Askin’ Irina Dzhus: “Growing up, living and working in Ukraine, what do you think it offers emerging designers over other countries?”
Posted: May 1, 2013 Filed under: Interviews | Tags: dzhus, hako, irina dzhus, ksenia schnaider Leave a comment »I’ve recently developed an abnormal interest in Ukraine, Ukrainian fashion and Ukrainian designers and brands. The freedom Ukrainian designer’s show through their work is unbelievable, developing extraordinary experimental collections unlike those of designers and brands from any other country. On that note, I asked Irina Dzhus, founder of Ukrainian conceptual wear brand DZHUS, “Growing up, living and working in Ukraine, what do you think it offers emerging designers over other countries?” and she replied…
“The fashion industry is relatively new to Ukraine. Because of this, many local brands are avant-garde and experimental, and so are their presentation and development strategies. This makes Ukrainian fashion promising and notable for talent scouts from all over the world. The big benefit of being a designer in Ukraine is that it is not difficult to get recognised on a local level and then remain in popular demand. However, this applies to the media more than anything. Talking about commercial success, retail business hardly exists in Ukraine, which makes this country rather disadvantageous for new brands.”
Working with Ksenia Schnaider, a unisex brand from Ukraine, I’ve seen how a brand can become recognised very quickly in their local community, and I’ve also observed the struggle that most Ukrainian designers face when it comes to making designing full-time financially viable. However, it’s incredibly refreshing to speak to a designer who does, in a way, admire the Ukrainian fashion scene, regardless of its disadvantages.
You can view and purchase some of Irina’s work through Hako.
Images courtesy of Hako
Contribution: ‘Ksenia Schnaider Autumn/Winter 2013′ on DressLab
Posted: April 28, 2013 Filed under: Autumn/Winter 2013, Men, Women, Writing | Tags: 2013, autumn, bodywarmer, dresslab, ksenia schnaider, winter Leave a comment »My most recent contribution towards DressLab is a piece about Ksenia Schnaider‘s incredible Autumn/Winter 2013 collection!
READ ‘KSENIA SCHNAIDER AUTUMN/WINTER 2013′ ON DRESSLAB!
“Bodywarmer”
Posted: March 31, 2013 Filed under: Autumn/Winter 2013, Men, Women | Tags: 2013, anton schnaider, autumn, bodywarmer, ksenia marchenko, ksenia schnaider, winter Leave a comment »For Autumn/Winter 2013, European unisex brand Ksenia Schnaider present “Bodywarmer”, a collection inspired by the classic bodywarmer, a quilted garment which was incredibly popular in the Soviet Union due to its affordability, utility and versatility.
Ksenia has taken inspiration from the iconic garment and carried it through the entire collection, quilting dresses, skirts, jackets, coats and the backs of t-shirts, mixing her fanned panelling technique with a unique approach to quilting. Despite the affordability of the bodywarmer during its boom in the Soviet Union, Ksenia has, as with all of her work given classic silhouettes and traditional techniques a luxurious twist with her continued use of leather, velvet and silk throughout the collection. Dresses, coats and t-shirts are soft to touch, and the iconic bodywarmer is coated in leather, enhancing its quilted qualities with deep, almost segmented detail, inevitably placing it at the heart of the collection.
After receiving a great response to their Spring/Summer 2013 collection, “Camouflage”, from popular publications such as Vogue Ukraine and Vogue Russia, the Ksenia Schnaider brand is steadily growing. Ksenia and Anton, the duo behind the brand, continue to sketch, sew, develop and inspire, and “Bodywarmer” will undoubtedly do just that.
You will be able to view the full collection on the Ksenia Schnaider website.
Images courtesy of Ksenia Schnaider
Ksenia Schnaider Black Camo Print Shorts
Posted: February 17, 2013 Filed under: Men, Shopping, Spring/Summer 2013, Women | Tags: 2013, camo, camouflage, caption london boutique, ksenia schnaider, shorts, spring, summer, unisex Leave a comment »Featuring a unique black camouflage print and an elasticated waist, enhancing the comfort of the piece, these unisex shorts from Ksenia Schnaider’s Spring/Summer 2013 collection, ‘Camouflage’, are a favourite of mine. The shorts are made from 80% cotton, 20% elastane and fall just above the knee, making them ideal for the warm summer months.
Shorts, £140.00, from Ksenia Schnaider
You can purchase more pieces from the collection through the Caption London Boutique.
Images courtesy of Ksenia Schnaider
Ksenia Schnaider Sweatshirt with Black Camo Print
Posted: January 30, 2013 Filed under: Men, Shopping, Spring/Summer 2013, Women | Tags: 2013, camouflage, ksenia schnaider, spring, summer, sweatshirt, unisex Leave a comment »Okay, so I’ll admit it… I’m a big fan of this unisex sweatshirt from Ksenia Schnaider‘s Spring/Summer 2013 collection, ‘Camouflage’. Made from 80% cotton, 20% elastane, I imagine it to be very comfortable. Not to mention I really like the thought of wearing a sweatshirt with a pair of shorts. The piece is handmade by Ksenia in her studio in Ukraine, emphasising the garments luxury aspect and the amount of work that goes into creating this simple but sublime piece. I really, really want one, and you’d be crazy to not be thinking the same thing!
Sweatshirt, £250.00, Ksenia Schnaider
Images courtesy of Ksenia Schnaider
Caption London Boutique
Posted: January 26, 2013 Filed under: Caption London, Internet, Men, Shopping, Women | Tags: camouflage, caption london, caption london boutique, dominique kral, freak factory, jewlia, jor by gudmundur jorundsson, ksenia schnaider, rusty heart, yulia zhdan Leave a comment »As most of you know, I launched Caption London, a London based PR agency for new, independent and emerging designers and brands, last year. I’ve experienced a good amount of success with the agency and therefore thought it’d be a nice, innovative idea to launch an e-boutique where consumers would be able to purchase the collections of Caption London’s clients. I did some brainstorming and spoke to all of my clients, and finally the Caption London Boutique was born. However, for the time being, it is simply a trial boutique that I will be running through Big Cartel in order to deem whether there is a demand for the collections of my clients, which I really hope there is. On that note, not wanting to single anyone out, Caption London Boutique offers free international shipping, meaning that you can purchase beautiful garments no matter where you are in the world.
As of today, launch day, the Spring/Summer 2013 collection, ‘Camouflage’, from European unisex brand Ksenia Schnaider and an assortment of sale items from Lithuanian womenswear brand Freak Factory‘s Autumn/Winter 2013 collection, ‘Rusty Heart’, is available to purchase. Items from British womenswear designer Dominique Kral will be added within the next couple of weeks, followed by JÖR by GUÐMUNDUR JÖRUNDSSON‘s debut Spring/Summer 2013 collection, ‘JEWLIA’, and Freak Factory’s Spring/Summer 2013 collection, ‘Love. Popeye.’, within the next month or two.
There are lots of beautiful garments available for both men and women through Caption London Boutique, so please do have a poke around!
Photography by Yulia Zhdan
Images courtesy of Ksenia Schnaider
Camo Cannon
Posted: January 9, 2013 Filed under: Men, Shopping, Spring/Summer 2013, Women | Tags: 2013, camouflage, ksenia schnaider, not just a label, spring, summer Leave a comment »Working with and being an enormous fan of the work of European unisex brand Ksenia Schnaider, I felt that it was my duty to inform you that selected pieces from Ksenia Schnaider’s Spring/Summer 2013 collection, ‘Camouflage’, are now available to purchase through Not Just A Label. Being built around a unique blue camouflage print and incorporating numerous fabrics from cotton and silk to neoprene and organza, Ksenia Schnaider’s Spring/Summer 2013 collection is, without doubt, the brands best collection to date!
You can view the full collection on Not Just A Label.
Images courtesy of Ksenia Schnaider
‘Camouflage’ by Ksenia Schnaider
Posted: November 13, 2012 Filed under: Men, Spring/Summer 2013, Women | Tags: 2013, anton schnaider, camouflage, ksenia marchenko, ksenia schnaider, spring, summer Leave a comment »
For Spring/Summer 2013 Ksenia Schnaider, a luxury European unisex brand, has presented a beautiful collection, titled ‘Camouflage’, which is inspired by a unique camouflage pattern that Ksenia Marchenko and Anton Schnaider, the duo behind the brand, say has been created “to not only hide an individual but also to have the ability to attract the attention of the masses”. The collection is bombarded with an array of handmade garments for both men and women. Simple but traditional dresses, shirts, trousers, coats, jackets, tops and suits have been adorned with the unique camouflage pattern and mixed with transparent materials and contrast panels, giving the collection an incredibly contemporary feel.
You can view the full collection on the Ksenia Schnaider website.
Images courtesy of Ksenia Schnaider
