We chat with designer Kristina Fidelskaya about the balancing act of fashion and family.
Q: You seem very family-oriented – how have you managed to devote time to both a successful brand and your family?
A: It is very important to be organised in your personal and professional life. If you organise everything in the right way then you can have the best of both worlds.
Q: When you started the brand did you feel there was a gap in the market and something other designers were missing for women like yourself?
A: Yes, that is why I started the brand. I didn’t feel like there was anything practical and elegant for women to wear. Our brand is about daily life: you can have children, travel and work and still feel comfortable. This is the philosophy and idea behind our brand.
Q: When you design your collections do you always have in mind a particular type of woman you are designing for? If so, can you describe her?
A: Everything I design is from my own experiences, because I am a wife, I have children, I have a job and I travel. I life my life like a modern woman so I always ask myself when I design each collection if I would personally wear the pieces – the pieces are very personal to me.
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Q: What was it like launching the collection in Paris?
A: We have launched the collection four times in Dubai but our main goal was to present our collection in Paris. We were so happy when we launched the collection. Of course, it wasn’t easy for us, but we had amazing feedback from the press so we were so happy. We feel our A/W18 collection was a lot better and we were thrilled with the outcome. We may not have slept much but it all paid off.
Q: What is your definition of a powerful woman?
A: A powerful woman exudes confidence and elegance. We feel our clothes make any woman feel strong and beautiful.
Q: As a woman of ambition and vision, where do you see yourself in the next five years?
A: Everywhere! We have our goal, which is to have boutiques all over the world and keep presenting in Paris while improving and expanding the brand by making more accessories.
Q: Is the design process collaborative or do most of the design ideas come from you?
A: Gabriele Bucolo and I create all the collections together. We can always see our hearts and energy in every collection.
Q: What are you personally inspired by and how does this transcend into your collections?
A: My inspiration is always about a woman, what she wants and what she feels, because I am a woman and I know that as a woman I want to feel beautiful every day. Women have many different moods and always need different outfits to fit that mood. I feel our collection has those different facets to it.
Q: The fashion industry is constantly re-evaluating itself and is now more self-aware than ever. What is your view on sustainable fashion? Is this something you consider when producing your collections?
A. Yes, because all of our suppliers are from Italy, France and the UK; we pay a lot of attention to quality. We realise that you can have very similar items made in China, however we can never be sure of that process. We believe in producing quality garments for women.
Q: People are always curious about the fashion industry; what would you say is a typical day for you as the creative director of your brand?
A: I come to my showroom three or four times a week, especially if we are in the design process, I’ll spend a lot of time here. I also have a family and children so I have to divide my time to take care of them and take them to school. My life is very busy but I am a perfectionist and everything has to be perfect. I am not comfortable if colours don’t fit, or something does not look right to me. I spend a lot of time obsessing over these details because I love fashion so much.
Images: Supplied
