Handmade and vintage fabrics: 7 prominent Russian designers
Brand author Jahnkoy Masha Kazakova attracted the attention of the world fashion community not only with clothes, but also with her principled position: she takes street clothes as a basis, which she transforms using traditional techniques. Kazakov can be called one of the brightest representatives of the global trend: today young designers do not set themselves the goal of “becoming a new Zara” and instead of increasing the circulation of monotonous things, they go headlong into exploring the traditions of the past, working with vintage materials, creating complex silhouettes and labor-intensive embroideries. We talk about young Russian designers who adhere to similar principles.
Odor
The author of the brand is a young designer Nikita Kalmykov, a graduate of RSU. A. N. Kosygin with a diploma of accessories designer."I began to invent the aesthetics of Odor already in the last courses of the university, ”he says. - Then I realized that there is nothing more inspiring than a person, and came up with a name that in almost all languages of the world means “smell”. The smell is associated with the image of a person and is permanently stored in the memory. "
Nikita began using vintage fabrics and accessories while working on a collection of Israelism inspired by the life and freedom of modern Israel: she referred to family relics carried through the years of wars and wanderings. At the same time, the designer worked in a private studio in Berlin and dealt with the principles of ethical consumption, aesthetics of second-hand and flea markets: "I realized that the mix of modern materials with vintage is not only a beautiful, but also a reasonable move." Nikita decided to show the men's collection made of great-grandmother embroidered textiles in Tbilisi - and he didn’t lose: here progressive buyers and publications paid attention to him. Kalmykov is now dreaming of a show in Paris and is planning to work on a men's underwear line.
Roma Uvarov
Krasnodar Roma Uvarov is only twenty-one, and he approaches the design uncompromisingly. He does not have a profile education, but he has a diploma in public relations:"I can not say that university knowledge helped me to promote the brand, but my mother was glad to have a red diploma. "Uvarov likes to create something new from everyday things, for example, in his first collection there were bags-heaters and jumpers from carpets." Many household items are beautiful, I just give them new meanings. I often work with non-standard materials - this is how foil sweaters come out, accessories from X-rays and so on. "The designer says that from childhood he was attracted to the aesthetics of mysticism - hence the third-eye motif, which helps to see the beautiful in the usual.
Uvarov is an opponent of the mass market not only as an artist, but also as a consumer. “I myself buy young designers' clothes and wear them with pleasure, without considering them as competitors,” he says, “we are all different and all talented. People often have questions when they see my things: who will buy it? How can you wear it? But I can say that the most nonstandard, unbearable, in the opinion of the majority, objects are dismantled in the first place. I think this is due to fatigue from the same faceless clothes. "
Olga Kremlyakova
Olga Kremlyakova’s things respond to the “new romance” tendency: the girl doesn’t pursue practicality in clothes and enthusiastically works with cascades of soft mesh, lace decor and delicate embroidery. In the professional baggage of the Kremlin there is an art school, a study at the Vladivostok State University of Economics and Service in the specialty "artist-stylist" and a host of international fashion competitions in China, Japan and Italy.
"I was born in the Far East, so the proximity of Japan and China affected my aesthetics. I am impressed by their view of art, I love the delicate and elegant world of such a closed country as Japan - even thought about moving there," designer. Now Olga is developing her own brand in Moscow and sewing multi-layer, but almost weightless dresses made of bright tulle, and also silk shirts with handmade lace inserts that resemble vintage ones.
Omut
Nastya Klimova experimented a lot with different materials and forms - for example, she was one of the first to make a joint collection with the embroideress Lisa Smirnova. "In 2011, I was fascinated by the BDSM aesthetics: I cut out leather corsets, masks, belts - it all sold very well. Then I learned about brands such as Fleet Ilya and Zana Bayne, and realized that the best in this segment was already invented, so I decided to make such a product that they will buy and wear. " This is how Omut accessories from metal chains, often “growing out” to the size of a full-fledged dress, appeared.
The main difficulty in their production is a specific technology. Models are assembled by hand, while the master spends from eight hours on tops and jewelry-transformers, up to a hundred and more - on dresses. Is it difficult to put such a product on commercial rails? “In Russia, it’s not easy,” Nastya admits. “Here, buyers are more wary of new designs. In Paris, it was much easier to build communication. For example, during Fashion Week we went to a store that is close to us in aesthetics and format, we met with the hostess, they left several samples, and now she has already made a purchase. In Russia, it is difficult to imagine such a scenario. "
Anya Komyagina
Designer Anya Komyagina is balancing between design and "pure art." She never studied at an art school, and received a higher education at the Kosygin University at the Faculty of Applied Arts. “First of all, the designer needs a rich imagination,” she said. “My style was formed from the tumult of my inner world. And I always wanted to find that faint edge between art and design of objects, so that things and accessories were functional, but at the same time related to art. "
Anya does not create a full-fledged collection, at least for the time being, and is working on individual design objects. Each of them is unique, assembled and embroidered by the artist by hand. Komyagin is not cautious and does not underestimate: her brooches, earrings and necklaces are gigantic, of whimsical forms, made of a huge number of elements of different shape and texture. "If the creator does not stop and burns with his creativity, then he has every chance for everything. My non-standard can be commercial," she is sure.
Ekaterina Tkachenko
Katya Tkachenko studied at the Florentine school Polimoda, and after doing an internship in the Amsterdam studio Iris Van Herpen, where she made dresses for Björk. Under his own brand, Tkachenko makes dimensional collections, mostly for men, with author prints and plenty of natural and artificial fur. The line of embroidered T-shirts arose from the need to monetize its bright, but complex aesthetics - and also from personal drama.
"After a painful breakup, I began to pour out my emotions on paper. My former vis-à-vis was keen on planning a joint future, but these projects remained at the level of "bla-bla", so the slogan "Ta Gueule!" (Coarse "Shut up!" In French) arose by itself. I also drew a rabbit in a mask - a dangerous and aggressive creature that only seems cute. Then came beadwork and other subjects on the theme of innocence and aggression. "
A sincere message quickly found a response - T-shirts began to sell well. Most of them are Katya embroidering by hand herself, so despite the repeated prints of prints, each item is unique. “In general, I treat the provocative slogans in fashion in two ways,” the designer admits. “On the one hand, provocation is always interesting, on the other, there is a danger of crossing the line and falling into vulgarity.”
Ego must die
Brand designer Natalina Bonaparte has been selling vintage clothing for several years. At some point, she wanted to dig deeper and look for inspiration in a historic costume. So the brand was born, more precisely, at first one and only model - a helmet with pearls, which last winter became an absolute hit of sales. It has already been followed by collars-cutters, surreal gloves, and more.
“I’m looking for materials everywhere: in textile warehouses, in hardware stores, in toy stores and even in pet supplies,” says the designer. “I know that natural materials are relevant now and everyone is trying to choose comfortable clothes. We have a different philosophy which is what the brand name says. We are more likely to surprise rather than please. "
For the same reason, Natalina refuses the usual ways of promotion and does not like aggressive advertising: “We have no ambassadors and promotions. From the very beginning, I wanted Ego Must Die to be a choice. Personally, I don’t think that shocking does not have commercial potential. So far there are fashionable houses like Gucci that promote amazing aesthetics, and you shouldn’t live by us or by any other extraordinary projects. "
