Introducing....“SheverDUSHKA” by Tatiana

Today I want to introduce to all of you a great and interesting brand based in Sydney Australia! “SheverDUSHKA”.   The force behind  “SheverDUSHKA”  is Tatiana. 

For the first time on this blog I will show you how a designer works- from the mood board to the final piece! I am exited to show you her latest collection, where I had the honor to illustrate a few pieces. 

Like 

This piece is called "The Hidden Within" 




Have a look at this wonderful piece of art! It's called "To infinity and beyond"

Please introduce yourself....

My name is Tatiana. I’m Russian but have been living in Australia for last 5 years. I guess, I just have a weakness for sunny places with practically no winter after living most of my life in Far East of Russia well-known for its severe cold winters.  I came to Australia to do my second university degree, have since completed one in Fashion & Textile Design at University of Technology, Sydney and started my own boutique style fashion label “SheverDUSHKA”.  

   What made you open an Etsy shop?

    Well… everyone knows that nowadays Internet is the vehicle to reach a broader audience and on-line shopping is growing bigger and stronger. Besides, after I started my label, which is quite young – just 1,5 year old,  I could clearly see that my style is much more European then Aussie and I need to reach my potential customers across the sea.  A friend of mine suggested to try etsy.com and that’s what I did.  And, I believe, that I fit there much more then I would within bunch of mainstream fashion brands on some other shopping web-sites. 

    The fact is that my designs are not about trends and fast-fashion. From the beginning I set myself to create pieces that will become the statement pieces of one’s wardrobe; the pieces which transform and lead the whole look; the timeless pieces that can travel from season to season and stay relevant.  Although, I wouldn’t call my designs classic, like LBD or two pieces Chanel style suit, but rather “point of difference” that helps to build and define one’s fashion style.

    In few worlds I would describe my designs as affordable and practical Haute Couture. I know that this term can be only applied to brands which belong to closed circle of chosen, but since 80-100 % of my textiles and garments are fully hand-made (I even stitch most of the seams by hand) and I never repeat my designs in identical way, I believe, I can deservedly apply it too J

 You just launched a new collection! Tell us about!

    My new collection is called “Transcendence” and it’s the second one by “SheverDUSHKA”.

    It’s again autumn/winter women’s wear and the main item of the new range is outwear – jackets, coats, capes. The pieces, I believe, are the ones which set the whole look. Also, now when I know my clientele better, I made some adjustments and the new collection is created with consideration for ladies of different sizes and shapes. Plus, although, each piece is OOAK, this time I will take orders to produce new versions of the items according to customers wishes but with certain changes in colour or/and textures, trims, etc. so it is not identical to the original.

    Working on collection I proceeded to explore textile techniques I got to experiment with developing my first collection “Human Chamaeleanus” 

– nuno-felting and shibori. 

It was love at first sight between me and those techniques J I totally love how they allow to create unique textiles and surfaces. Such poetry within!

    This time I drew inspiration from two different sources. Styles and silhouettes are inspired by historical costumes of 14-18 century, such as medieval dresses or regal robes. I think, the new HBO’s hit “Game of Thrones” has something to do with it J “Winter is coming…” J

    At the same time, textures and colour palette are driven by nature – stones, caves and ground surfaces – various shades of brown, tangerine and beige. Collection is made of high quality natural materials such as merino fleece, merino and virgin wool jersey, silks, silk/linen blends and some gold sequins and genuine leather in metallic shades to give it a more contemporary touch.

    The name of the collection “Transcendence” came (with a help of friend of mine) as I tried to express the underlying meaning beyond material and practical value of the garments. In general, the world “transcendence” describes “the state of excelling or surpassing or going beyond usual limits"; "a state of being or existence above and beyond the limits of material experience". 

In application to my collection it’s about taking inspiration from historical costumes, bringing elements over into modern society and giving a wearer a chance to get a sense, a feeling, an emotional experience, which goes far beyond just materiality of the garment itself.  Because, even in updated modern application each particular historical style comes with baggage of meanings attached to it and therefore creates different emotional atmosphere around as well as inside the wearer; changes the energy flow if you wish.

        What is your inspiration when you start a collection?

I always start from textiles. They are the driving force behind all of my designs. I start to search for raw materials first. For instance, for the “Transcendence” collection the fabrics I used for nuno-felting and shibori I have sourced in Spain while travelled there last year. Then, I experiment with textile designs and applications I’m currently into. I design and make most of the textiles for my collections, not just garments. I’m fascinated with textile manipulation techniques which allow transforming plain piece of fabric or scratch of fleece into totally new fabrication.  As for general inspiration – it’s the world around me, mostly Nature -the greatest designer of all; and architecture.  

      Where do you see your brand in 5 years?

Ideally, I would love to be able to deliver my designs to a few hundreds of loyal customers/friends around the globe and share my passion for individuality with them.  I have no intention to become a mass-production brand. For me, to nourish my brand and to building up a long lasting and trusting relationship with my customers is the same thing. Chance to showcase my designs in some well-known fashion shows around the world and to have a few pieces snitch by museums for their collections would also be a dream come true J But first things first J

Please visit this unique Etsy shop!

Etsy Shop: http://www.etsy.com/shop/sheverdushka
Go on Facebook and give her a big LIKE! I did :) 

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/sheverdushka
And if you want to know more about her amazing collections you should definitely check her blog out! 

Blog: http://www.moodychameleon.blogspot.co.nz/

It was a great collaboration and I am looking forward to see the rest of the collection that will be launched  by Monday! Visit her Facebook to see the complete collection!