative people and do joint projects.
Julia: Recently, for example, together with our familiar cameraman, they shot a video: they called the musician Pasha from the Holy Palms group, asked him to compose music, went to Bryansk and filmed everything right on the train - it was such a creative interaction. And in January there was a performance with the Selbram musical group. It had nothing to do with our brand, but after the performance a guy came up to us and asked where you can buy a Goldmans T-shirt.
Zhenya: We participated in different markets, and those who come there all the time, usually already know about us. Almost as soon as we started making clothes, we got on Faces & Laces - we have been participating in it for six or seven years.
We really liked the creative part of the festival: there you can create and create your own stand. We had a lot of ideas. Once, for example, we arranged a white room two by two meters - with white walls and lined with white T-shirts. For two days, Julia actually lived there — such an artist squat, where she could observe her work. Another time, we staged episodes from films, and people had to guess them. We had a minimum of props, we ourselves changed the scenery. Such an interactive with the audience: who guessed the movie, got a t-shirt.
Against mass and business
Zhenya: We did not seek to conquer the world, conquer Moscow and fill it with our gear. The Goldmans project is absolutely non-commercial. Our motto with Julia - against the prevailing stereotypes, mass and pop. It is within us - that we usually show our drawings and inscriptions.
In fact, we love to provoke the public. For example, many do not understand why we wrote "Slut" and "Whore" on things. (the girls used the mechanism of reclaiming. - Approx. Ed.), but more fun. I’m against marketing, we don’t have a goal to prove something to someone, and it seems to me silly to do this if people don’t understand each other. Someone likes, some do not, and if you do not like, then pass by.
Julia: If it ceases to be creative, it will turn into a business and bring a bunch of new problems. We are stuck in this and lose the good that is happening now. We have somehow opened a show room - in one of the joint projects. He was called "Natasha." Existed year and closed.
ZHENYA: We wanted to open a pickup point where people can come, see and try on things - it would be convenient. We have been looking for a room for a long time and by the end we were already desperate, we decided not to plan anything. But then a room in the abandoned house on Baumanskaya turned up, and we realized that it was impossible to lose such an opportunity. They made repairs themselves, put parquet, Julia painted the walls. The entrance to the showroom was very nonstandard - with far from the most attractive entrance.
JULIA: The room was on the fourth floor, but some people only reached the third floor, they were afraid to climb further and leave.
ZHENYA: It seems to me that if we were engaged in the development of this showroom, we would have everything excellent. Because it turned out very cool, and the visitors said how everything is atmospheric in it. But it takes more time, which is not. You are faced with a financial issue, do not want to sit and sell yourself, you need to hire a person who will do it for you, but there is no money. We sold ourselves, merged with two other brands and alternated - worked for three or four days. It suited us, there was no large flow of people, and those who came were satisfied with such a regime.
How things are arranged
Zhenya: This may sound trite, but we are inspired by music (metal, every old school like rock of the 60's and 70's), films, artists and, of course, the environment. So, we had a collaboration with a party of skaters, and the guys themselves inspired us. We do almost everything together, only Julia paints mostly. We are very comfortable, and quarrels, though inevitable, but we always find a compromise.
We invested our money in the brand, started literally from thirty thousand rubles. Now we are earning some minimal money, but one cannot say that this is enough for life. I devote most of my time to snowboarding. I used to be an active athlete, if I may say so. Now I continue to ride, and all my projects are related to sports. I have a pop-up story, which I have been organizing in the fall for nine years, in the winter I am collecting camps or teaching snowboarding.
Julia: I continue to paint, I try to develop, arrange various projects and participate in many kinds of exhibitions and video shootings, I study sculpture.
ZHENYA: We usually produce clothes every four seasons: T-shirts, sweatshirts, shorts, socks, skirts, hoodies, backpacks, swimsuits and turtlenecks. We do not limit ourselves; we make as many models as we can imagine. Sometimes they write to us: "Girls, you are great, so you are doing great!" And sometimes - they bought the fifth t-shirt from us, because I really like it.
Every year we send an application for Faces & Laces, but the project Faces & Laces Locals supports us so actively, for which we thank him very much. We are located on their offline site, they help with PR and give advice. We have also been cooperating with the department store for several years now - the guys regularly order our things.
We didn’t have any particular experience of presenting collections, as other brands do. It seems to me that it has now become fashionable to create some kind of movement, to organize parties — we have not done anything like this, although this is interesting. Usually we simply announce the collection in social networks and deliver to the stores.
When we first started, we invited our friends for filming. Our models are mostly ordinary people. We are looking for an interesting person, and if we meet him, we can come up and directly offer to play in our lookbook. There was a story when we had to swap models: a girl with a non-standard figure was put on a shot in her underpants. She did not hesitate, and get great photos.
JULIA: I remember that a girl who wrote to us herself took part in the Christmas shooting. We looked at her photos, she was not a model, but we invited her and took it off - everything was fine. But on the last photo shoot one of the models did not come, and I had to act in place of it. Although I was absolutely not ready, it was spontaneous.
What will happen next
Zhenya: Difficulties with production - a classic story. Most of the problems associated with the timing - this is a constant delay, and not for a couple of days, but a whole month. We are tired of it, so we abandoned the previous production. But the last time we ordered a large batch of things, so there are still stocks.
Julia: We think that it is possible to make a collection from the fact that it is already otshito. We’ve been inventing something all the time, but we need to re-draw the patterns, then sew the pattern — it's a long story. And when there is no production, you cannot create something new.
Zhenya: To begin, we will find a new factory. True, we are very trimmed in time. Yulia learns non-stop, I became a mom and I mess up with my baby. But we have a lot of ideas, and, of course, I want to grow.
Photo: Goldmans / Vkontakte
