Defining the gray area between Haute Couture and Ready To Wear: In Conversation with Karina Bondareva

: That’s interesting! Because usually people have an inkling of them wanting to do fashion but it’s not until 6th form or higher studies when they realise that they can convert it into a profession. There’s not many people I know who would sew or make clothes when they were really young!

: Yeah! I mean I remember I was also doing cross stitch embroidery - making hedgehogs and other animals. They weren’t perfect, but it meant, I was working with needles since I was 6 years old. I didn’t come from a fashion background, so it’s not something I grew up with, but it was clear that it was something I really wanted to do all my life.

: Yeah that makes a lot of sense! And how did you figure out how to take it further. Did you realise in 6th form that you’d continue and focus all your energies into Fashion and design?

: Well actually I did fine art for two years before CSM, because I do consider myself to be multi faceted - I like doing film, I like painting, I like drawing. So that’s what I wanted to explore. And during my first year at Newcastle university, I realised how much I loved fashion and didn’t want to become a painter or an artist per say - although I still consider myself an artist, we all do! So I came back to London, did a foundation year in fashion, got into CSM and that’s when I thought yes, this is exactly where I want to be!

: That perfectly leads to the next question! I know a lot of people do pre productions and create basic illustrations for moodboard ideas, but your illustrations are very specific. Is that something that directly goes into your thought process into how your pieces are made?

: I actually don’t do a lot of illustration when coming up with a design. Although I like drawing and illustrating, I feel like if I illustrate something before making it, I’ll be restricting myself so I always start working on the mannequin. Whether it’s fabric or glue or anything else, I’ll work it out as I make it. If there are any detailed illustrations I make, I let them be illustrations.

: Leading straight into, how does a design come about? I know this is a cliched question but I feel like the process is what really makes a brand

: I get you! I know a lot of designers get asked this question but that’s actually a really good question because everyone has their own way of working. For my collections, if we talk about haute couture - the hot glue material was really interesting and that’s what inspired that. Being at CSM, there was never a limit on what materials I could work with and that’s where my love for textiles comes from. When I make new work, I start with sampling the particular material, to see how it moves, and what I can do with it. And then I slowly build it around the mannequin like a puzzle. Like if I do a sleeve, I’ll see what works with the rest of the body and go from there.

: That’s amazing because I feel that this classic style of coming up with designs is a lost art form, especially now with most designers working in Photoshop and Clo3D etc.

: Oh yeah exactly! I am yet to fully work out the magic of digital designing, but for now I love the traditional process.

: But do you feel like the tangibility of having a mannequin and doing whatever you want to do physically gives you a better idea of the design? Because I feel the biggest challenge that nowadays designers face is that they create a design on photoshop but when they try to replicate in real life, it becomes really hard!

: Absolutely! I just want the process to be organic because you’re not thinking of an end goal and it just makes it so much easier. You don’t consider some mistakes a mistake. If something goes wrong, it might actually be very interesting. There’s a lot less pressure.

: So how do your influences come into your process? Be it sleeves of certain brands or how some silhouette falls? Is that something you actively consider while creating or do you realise similarities later?

: I know a lot of designers start with mood boards to work out the theme, colour scheme and historical references for a collection, and that’s what I was taught at university, but that’s not how I work. In terms of references, if I’m collaborating with people - I think it’s important to get on the same page and mood boards work there. But for me, the references are either subconscious, or they get collected throughout the whole design process. I might find the idea for trimmings after the dress is made. And that’s okay!

: That’s interesting because when I look at your Ready To Wear collection, it’s a really interesting mix! On the face of it, people might not be able to classify if the collection is Ready To Wear or Haute Couture. The extended cuts and fringes reminded a lot of old Comme Des Garcons but still in the world of Ready To Wear? Was that deliberate or was it a process of moving from Haute Couture to Ready To Wear?

: So I made the first three dresses for the graduate collection, which were Haute Couture during my final year. And after graduating, I wanted to make more pieces to present a fuller collection during London fashion week as well. I knew I was also about to start my brand and I wanted to show people that I can and will also make Ready To Wear. At the time, I also loved pursuing the idea that there didn’t need to be such a clear line between Haute Couture and Ready To Wear, which is kind of difficult to do when you’re making clothes for the many - so there’s only a certain amount of couture techniques that can be used. But I still liked to play with some elements like special sewing techniques fI learnt during my internship on Savile Row for example and even though the customer won’t necessarily know about those, I know the craftsmanship behind each piece.

: That’s incredibly interesting! How was that experience? How did that come about? Was it because you wanted to learn certain techniques or was it an opportunity that just came your way?

: I was interning with a celebrity stylist and one of their assistants’ best friend’s coincidently worked at one of the stores on Savile Row called Gieves & Hawkes. I was able to get contact details and an email address and I sent my portfolio. Eventually after 2-3 emails to the head cutter (like the creative director), I heard back and he said that I could come for a couple of weeks. After those, I managed to charm my way into staying for two months, and I learn how to make a bespoke suit jacket, military embroidery amongst many other techniques. So yep, I learnt the craft of making an entire bespoke piece - right from taking the measurements to the first fitting with the client and the hand finishing. It was so different from the fashion industry and it’s so rare for a fashion person to get to witness that world first hand. Savile row and the art of bespoke wear, really taught me the importance of a perfect and comfortable fit.

: Yes! I mean there is the quote that “Fashion is Pain” but it would be really nice if it wasn’t (laughs)

: Of course! I hate that quote so much. Clothes should look good and be comfortable!

: So even the film is a very specific concept and it was really interesting to me because it had folk instruments and Indian instruments - because the general concept of music in Fashion is either Classical music or straight up techno!

: Yes I like where this question is going, go on!
Interviewer: That was really interesting to me because it was so fresh and different. Interviewee: Yeah so did you see that I composed the soundtrack?

: But yes I just came up with that quickly in a couple of days with different samples and I love world instruments! And I feel like with fashion shows the music really makes the show and nowadays it’s something that’s really overlooked, so I really wanted to pay extra attention to that!

: Yeah I feel like everything else in a fashion show is so well look into but the music never reaches that level!

: I agree and I feel like most fashion designers aren’t musicians the music isn’t a priority, and because I am a musician myself and it plays a special role in my heart, I feel the need to compose my own music for the shows to help tie everything together.

: So from that entire conversation, it leads me to the main question - What do you think is the main ethos of the brand?

: I call myself a hedonistic architect. And aside from the poetics, I see my clothes as beautiful buildings which the wearers live in, demonstrating longevity, and comfort. I think there’s plenty of designers who’s work is full of political messages, but for me the focus is on aesthetics, and giving the wearer pleasure.

: So how did the work with Sarabande Foundation come about and how has it helped you? Because I feel like nobody knows how these grants work in reality.

: Yes so during my final year, at CSM - they give out quite a few scholarships, there’s LVMH, Bottega Venetta, Sarabande, Models 1 etc and Sarabande gave out only two scholarships to the final year students. I got 3000 pounds to fund my final collection and although it was amazing and it really helped, I always wondered of how I can continue my relationship with them. Trino Verkade has been my mentor since, and she was best friends with McQueen and knows everyone in the industry! I see her once every month or so - and she helps me with introductions, gives me advice on my work and basically helps my figure my way forward. Also, Sarabande Foundation do incredible talks and they get the best people in fashion.

: Yes it’s like you can have the best collection in the world, but it’s nothing if no one sees it or knows about it.

: Exactly! You can have the best collection but if nobody knows about it, you’re not going to get anywhere

: So the follow up to that is, how do you feel your relationship with the Fashion Industry is?

: Well it can be a toxic relationship! A lot of it for me is that the industry has become about competition, even in something which should be a non negotiable brand value. Sustainability is a competition, body positivity is a competition, diversity is a competition. I’ve seen it first hand, people will go to crazy lengths to prove how ethical their brands are. And the more you shout about it, the more hype you will get. Nowadays award application forms are ten pages in lengths, seven of which will be a literal tick the box list which questions your morals with all these issues. It feels more like a form for an activist rather than a fashion designer.

: Also, how many people are actually checking if something is sustainable or not? I personally am not believing H&M when they say they’re going sustainable, but how much does the normal consumer know?

: You can sugarcoat it how you like, but no giant fashion powerhouse can truly prove they’re being sustainable. The smaller the brand, the easier it is to control and show the transparency of the production process. But the issue is supply and demand. As long as the customer base is increasing, fast fashion thrives. And as much as you’d want to moan about fast fashion, what alternatives are there to dressing billions of people across the world in a consumerist society with materialistic values.

: What would you like to see change in the industry?

: Yes that’s a wonderful question! I hate the idea of trends and I wish people would do what they want to do and not be forced to be a certain way. In the industry, you have to fit into these boxes nowadays, I feel like designers think they have to tick all of them in order to be successful and I hate that! Why is someone telling me that periwinkle blue is going to be the colour of the year or that gloves are back in?

: Perfect (laughs)! So in terms of the brand, what’s there for the future?

: I’m launching my Ready To Wear collection in June, along with my website and I’m very excited for that! I am also continuing to make more experimental couture

looks for the red carpet, and I have just started my youtube vlog where I am recording all the making processes in detail, and sharing tips and advice on how to start your own brand.

: And finally! What advice would you give to fellow designers?

: I received my best lesson from Savile Row and I say this to everyone. I was making my first suit and I commented to the head cutter, that I wanted it to be perfect, and he asked me why. He said if you do make something perfect, it’s only downhill from there! So obviously do your best, but we’re not machines! Learn to love your work for what it is.

Ready to Couture

Karina Bondareva

: I’m originally from Russia, so I was born there and we moved to England when I was 9. But even when I was little, back in Russia, I would draw dresses when I was 4-5. Back then, I didn’t even know that fashion design was a career choice, until my teachers told me it’s something I can really pursue. It all formed organically as I grew up. I started sewing when I was 13, 14 I think. So that’s when I started making clothes and that’s how the journey started.

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua.

 is an emerging up-cyling fashion brand, that utilizes deconstructed organic shapes and destroyed textiles. In a conquest to heal the fashion industry, by reviving destroyed clothes, the brand wants to influence the consumer not only to look for more sustainable fashion options, but also to develop a deeper appreciation for imperfection: worn out, holed, ripped, stained materials. Albuquerque believes beauty is in the journey, in the stories woven into our clothes and our lives.

Inspired by the prominent video-game “The Last of Us” by Naughty Dog, this utopian dimension features a mutation of the fungus Cordyceps, that infects non-organic matter and has spread all over the world. It developed as a way for Mother-Nature to rebalance the ecosystem, trying to stop the pollution Mankind had been producing for centuries.

This idea of a healing fungus is reflected on the use of up-cyling , where discarded clothes and materials start “growing” fungus-looking textures. With that concept the brand wants to display the brand story and reflect the healing story of Mother-Nature in each piece of their current collection. 

The main mission and with that also part of the brand identity is to reduce textile waste. 

 does this by up-cycling, reusing discarded materials to avoid creation of waste and the production of new materials. 

"For us, up-cycling is the celebration of imperfection and story-telling. Every single one of our designs is one of a kind because of it. We are committed to using nearly only reclaimed materials through our innovative up-cycling techniques. Any other material that can’t be reclaimed is sourced consciously, from organic and recycled supplies" 

The main and most original technique the brand developed is “Fabric-Mâché”. Just like papier-mâché, this techniquecrafts together offcuts discarded by the industry to “grow” and regenerate fungus-likeagglomerated textiles.

"Offcuts represents 15% of the production waste from the fashion industry *2. This is partly because these are seen as too small to rework — with Fabric-Mâché, all sizes of offcuts are welcome, as this technique can rework even the smallest scrap"

a𝖕𝖔𝖈𝖆𝖍l i p s e Collection: 

“baɪ.əʊˈhæz.əd” (Biohazard), an 8-look collection, is the first exploration of the a𝖕𝖔𝖈𝖆𝖍lipse alternative universe. The collection is a reflection of the duality destruction vs healing, where rips, holes and deconstruction are celebrated by the process of mending and raw use of reclaimed materials. With a strong sense of organicity and spirituality, this collection was designed for a person looking for clothing that not only has functional and authenticalvalue, but also ecological, sensorial, sentimental and spiritual.

Photo by Veronika
Models : SiuHei and Séréna Paris
MUA by Zoe Lee
Hair by Aris Intzes

a𝖕𝖔𝖈𝖆𝖍l i p s e

Brand Story

"In 2212 there is a spread of Cordyceps all over the world. This mutated fungus infects human-made objects, by absorbing non-organic compounds from the environment and transforming into biodegradable matter. It developed as a way of Mother-Nature rebalancing the ecosystem, trying to stop the pollution Mankind had been producing for centuries. The ecosystem finally reaches a new balance as humans stopped producing waste and began only using what was already made and available in nature."

Designing The Virtual Experience: A Conversation with Canberk Karakas, Turkey based 3D Art Director and LookDev Artis

: How did the concept of Nation of Nowhere start?

: The Nation of Nowhere is an already existing fashion brand that are developing clothes and manufacturing designs, but this version of Nation To Nowhere the space where we’re trying to add our community as well - So that is why we say we’re building Streetwear into the blockchain i.e. a centralized organization where we will have people inside our Discord and Twitter. It’s a translation to a Decentralized Autonomous Organization from just another fashion brand.

: When the brand brought you in to work with them, were they particular about creating a 3D world or was it something that developed as the process continued?

: I have a Graphic Design background and I’ve been working with 3D for a while. But my basics were colors, textures - the old school basics. But I was also always intrigued by fashion and I wanted to get into it somehow. It was then when I found out how resourceful 3D is. That’s when I delved into the 3D world myself and I trained myself on my own for 2/3 years, to the point where I started building my eye and taste for 3D. I knew that clothes could be made in 3D because it’s been done for years in games, movies etc. so after I found the native software, I dived into it heavily. So when the founders noticed the examples of my work, they approached me with my 3D work in mind. It was also about doing things in a new way. Even though the clothes will be presented in real life, we wanted to present it in a new manner.

: It’s that entire world building process of Nation of Nowhere that struck out to me as opposed to other 3D creators and fashion brands. It’s the collective setup of 3D art and a Community/a Government. What was that entire concept about?

: I think this is the biggest contribution that Nation of Nowhere has given to the Fashion world. The community and its culture is at the core of its identity. Big brands tend to “have a community“, but it’s not really in-depth. It was also because of this lack of community that Nation of Nowhere was formed. Once the government is launched, we will let community members buy passports and if you have that passport, you will have a say in the brand - you will have your say on the designs and the clothes and so on. If you buy the NFT, you will also get the physical product. Along with that, our Discord and Twitter community is building strongly as well. The white paper on our website also gives a very good idea of the entire setup and the way it operates.

: Considering you touched upon NFT’s, what do you think is an effective way to use NFT’s to drive the focus of a brand? Because a lot of people are confused with the uses of an NFT beyond a piece of ownership.

: NFT’s are also sort of confusing to me, but the NFT that we will launch will be the passport, but other than that, we definitely have goals for
sustainability in fashion and we reduce that material waste using NFTs, so we only build the real physical garments that we will finalize with our community. That ensures that there is no waste other than immense computing power we use. Further, Nation to Nowhere strives for 100% transparency in our governance with our community, clear communications and the people being able to see their ideas come real via NFTs. Our NFTs are also the outcome of our community, which is something the fast-fashion industry lacks. NFT’s also allow the option of collaborations with other companies to create interesting items with skins or costumes and I think that is a very effective way to use NFT’s to drive the concept of a brand.

: I feel like there’s a very strong link between the 3D Modeling, the design and the language of Nation of Nowhere, how did you come up with the visual design identity for Nation of Nowhere?

: That’s a good point! We have a theme at Nation of Nowhere that is influenced by Timeless/Modern design that is influenced by Techwear and we are trying to blend these things together. Right now, me and the founders sit together and work together in a very seamless way. I’m really lucky that I get to work with them because we have a really good working relationship and work off of each other’s skill sets. I’m a 3D designer, they come from the fashion world and the meeting of two creates amazing things. Our tastes and ideas are very similar. And once we decide to do something, we do it from the ground up. It’s this entire process that makes the language clear - right from the garments to creating an environment and make that look good. In the future, we will also let our community members into this process, where they can decide the colors we choose, the designs, the mood boards etc. to inculcate that community driven culture into the design language in the future as well.

: That perfectly leads to the Nation of Nowhere Concert, where it builds this incredible world out of nothing. How was that process?

: Well I can say that i’m not doing them the easy way. I do them the hard way to ensure that it’s absolutely pristine, creating images takes me weeks and it’s a very slow process. First, I usually am making a 2D pattern and then I load that into Clo3D and I create the 3D model, then take that into Cinema 4D, which is the hardest way - but that ensures that the textures and the fabrics and the different elements are the best possible. It also looks good because I make all of my elements and layers from scratch - I take 4k/5K high resolution photos and then import those into my programs to ensure I get the best product. So even though it is easy to get into 3D modeling, it is definitely not easy at all. It is incredibly hard to make organic things look good in the virtual 3D space. It’s very easy to make something look fake.

: I know a lot of people who work in the fashion world and use a lot of programs to make mock-ups and ideas, but when I look at your work and what you make with Nation of Nowhere, the Graphic Design definitely makes that picture very clear. So how important of a role does Graphic Design have in portraying the identity of Fashion?

: That’s a very good question! Design consists of a lot of different expertises. In graphic design, you start with colors and textures that provide you with the basics. But graphic design also teaches you how to make a good composition - where to place something to make it look pleasing to the human eye. So all the elements like the terrain or the mountains or the terrain are a part of the design and create the identity of the brand along with the garment. It’s definitely useful in understanding the shift from 2D to 3D design as well! It’s important to understand how the dynamics of 3D work - how a light affects different materials and so on.

: That’s incredibly interesting, especially the shift from 2D to 3D. Was it daunting for you or was it natural?

: I adapted to 3D super quickly. But that was more of a personal endeavor. I was also really into computing and technology and animated movies really drew me towards it too! I was doing animations in After Effects or Premiere Pro but there were only the X and Y axis’ in a 2D space. Using 3D software allowed me the freedom to travel in the space of the design, going back and forth and traveling around all the sides of a garment/object rather than just rotating it on a 2D surface. Once I found that out, I started making all of my 2D animations into 3D. After that, I just kept practicing and it was good in separating myself from other designers in the field as well. Because I didn’t come from the Visual FX background, the graphic design background helped the change really well too.

The Nation of Nowhere project definitely seems to be a breath of fresh air in an industry where everyone seems to be trying to execute the same ideas in different ways. Even in the Virtual Fashion world, Nation of Nowhere has taken the unique route of actually having the physical garments first and then representing them virtually through their design language. Further, with the idea of an inclusive community that directly gets to decide on various aspects of the brand and the garments, Nation of Nowhere seems to embark on a brand new Anti-Fashion journey that is very much rooted in the classical cannons of Fashion. With the upcoming release of their Non-Passport NFT’s on the 5th of June 2022, with details on other NFT’s and the Community Passports coming in the future, the future of Nation of Nowhere seems incredibly promising and can be a future that provides us with a lot of answers on how the fashion world might evolve.

The Z-axis of Fashion

and Virtual Experience 

The Virtual World of Fashion is one that keeps growing and evolving everyday, with new ideas being represented through an alternative lens that is rapidly changing the future of what we can expect from the industry and the creators and designers within it. But one important aspect that gets left behind, even though it is in our faces all the time is the design element of it all! Thus, in order to understand the relationship between Design and Virtual Fashion, we talked to Canberk Karakas, a Turkey based 3D Art Director and LookDev Artist, who is the Co-founder and Art Director at Cognoscenti Studio and lends his expertise to Nation Of Nowhere, a fashion brand that is changing the way we look at the composition of a Fashion brand and the relationship it has with its customers, all of it represented in this new context of Virtual Fashion and the Blockchain. A Coffee and Car fanatic who is keenly into Progressive Metal bands like Karnivool and the likes, Canberk gave us great insight into the entire working process and ethos behind Nation to Nowhere and his personal process for the same:

https://player.vimeo.com/progressive_redirect/playback/706506927/rendition/720p?loc=external&signature=6028c2ded5cc4b3ff530d768e204d71c1a9af0d5be0f9ba2066976a84b897976

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