ONE OF THE LATEST COLLECTIONS OF RUSSIAN DESIGNER ANASTASIA ROMANTSOVA PERFECTLY REFLECTS THE MIDDLE EAST TOPIC OF THE HOLY MONTH OF RAMADAN. IN AN EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW TO OUR MAGAZINE, THE DESIGNER TALK ABOUT THE ETERNAL STYLE, DETAILS AND THE MAIN HEROIN A LA RUSSE - A MODERN RUSSIAN WOMAN. Interviewed Dariga Masenova
Anastasia, why was the Nameless Star the main theme of your latest Fall-Winter 2015 collection?
Anastasia Romantsova: We turned to the theme of space, boundless and mysterious, and the central character of the collection was the image of the Nameless star of a mysterious, fragile and romantic girl, an occasional guest on our planet. The inconsistency of the Cosmos is played out in the collection: the scorching Sun and the pale Moon, darkness and light, wandering stars and frozen, absolute silence. The wardrobe of our heroine is a combination of a dress embroidered with silver sequins and a gray knit cardigan and translucent skirts with sweaters. The main decorative element was air feathers, which can be seen on the hem of dresses, the neck of sweaters and even on the coat.
The color scheme was suggested to us by the twilight, night and dawn sky. The palette shimmers from deep gray to a shade of tea rose and ivory. And the splendor of heavenly bodies was reflected in silver and golden sequins, which completely covered some models. Not without a direct interpretation of the theme - some dresses and suits are complemented by a print depicting the zodiac constellations. The lining hand-embroidered with crystals deserves special attention - real stars seemed to crumble on it.
In the process of developing the collection, you collaborated with the Braschi brand. What are your impressions?
Anastasia Romantsova: This is a real team of professionals! According to our designs, the Italian fur brand Braschi brought to life luxurious fur coats with author prints of the brand A LA RUSSE Anastasia Romantsova and ultra-fluffy snow-white hoodies. By the way, for our second brand - ARnouveau - we also created fashion accessories with their participation - a backpack from mink fur and fluffy gloves from fox turned out with a bang.
You have a family business, like Italian fashion houses. What are the difficulties of such a business model?
Anastasia Romantsova: To my great happiness, this has never been a problem for us. In preparing the first collections, my mother helped me a lot, she worked with cutters, tailors, production manager ... It was important for us to teach people to work not for speed, but for quality. When the company grew so much that it was necessary to take a competent top manager for miscalculations and strategies for further development, there was only one choice - my closest, beloved person and at the same time a professional in my field, whom I trust 1000%.
So my sister Yana joined our team. She is an excellent manager and financier, responsible for the production process, supply to buyers and for all commercial affairs. My area of ​​responsibility is the collection, the stages of its preparation, the purchase of fabrics and any creative questions - from developing our perfume to creating a school uniform for a private school.
How do you perceive these seven years of work since the launch of the first collection?
Anastasia Romantsova: Proudly. When we debuted in 2009, we met with some skepticism. Some said it was a "grandmother's chest." Like, who needs all these lace and floor dresses? But my intuition is well developed, and from the very beginning I knew that our idea would "shoot." Today, the company A LA RUSSE includes two clothing brands - A LA RUSSE Anastasia Romantsova and ARnouveau, a more democratic and youth line. We have an atelier where dresses according to individual sketches are created, as well as baptismal and children's clothes, and a design bureau that develops exclusive corporate gifts. And recently we launched our first perfume A LA RUSSE Rouge and won a tender for the development of souvenir products for the Pushkin Museum named after A.S. Pushkin. For the museum we create silk scarves, pillows, t-shirts and umbrellas with the image of the masterpieces of the classics.
What, in your opinion, are the strengths and weaknesses of Russian fashion?
Anastasia Romantsova: If we talk about the production part, I would like a more streamlined work of the entire light industry. And our strength lies in Russian history and culture, in which you can endlessly draw inspiration. The whole world is interested in them! Due to the global economic crisis, our brand has become more attractive to our partners from the CIS countries, especially against the background of rising prices for western brands.
What does the image of a la russe woman mean to you?
Anastasia Romantsova: In my understanding, a Russian woman, girl, is feminine, elegant, confident, successful and happy. She is well aware of her merits and knows how to emphasize them favorably with outfits, she is modest, and this is precisely the strength of her sexuality. She prefers the eternal style to the trends of momentary fashion.
How do you feel about Dubai? Can you find your work in the Middle East?
Anastasia Romantsova: Dubai is an amazing city, with its energy and culture, so I always have great impressions from it. The brand A LA RUSSE Anastasia Romantsova is represented in Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, ARnouveau at the moment - only in Kuwait. Therefore, our plans include the further expansion of the buyer's base in the regions.
