Photos by Geoffrey Knott
and Alex Abramenko, a self-professed “apparel designer, illustrator and part-time bus boy” is a young man who reflects a refreshing old-world quality in his designs. His work is tasteful with a little punch of humour.
Interview by Lisa Goudsmit
“For me clothing is a way to outwardly express your personality. The way a person moves changes with each garment. The more subtlety, detail and thought that is put into one’s dress the more honest the result. A young man in a grey sweatshirt can say just as much with his clothing as a girl wearing 5 different patterns in one outfit. It’s obvious when a person is wearing what’s right for him or her. This thought is nothing new - but that is what clothing means to me. The world needs fashion. It aids people in developing their personality and creativity. I’m not sure if I need fashion. Maybe it sounds completely stupid, but fashion is a force that chooses you, not the other way around. I design for others because I would be honoured to affect peoples’ lives with my craft; to make them dream a bit. I’ve always enjoyed giving gifts more than receiving them. I do what I do primarily because it’s something I need to get out of my system. I can’t imagine myself doing anything else. I’m also a bit of a dreamer, so I self-indulgently create things I wish existed, especially when I draw. I also do what I do to gain experience, make mistakes, and to have no regrets - the essentials. I don’t think the fashion industry is an uncertain industry. I think its
nature is actually rather predictable. It’s reflected in the way trends and fads steadily swing to and fro every few years. The predictability of fashion is in the editor’s choices – usually the loudest piece in the collection. I think my passion is stopping me from looking for a career in another industry. I believe that the skills I am acquiring right now will be useful in the future when the industry is a little more stable.”
The joy of watching an ill-fitting garment “As a child I was surrounded by what seemed to be a rather loud atmosphere in all aspects: from the way people dress to the way they talk. That is not to say it was bad - I just didn’t identify with it. Thus my personality is probably a backlash to all of that. I like to remain modest. I dress in a very non-descript manner. To this day I’m shy to tell people that I’m in ‘fashion’, choosing ‘apparel design’ instead because it sounds a little less harsh. In any case what I ‘lose’ in my extroverted qualities, I hope I gain in my creativity. In other respects I’m sort of different from my immediate family. It is as if all the character traits that belonged to my great-grandparents and ancestors
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this page [Tuija Mäntylä] opposite [Melek Öksüz]
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Fashion & Design 2D
this page [Lucia Pazira]
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this page [Shi Yan Wu] opposite [Isabela Skowronska]
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