April 2020

Interview
I r i n a  R u s i n o v i c h

How did you feel about showing your collection at first ever virtual fashion week, MBFW RUSSIA in April?

– Honestly, I overslept the time of my digital presentation. Phone calls woke me up right after it ended. I was really surprised how many people watched the live broadcast of the video presentations and how many international magazines supported this idea. Thank you so much. Of course, digital presentation is a very progressive, economical, and environmentally friendly way of presenting the new season. But it is completely devoid of the emotional component. A live show is always an energy exchange with the audience, with people who come to support the brand. This is a huge preparation, which is ongoing 24/7. This is work with models, most of which you already know well and almost certainly one of them will again be taken to the police 2 hours before the show. This is one evening which for all who participate in it becomes a very big adventure.

What was the starting point for the latest collection?
– At the very beginning, even before the idea of the collection was born, I studied a lot of literature about the universe. And accidentally stumbled upon a story, which was based on a very non-classical concept. Its essence was that souls live on another planet (a kind of paradise) and accumulate negative energy over the course of life. To get rid of this negative energy, souls come in human form to the earth (a kind of purgatory) and live an earthly life in compliance with certain rules. If during the course of life these rules are violated, then life begins again, but in even more difficult conditions, which must be overcome without breaking the rules. Only after this the soul can return back. This whole story is very deep and detailed. But the concept that the earth is a kind of purgatory for souls who came here so interested me that it became the starting point of my story.

Do you think keeping clothes accessible is a challenge?
– To introduce the principles of slow fashion and conscious consumption is a challenge. Being a young brand, we try to reduce any margins as much as possible, but we always remember that behind the production of each garment there are lots of people and their hard work must be paid accordingly. Ethics is important for us at all stages of work, so we always work with companies that care about the environment, experiment with recycled materials and this also affects the cost of the high quality fabrics and raw materials that we purchase from them.

Your message to your fellow artists / designers who are stuck on quarantine?
– Do not waste your time. Those who have adapted now will go forward faster.

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