From familiar faces to new kids on the block, as part of our Haute Couture series MOJEH.com speaks to the designers making waves in the highest form of fashion. For our second instalment, Ulyana Sergeenko.
The Russian Mafia: not a group of organised criminals, but a term of endearment for the new pack of ochen-stylish fashionistas from the sprawling Eurasian nation. As part of this exclusive crew, Ulyana Sergeenko has already made a name for herself as a trendsetter, a jetsetter and an all-round aficionado of dress. But of course, more than a street-style star, Sergeenko is also a noted couturier. Rihanna, Chrissy Teigen and Jaime King are just some of the well-known names to have sported her designs.
A relative newcomer to the couture parade, Sergeenko’s impact has been immediate. Her fanciful designs and keen eye for detail have made the highly capricious fashion press take note. She’s a serious designer, with a serious point of view and a serious business, even if her aesthetic is playful. ‘Today many houses are trying to modernise their collections and make them more accessible and understandable. In a way, I consider my style as more traditional female couture,’ Sergeenko tells us. ‘My woman literally radiates femininity and it applies to everything: to the way she walks, the way she speaks and, of course, to what she wears. It’s something that unfortunately you hardly find these days. So, every inch of my work is devoted to the idea of giving this woman what she needs – a clean silhouette, which underlines her beautiful shapes, and romantic, sometimes even naïve, prints and textures, which evoke the feeling of infantile excitement, something we lose through time.’
As a voracious and long-time buyer of couture herself, Sergeenko understands the emotional pull of a beautifully crafted piece. Before she launched her own line, she was already avidly scouring the collections and the boutiques of the world in search of those perfect finds. ‘I love couture,’ she gushes, ‘especially vintage. One of my favourite things to do is to spend all day walking around flea markets, looking for the extraordinary. I must say, the feeling when you find that special something is just unexplainable.’
