Natalia Kravchenko: “Advertisers, artists, restaurateurs…

Outfits from Odessa Natalya Kravenko are the standard of femininity and modernity. In our conversation with the designer, we discussed the launch of the Natalia Kravchenko brand, recent interesting orders, a variety of clients, and experiments with her husband’s style.

 

1. How did the history of Natalia Kravchenko’s brand begin?

I sewed things for myself almost from childhood, but when I was in my 3rd year at university, I suddenly decided that I needed to try and present the collection to the public, so to speak. “Now or Never” was on my mind. And since I always had a size S, I reassured myself that if I didn’t sell everything that I sewed, I would leave the idea and I would wear everything myself. She sewed herself, filmed at home against the background of the wall, terrible photos. And yet, by some miracle, the entire collection was sold out in 2-3 months and I had to urgently take on the next one. Later, photographers, stylists and make-up artists, online stores and a whole infrastructure appeared.

 

2. What brings more pleasure: sewing to order or creating your own collection?

For me, these are completely different directions and it seems difficult for me to compare them. In the work of the atelier, the main task of the designer is to understand and hear the client, think over the technical part and coordinate all the points so that the result meets the client’s expectations as much as possible. Of course, I advise, I make sketches, but the client has the final say. There is a lot of psychology and technicality here, as you often have to solve a variety of problems. In creating collections, I am guided, first of all, by personal taste and rely on modern trends, there is much more freedom and self-expression, it is also important to think about the big picture, about shooting, models, make-up. The picture should be complete, it’s not enough to be able to sew and understand design, you need to be a bit of an artist, a bit of a stylist, a director to create a full-fledged product. I love both sides of the coin

 

3. A girl in the style of Natalia Kravchenko, what is she like?

When you are just starting out, you imagine a certain image of the one who will wear your clothes, when experience comes and there is already a layer of accumulated clients, you can confidently determine the common features of clients. The first thing that comes to mind is that kind girls come to me … kind and unusual … It often seems to me that if you get a secretary who will record all the stories that sound in our showroom, there will be enough material for an excellent book. Advertisers, artists, restaurateurs, translators of rare languages, such as Korean, travelers, adventurers, mothers of 4 children, incredibly active with fire in their eyes … for me they are always a source of inspiration, and I am grateful to fate for the fact that thanks to them my workers weekdays can not be called gray.

 

4. No idea to create a men’s and children’s collection?

They appear from time to time. Male friends have been pushing for a long time that it’s time to create something for them. So far, I’m experimenting with my husband’s style and trying myself exclusively in individual tailoring, so far only in casual style for a narrow circle of friends. We successfully create children’s clothes in our atelier, but I think with the advent of our own children, it is likely that you will want to take this passion to a higher level and perhaps think about creating a capsule.

 

5. Natalia, you have confidently occupied your niche in Odessa. And do not want to conquer overseas horizons?

My outfits regularly travel and go to different parts of the world.. for the most part these are private orders, but I am active and always open to the opportunities that life throws up, so I am ready to respond to any suggestions coming from outside and expand the horizons of my creativity.

 

6. Which of the last orders in your atelier do you remember the most?

A recent wedding dress, very unusual, without corsets and crinolines, with silk flower decorations, each of which was created and sewn by hand, turned out very gently and not at all stereotyped. To complete the dress, we created a wreath of the same flowers…. The wedding, by the way, took place in the USA, the bride, an incredible personality with an amazing fate, came to us for fitting from another city. We tried very hard and now I’m really looking forward to the photos.

 

7. How will you please your customers for the New Year?

I hope to have time to release a small collection of elegant dresses for the holiday.

 

8. How long does it take to create a new collection?

It all depends on the complexity of the collection and on the load. It happened that a small capsule was dealt with in 2-3 weeks … and it happens like our new collection that we are now finishing, in which each dress is assembled from many decorative elements, and it takes about a week to create one. If we manage to finish and shoot before the New Year, it will become my personal gift. The painstakingly crafted collection is a step up from our regular collections, perfect for proms or lavish parties.

 

9. Is your collection only available in your own store, or are you also represented in other boutiques?

The largest assortment can be touched and tried on in our showroom. Also, all our models can be bought in many online stores, among other Ukrainian designers. From other showrooms – some of our things can be found in Ivano-Frankivsk, Vinnitsa and Kyiv.