FASHION EXPERT Alena Akhmadullina
– Alena, what is fashion for you?
– Fashion is how, at a certain point in time, the world culture manifests itself in our behavior and appearance, particularly in our clothes. It is a recreation of reality. It changes as fast as time passes and dictates certain rules of behavior and choice of clothes, combination of things.
– You once said there was a lack of professionals in fashion. How can we that? How to raise fashion professionals?
– It has to be a big job at the state level. Reform of educational institutions in the fashion sphere, development of new curricular and standards.
– What inspires you?
– I am very inspired by Russian history, biographies of great Russian historical gures, tsars, Russian costume, traditions, fairy tales. Everything about Russia, its culture, history – this is what I am concentrating on now, this is where all my ideas in the eld of clothes are born.
– Does this love for folklore and our country come from here? – We have great culture, great history, which one cannot but love, not be interested and not inspiring. It is a bottomless source of information. In using fairy tales for collections I am most interested in archetypes – symbolic ancient images that live in the consciousness of every person. They awaken emotions in the soul, give a sense of magic.
– What are your favorite trends right now? – My favorite is the new «office style». Now it’s a big request for non-standard business clothing: not just a classic business suit or dress-case, and all kinds of jackets of non- standard forms, trousers and skirts of various silhouettes and lengths, the variation of silhouettes of dresses. This reflects our common desire for a multifunctional wardrobe, when in the same suit you can go in the morning to a business meeting, and go to the theater in the evening or a cocktail with a strict dress code. Also, I am very close to the trend of increasing the life cycle of products. We no longer want to buy new items every season, we want them to serve us for a long time and remain relevant. That’s why all brands now make a lot of quality base products.Another trend, which I follow very closely, can be called «multinational folk style»: the collections are inspired by the costumes of people from di erent countries, but are implemented as absolutely relevant and wearable. Another interesting trend – modest dress: a modest, reserved closed dress – is associated with Muslim culture and the growing in uence of the relevant regions.
– Do you follow the global trends in fashion? According to the ss2020, sexuality in clothing will prevail. What do you think about that? – Yes, of course, I am obliged to follow global trends from a professional point of view, for this there are international resources that provide the right analytics. Each season there are a huge number of trends at the same time. Brands that do not work in the glamour style will never chase the frank sexuality that this trend implies: open dresses, short skirts, deep necklines. Sexuality of Alena Akhmadullina brand things – in intellect, aristocracy, in subtlety of taste, in self-con dence, in ability to change something in this world – that’s how we present an attractive woman for men. I believe that sexuality must come from within.
– How can sexuality be expressed in clothing and style? – Sexuality in clothing is the balance between open and closed parts of the body, which corresponds to a certain time and re ects culture. For example, in the beginning of XX century women’s shoes could be seen exactly at the height of two buttons, if higher – this behavior was already considered obscene.
– What kind of woman can inspire? – A woman who has developed her own values and can thus very con dently shape her unique style. She is not chasing fast-changing trends.