ULYANA SERGEENKO – THE MASTER OF RUSSIAN ELEGANCE AND BEAUTY

Liliya Zheleva

Ulyana Sergeenko has long been a client of some of the great names in fashion - Valentino, Chanel, Givenchy, until she decides to create her own label. Offering quality craftsmanship and impressive creations, the Russian designer managed to acquire world-class customers like Beyonce, Lady Gaga, Dita von Teese, Natalia Vodianova, Kim Kardashian, Rita Ora and others.

Ulyana was born on August 30, 1979 in Ust'-Kamennogorsk, a city in Kazakhstan, then part of the USSR. The 38-year-old beauty grows into a relatively poor family, with most of it linguists and intellectuals. She spent hours in the family's home library reading a variety of books - one of the main sources of entertainment in the soviet years.

Russian and European fairy tales, classics from Russian literature - Tolstoy, Dostoevsky, poetry by Akhmatova and Tsvetaeva or volumes of world literature - Tom Sawyer, Huckleberry Finn, Gone with the Wind, etc. She studied at a specialized humanitarian school in Kazakhstan, and then graduated from the Faculty of Philology at the State University in St. Petersburg.

An interesting fact is that at only 15 years Ulyana had the opportunity to become a top model attracted by an agent in St. Petersburg where she lived with her family at the time. Modus Vivendis, the agency that notices her, finds her a job and offers her to travel to Paris, but her conservative parents oppose this decision.

In 2008, Ulyana Sergeenko married Russian billionaire Danil Khachaturov, who works in the field of insurance, banking and real estate, and according to Forbes, his expected net profit per year is about $ 2.8 billion. Currently they are divorced and the designer has two children - a boy Alexander (from her previous relationship) and a girl - Vasilisa (from her marriage to Danil).

In Soviet times, fashion was not an international business, women relied on craftsmanship and traditional manual work to create their wardrobe. They managed to express their talent and imagination with sewing machines and knitting needles that gave a unique soul to their clothes. Soon afterwards, hundreds of small ateliers wre hosted in the country to keep traditional crafts, as carefully guarded valuable secrets.

Ulyana's greatest inspiration is her grandmother, not only because she is one of the closest people to her heart but also because she looks elegant in the simplest clothes as well. Moving to Moscow, the Russian designer has hundreds of models made to order on her own ideas and drawings, so her personal style is instantly spotted by fashion connoisseurs and encouraged by her friends.

After spending years, maintaining her own blog and making clothes for herself and her friends, Danil - then still her husband - decided to fund her own fashion line. The Ulyana brand officially launched in 2011 with its first collection autumn-winter 2011-2012. For her, criticism notes that it is a mix of Russian military, literary and fairy-tale influences. It includes tight knit tops, skirts and long coats.

After its first two collections, shown in Moscow, the brand receives great attention from media and customers from all over the world. Besides women's clothing, the designer offers sunglasses, bags and even belts. One of her inspiration is the typical Russian Babushka style - with headscarves, thick skirts and thick sweaters. Of course, her designs are much brighter than it, but they certainly have the retro feel of the 1950s.

In addition to a retail store, the label of the same name has a studio where every customer can order custom-made clothing and individual sizes. One of the main principles of Ulyana's work is careful attitude to detail and quality. Many of the handmade knitting, embroidery, and so on. - are involved in the production of each of its models and are manufactured in Moscow under the strict control of the designer. All fabrics and accessories are purchased from France, Italy or Japan, and some are also specially selected from markets where only antiques are available.

Ulyana Sergeenko collaborates with highly qualified workshops in Russia, as well as with many artisans from the former Soviet republics, helping them to keep their valuable knowledge in the process. In recent years, she has worked with about seventy different workshops and craftsmen, including lace makers from Yelets, Vologda and Kresttsy. Ulyana Sergeenko has won The Style of the Year award at Style.com.

Photos:
1. - 4. Russian designer Ulyana Sergeenko.
Photo: photo 1 - https://en.wikipedia.org ; photo 2 – http://www.mirror-mirror.nl/; photo 3 – http://www.gastrochic.com/2013/ ; photo 4 – https://www.wmagazine.com;
5. - 6. Natalia Vodianova in the work of Ulyana Sergeenko. Photo: https://agnautacouture.com/
7. - 8. Haute Couture collection by Ulyana Sergeenko, spring-summer 2018. 9. - 10. Haute Couture collection by Ulyana Sergeenko, autumn-winter 2017-2018. Photo: https://ulyanasergeenko.com/
11. - 12. Haute Couture collection by Ulyana Sergeenko, spring-summer 2017. Photo: © Indigital / http://www.vogue.co.uk/shows
13. - 14. Haute Couture collection by Ulyana Sergeenko, spring-summer 2016. Photo: © Indigital / http://www.vogue.co.uk/shows
15. - 18. Haute Couture collection by Ulyana Sergeyenko, spring-summer 2015. Photo: © Indigital /
http://www.vogue.co.uk/shows/
19. - 21. Haute Couture collection by Ulyana Sergeenko, spring-summer 2014. Photo: © Indigital / http://www.vogue.co.uk/shows/
22. - 23. Haute Couture collection by Ulyana Sergeenko, spring-summer 2013. Photo: © Indigital / http://www.vogue.co.uk/shows

Sources: https://ulyanasergeenko.com ;
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ulyana_Sergeenko
https://www.famousbirthdays.com
http://www.russianfashionblog.com/
http://stylecaster.com/ulyana-sergeenko/

Read: 1966 times                                                  © Fashion Lifestyle Magazine, issue 96, July 2018

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