Interview: Vika Gazinskaya (exclusive)

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As I was promising yesterday, here is the interview with Russsian designer Vika Gazinskaya. Now! You might know Vika from her appearances on various street-style sites. What you may not know is that her style is very much alike to her designs…

Vika Gazinskaya has been showing for 8 seasons in Moscow. She presented her collection to the international press and buyers in Paris in March 2010 for the first time.

She also designed a window for Colette in Paris featuring several pieces from her latest collection: Colette picked a collection of a Russian designer for the first time.

Without further ado...

● Your style is similar to your creations. You basically showcase your design aestethics on the streets. The street style sites love you! How does this influence your status as a designer?

When we started the fashion company in Moscow at the same time I began traveling to Paris and NY fashion weeks and attending fashion shows and, of course, wearing my designs. Right at that time the blogging boom began and their posts became so big. It happened like that by chance, it wasn't planned, it was a nice coincidence. And that has helped me a lot. How else can a young Russian designer "get out" to the world?

● Your fall-winter 2010-2011 collection has a crisp, futuristic yet playful line. And those headpieces that really seem to have a story of their own. Tell us a bit about the storyline of the collection and about your source of inspiration?

The inspiration sources are architecture, sculpture, contemporary art, and classic Parisian elegance. Among the sources of inspiration are the works of Rem Koolhaas, Alberto Giacometti, Russian constructivist architect Konstantin Melnikov, and of Cristobal Balenciaga. The garments are produced in Moscow with minute attention to detail and with a large use of handwork in true Couture spirit.

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● How did your experience your show at Paris Couture Week?

I was so honored receiving Sarah's offer to design a window at Colette during the Couture Week. This is really my thing: little number of pieces which are produced with a couture approach.

● How do you see your collaboration with Collette as a means of making yourself better known in Europe? At the moment, is Collette the only European store to sell your designs?

Yes, it is the only one now but I hope not the last one. Here in Russia it is more difficult for us and everything is happening for the first time. We will continue working hard. I don't think it is right to talk about something that hasn't happened yet so I won't. I'll do it first.

Following a show room presentation in March pieces of the collection were chosen by the store to be sold in the boutique on rue Faubourg Saint Honore in Paris. The store generously offered to give the boutique’s window for an installation based on the spring-summer 2010 theme of the show – “Artist’s sketches”.

● You pay much attention to the way you craft your clothes. To the best of my knowledge, most of them are hand made. This means you pay lots of attention to each detail, from sketches to the music for the runway show. How important are details for you? Do they influence the design process?

You are absolutely right. And I'm glad you can notice this. My approach in design is a bit old school. I spend a lot of time on fittings and move every line until it is perfect. This is a luxury in the modern clothing design industry where you have to move fast and produce more and more in a year and sometimes forget about design. But while still being a small brand I can have this luxury.

● Obviously, your designs fit perfectly into the fashion grounds of Paris and Europe in general. In comparison to the Russian fashion scene, how are your clothes received in the West? Do the public and the buyers have different views?

I work in Moscow and I have many clients here. So I don't complain. For Russian consumers the main reference point is the West and what comes from the West. So Russian are not that willing to pay attention to Russian designers. But it is changing now, slowly but changing and this first of all depends on me and on my creations. So I'm going to work, work and work hard on it.

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  all runway photos via the fashion spot. collages by me.

Know more:

● I asked Vika what music did she use as a soundtrack because I love the music mix so much! Here they are:

- The Fly Syclops
- a - blue steel
- b - beared lady motorcycle

- Bela Lugosi's Dead Bauhaus (Vika says this one is a big trend and is also included in the Prada men show as well. But yes, she was the first to use it!)

- Stairway to heaven - Led Zeppelin

Vika Gazinskaya, Fall / Winter 2010-11 via vogue.ru:

●  Vika Gazinskaya official website

●  Designer Spotlight: Vika Gazinskaya

●  Stylin' Girl: Vika Gazinskaya