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The brand "Ksenia Knyazeva" appeared in 2010 and immediately attracted attention. The brand's DNA contains chaste sexuality and Russian grace.
Ksenia Knyazeva graduated from the Faculty of Russian Philology and Culture, worked as a journalist and a vijay on the radio, but at some point she realized that her main calling was to create clothes. We talked with the designer and found out how and for whom she creates her models.You worked as a journalist for quite some time, and then changed your profession. Wasn’t it scary to start a new business?
It’s even difficult to convey how scary it was to take on something that you know so little about. It’s even worse to realize that you cannot use that wonderful experience gained over five years on TV and radio. At 25, I had to zero my life and learn a new business again. This is definitely stress.
You have many models with elements of Russian folk costume. Why did you stop on this particular style? How do you manage to combine folk motifs with modern solutions?
I started with the Russian style, because it was easier and faster to implement. I knew a lot about the folk costume, the Russian soul and the mentality of our people. The choice was influenced by Old Russian literature, which I had to immerse myself in at the Institute of Philology. I interpreted and stylized Gzhel in my prints, turned to the objects of art of Ancient Russia to select the most suitable elements for drawings on fabric. Leafing through Russian fairy tales ... There is no secret, we just did what was understandable and genetically close to a Russian woman. We have regular customers who filled their wardrobes with our dresses. But in the spring-summer 2016 season, Knyazev will be completely different. And I certainly like the changes that are taking place in my head and in my company.All your models look very elegant, sometimes strictly and at the same time romantic. What audience is your clothing designed for? Who is your customer?
I used to think that this is a young girl, a fashionista. What was my surprise when I saw mature women in their dresses, as well as mothers and their daughters who wanted to look not like everyone else! Clothing brand Ksenia Knyazeva is quite bright and expressive. Analyzing customers and demand, I realized that my customer is a bold, fashionable, confident woman with a claim to quality and impeccable taste.
What is the source of your inspiration?
Like many designers, I am inspired by art and music. All this information accumulates in me, until one day it spills into a specific idea. The first Russian collection, whose face was Maria Berseneva, was invented after I saw a stunning rug in the wards of Tsarina Sophia in the Kolomensky Palace. Another came to my mind after watching the film “Carnival Night” with Lyudmila Gurchenko, the fall-winter 2015–16 collection was created based on the fairy tale by Sergey Aksakov “The Scarlet Flower”, and the next spring of 2016 was inspired by the stories of my parents about youth and fashion of the 70s.Are there any difficulties in work? What is the hardest thing to do?
It’s easier to say what is easiest given. To fantasize, draw, combine fabrics, come up with advertising campaigns, photo shoots, images ... It is difficult to achieve the maximum embodiment of everything invented in life. This also raises a financial question, you need to put all your fantasies into a certain cost, control all stages of production and make good wholesale and retail sales. Yes, well, 170–200 successful models per season are not an easy task.
What do you consider the most important thing in your work? What brings the most pleasure?
The most pleasant thing is to see the first samples of products in the experimental workshop. It is pleasant when you understand that you were not mistaken, it is pleasant when a thing hangs on a mannequin, and not a single employee can pass by without an admiring glance.There are a lot of floor dresses in your collections. Now the maxi length is in fashion, but there are not many girls in long skirts on the streets. How do buyers perceive maxi dresses? Do you wear skirts yourself on the floor?
I admit honestly, I love skirts on the floor and they will always make a woman more slim, graceful, flying, even sexy, but I wore a maxi for a couple of years and was tired of this length. Therefore, she practically eliminated it in the spring-summer 2016 collection. But she added an amazing denim capsule with flared pants, skirts and denim sundresses.
Please tell us what things your basic wardrobe consists of? How do you shape your everyday looks?
My daily looks are pretty bold. I sometimes allow myself to combine an office dress with a tie and grunge patent-leather patent leather boots, I can wear an active print dress in everyday life, or throw a bomber jacket on an evening dress on the floor. For me, the main thing is the harmony of color and form, and, of course, the mood that conveys this or that image.What clothes do you think should be in the wardrobe of a modern woman?
The one that adorns her. Clothing lies on the shelves of shopping centers in tons, but the task of the woman is to find her own; your style, your form according to the features of the figure, correctly combine things. For our customers, we create outfits in capsules, and in the catalogs we show possible combinations of things from one or different capsules. It’s not scary if you don’t know what to combine with, you don’t devote your life to it, as designers and stylists. Use catalogs, the Internet and hanging in stores. As a rule, things hang in them by combinations.Tell us about your creative plans for the near future. Will there be any new lines?
The plans include the launch of the shoe line and the production of bags. And I really want to make my own fragrance. Now we are looking for partners for such projects.
What would you recommend to girls who sew their own clothes?
Experiment! It is more courageous to combine and choose fabrics, to try to improve and slightly modify the patterns! I am very happy for those who can afford to create in this direction. Any basic model from Burda can be brought to an incredible Fashion option with the help of fabric and accessories.Do you know Burda magazine? Ever sewed clothes on patterns from this magazine?
A few years ago, Burda magazine was a reference book for me. I used the patterns of the magazine as the base. It was my fashionable guide for cutting and sewing. I especially liked the section, which offered new unexpected design solutions for clothing decor. Now, in my digging, several professional designers are working on the sketches of Ksenia Knyazeva, however, the shelves next to the desktop are stored in huge stacks of Burda with my notes and sketches. One day they will become rare ...About the designer
Ksenia Knyazeva was born in Penza, in the Volga city with a rich ancient Russian heritage. Successfully graduated from the faculty of Russian philology and culture. Studying at the Faculty of Philology instilled a love of Russian literature. The work of a journalist and a widget on the radio brought Ksenia the first fruits of popularity. In 2009, Ksenia moved to Moscow, where she continued her career as a journalist, but this was not enough. Ksenia put the first experiments in the field of women's clothing design on her friends, and gradually designer clothes became her priority occupation. In 2010, the girl made her debut, introducing the first collection under her own label - Ksenia Knyazeva. Clothing from Ksenia Knyazeva is easy to recognize among other designer brands.Amazingly beautiful dresses to the floor, elegant jackets, light lace blouses, designer prints, beautiful midi dresses, as well as retro-style models, can make an image spectacular and bright for an evening walk or for a social event.Photo: kknyazeva.ru, Pinterest.com
Material prepared by Anna Soboleva
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