Artem Shumov about men's fashion and tastes of Petersburgers

Artem Shumov is a young designer who has set himself the task of producing comfortable, concise, properly designed men's clothing at affordable prices. Now things of the brand name can be purchased at JNBY in St. Petersburg. Before starting to engage in the men's line, Shumov tried himself as a designer of women's clothing, and also practiced in several large houses (Tatiana Parfenova, Liliya Kiselenko and Vika Gazinskaya), participated in Aurora Fashion Week Russia and collaborated with the Mariinsky Theater. At the moment, Shumov ordered a large project to recreate the form of FC “Zenith” of the 90s and restart it. We talked with the designer about how to make men's fashion in Russia, the comfort and tastes of Petersburgers.

How did you get into fashion?

Yes, I went from childhood: in the garden I fell in love with a girl and made a dress for her doll. I didn’t have a particular choice: either go to oil, or to design. But I always knew that I would be engaged in just clothes.

What do you think about Russian fashion education?

I came from Ufa to Petersburg just to study - they don’t give a decent education in my city. First, there is a strong school in Petersburg. Secondly, the artistic environment is very important, which again is only in Petersburg.

In general, the Russian school of design is peculiar. In Soviet times, in my opinion, was the very fashion: there was no choice and people wore what they were offered. And everyone was trendy. The mass market is now seeking a similar globalization. Despite the fact that the choice of silhouettes and proportions is huge, the mass market chooses the same thing - and it turns out that all people are dressed the same way. Moreover, now, unlike in Soviet times, there is an illusion of choice. After the USSR, when foreign goods poured in, people began to experiment, try all sorts of strange combinations. Now the culture of clothing - and consumption, and wearing - is still only being restored. Fashion cannot be killed at all; it just happens that there are different stages of development. And Russian design is very interested in people abroad: my friend is studying in Antwerp, he says, there many admire designers who are popular with us in certain circles. But in Russia, they also want Russian design.

We have many designers - and rightly so - inspired by westerners: someone likes Vibs, someone likes Kane. Is there any danger in this? After all, this design is unusual and clear only to a small circle of people.

First of all, the designer must understand what things will buy. Christopher Kane, Vibskov - they have their own clientele. It is necessary to understand the public with whom you work, and adapt clothing. I learned to design, and there they are forced to think. Initially, designers have no idea if something is possible or impossible. The design teacher looked at the first dress I made, turned away and said: "My design entity cannot look at it."

Maybe it will sound haughty, but I have unusual things disguised as everyday

Who are you working with?

I have a different audience. I try to make comfortable clothes, because you have to respect ordinary people who, like me, walk the streets. For example, I like elongated pants and soft folds, but today I want these folds, and tomorrow it will rain - and where am I wearing such trousers? I mostly wear my clothes to feel if these pockets are comfortable for me. Maybe it will sound haughty, but I have unusual things disguised as everyday ones. They have parts that distinguish them, either inside or outside. But at the same time about the person in my clothes will not say: "Lord, what is this, a bag?" A bag is good, but not mine. Mine is when a person comes, it seems like an ordinary person, but he will sit next to you - and it will be interesting for you to examine him.

And why did you become involved in men's clothes?

I realized that I always wanted to do it. Made two or three women's collections, but it was just a stage of development. Men's clothing is closer to me, through it I can say more. In her, I can imagine myself, but in a women's dress, fortunately, I can not.

One of the men who makes women's clothes, says that she has more imagination, more space.

Freedom is to some extent good. But when you set the framework, you want to marry them, and when there is freedom to do whatever you want, most people, it turns out, do not want anything. If something is forbidden, then it is interesting. In the men's clothing less silhouettes. You can't make flashlight sleeves. Well, you can, of course, but who will wear them. And no one will rhinestones. Why there are no Russian menswear designers? Fear. Still, men are more conservative.

Well-dressed man - who is this? What does he look like?

I recently had a client, he is already an adult man with his family and children. He ordered a soft coat, although he had incredibly stylish jackets, with a needle. I was very surprised, because before that I thought that I had a more youth audience. For me, this is a big praise.

And how should a well-designed jacket look?

Men's jacket - the most difficult thing. He should sit like a glove, like armor. In this case, you have only one tuck, with which you can work. It is impossible, as with women's clothes, to hem somewhere, insert drapery and say that it should be so. Try to take a piece of paper and attach it on the body. See what happens to him - how many folds, creases. Here you need to remove all these zalomchiki to get the perfect shape. Only then can one imagine what men’s clothing is with one tuck.

Things from the collection of Artem Shumov FW14 / 15 Footwear: Banya Concept Store

This year, the men's Elle and Numéro are launched, all that is missing is the male Cosmopolitan (and such rumors are circulating). Men's fashion is developing, and in fact men have been dressing worse than women for a long time. Tell me about men's fashionable clothes?

I'll start from the beginning. Until the nineteenth century there was only men's fashion; women's fashion, all these dresses, corsets - it was an appendage to a men's suit. Men's suit changed, was much brighter than women. In the view of society, the man was the main, he participated in the battles, he had a great social activity, so he needed more clothes. Then came the first stage of technical progress, the second stage, people sat in cabinets, gradually fashion became monotonous: shirt, suit, coat. And after the war there was no money for clothes. Fashion is actually a completely smart process. If he was stupid, throughout the entire existence of mankind, fashion would simply not exist. Therefore, I do not understand when they ask: "Do you create fashion?" How to create fashion if it was before you and will be after you die? We simply create things and reflect human needs.

In general, people now do not need a lot of clothes.

How not to? You can not come to corporate in a T-shirt. At the business meeting, too, you can not - need a suit. By the way you are dressed, people around make up an opinion about you. A man, dressed neatly, gives the impression that everything in his head is laid out on the shelves. The so-called normcor also get bored. A person is always in development, so he needs to change clothes.

WHAT ARE YOURSELF WHAT?

Yourself

WELL AND MASS MARKET SURROUND?

Yes of course. I am not saying that wearing a mass market is always disrespect for oneself. But to some extent this is true. Here you dress in a mass market and you see another person who you don’t like, and he is dressed in the same way as you. If you are dressed the same way, maybe your thoughts converge.

Who is your team, who do you work with?

I am surrounded by completely different people: from photographers to shoe store owners. If you rotate in circles all the time, then you and the world will perceive one-sidedly. If you work in the luxury segment, then naturally, when you take the subway, it’s hard for you to understand this life. If you do street fashion, living in apartments and constantly driving around by car, it’s hard for you to understand how the street lives. Maybe I look deeply, but lately I think that deputies do not see life at all. They drive even without traffic jams.

I will be grateful to my team, probably, all my life. There is such a charity project to support young designers LMA Presents (AFFA) - they help newcomers, releasing the first collection, to make a show. Because it is simply impossible to achieve this on your own: when you are 24, you just graduated from university and worked for a couple of years, where do you get the resources from? I guys organized the first show at Aurora Fashion Week. Provided free models and a platform. It is hard to believe - in the world, not even in Russia, in general this does not happen. This season they also helped me with models, with directing. Andy Fiord Fashion Advertising - thank you so much.

After all, men dress to feel comfortable in the environment in which they are located.

You use fabrics from Europe. do you go there yourself for them?

No, suppliers come here, plus I work with intermediaries in stock fabrics - they help make the brand affordable and of high quality. Designing fabrics in its own design is incredibly cool, but a completely different level and very expensive. Now I can not afford it. But there are some contacts that you can, if necessary, go out. In St. Petersburg there is a good garment factory, which produces jacquard fabric. Things from it were in the collection.

with Bosch?

Yes. Incredible quality fabric, of course. And when you look at it, it's really like a painting. Absolutely European fabric. For me it was a great discovery that there is such an industry in Russia. There are people who really do good things.

Is it difficult to conduct business from Petersburg?

On the contrary, it is simpler, there people buy in a different way. Each city has its own character. In Petersburg people will not dress brightly. Moscow customers see bright colors in the store and go to it. And St. Petersburg resident will approach another. It may even be good. Each city has its own style, its own feeling.

Petersburg designers are many friends. It is hard to find good specialists, so when someone advises someone, that’s fine. Some kind of Buddhist attitude: the happier a person is, the happier he makes others. For several years I worked with very good designers, for example, with Parfenova. Just being with such a person is an incredible experience. She is a terrific artist, herself talented, every year she produces great collections that look very fresh.

What did you learn from Tatyana Valentinovna? How long have you worked with her?

We worked for a couple of years. I did a lot of things. Came as a student, I was given the opportunity to learn design. The university also teaches construction, but this is different. When you sew on a figure, a lot of features creep out. You need to either be an incredible genius to understand this, or have a very big experience. I also worked there a lot with very expensive fabrics. Well, nobody owns color in Russia like Tatyana Valentinovna.

I also know about working with Gazinskaya. Was it before the Parfenova?

After, there was a regular internship. She was looking for a designer, and I don’t remember who advised her to her. It was incredibly funny - I was walking around St. Petersburg with a friend who moved to Moscow, a call from an unfamiliar number: "Hello, Vika Gazinskaya is calling you." I spent about a month in Moscow, but we didn’t work out as a result - and it happens.

You have a great background in terms of studying. It is very cool.

Everyone has their own path of development. When I got to Tatiana Valentinovna (Parfenova. - Approx. Ed.), I immediately knew that I would not work here all my life. Many European designers, before opening their own fashion house, undergo practice, are trained. We have few who undertake to sew men's clothing, because there is no training for male construction. The female and male bodies are different, so if you have been teaching female designing for five years, you still need five years to learn how to male. You must have body volume. Cut flat, and you just need to imagine how it will be in 3D. I was lucky, I also went to the courses of Soviet design and studied the techniques of Pavlov’s design. Men in fact dress to feel comfortable in the environment in which they are located. The guy will not wear uncomfortable shoes. I will wear something less beautiful, but I will not be uncomfortable all day. A girl can wear and tolerate because it is beautiful.

Things designer can be found in St. Petersburg: JNBY, Nevsky Prospect, 148; Design'Rium, Fontanka, 52; Vanitymaker, Moss Street, 4

Thanks for the help in organizing the shooting and interviews with the Aurora Fashion Week team