My Story
My personal background is an international one, born in Russia, raised in England, studied fashion design in South Africa.
What drew me to fashion is the personal aspect of adorning the body and expressing myself by exploring three-dimensional forms.
I was fascinated with its transformative power to create immersive narratives that one could literally step into and become one with by putting on a garment.
I loved being a fashion student and gave it my all, resulting in competition wins that opened opportunities to show at international fashion weeks and gain some local media attention.
This excitement soon wore off when I realised what it would actually take to successfully and sustainably run a fashion brand.
A lot more admin (and stress) than creativity which would only be remedied by an hefty start-up capital and a team, neither of which I had.
I wanted to focus all of my energy on creating and set my sights to art, hoping the lifestyle of an artist would allow me to do just that.
I left South Africa, returning to Russia after 16 years and started from the ground as an artist searching for my voice. I joined an underground art collective and had a few exhibitions which were fun but the stereotype of a starving artist was getting a bit too real.
I soon realised that the art world was no less superficial than the fashion world. It was its own game with its own rules and I wanted to play by my own. An audacious ask, I know, but I asked all the same. One go at this life, so I might as well...
I tried my best to keep creating independently and authentically while working various unfulfilling side jobs.
I kept experimenting with materials and forms at the intersection where art and fashion meet.
At the same time, I was looking for something to create and sell to support myself, that would be in line with my creative vision, easy enough to make on my own and affordable enough for my community.
This brought me to an interest in silver jewellery. When I discovered the lost wax method, I was surprised at how accessible it was. I took a short course at a goldsmith lab which took care of the metal casting and helped me understand the technical aspects and soon I was designing silver jewellery from home.
What made me fall in love with this method of making was the meditative process. I was able to relax and follow the wax as it lead me to discover new forms as well as my creative voice.
I was inspired to create something original. There didn't seem to be too many exciting things happening with jewellery at the time. While fashion was reinventing itself each season, and art - pushing all the boundaries there were to be pushed, jewellery seemed mostly to be frozen in time with the exception of a few sporadic sparks of interesting ideas here and there.
My mind started bubbling with ideas of translating my creative vision into silver jewellery. I worked hard on a small collection of carefully considered wearable pieces that I could reproduce and set up a humble online shop and Instagram account. For many months there was little feedback as I struggled to reach an audience and felt discouraged.
I also struggled with perfectionism and felt like my work wasn't good enough to post publicly.
I made a few experimental pieces, for myself and my friends which I eventually let go into the online void in the fun of the moment. Within a few days, I realised that the likes for these posts outnumbered my followers and eventually these few pictures overgrew with comments that became too many to read. The most encouraging were ones that asked, "What is the name of this style?"
I didn't have a name for it but it was the best compliment, knowing that I made something unique.
Shortly thereafter my first order came in as a complete surprise and I realised that people were willing to actually buy what I had made.
So the past several years I spent making jewellery for people who found me organically on the internet. I felt deeply grateful to have reached a place where I could support myself doing something I loved and could stand behind. At the same time, I was learning how to run a business without running out of the creative energy that made it all possible in the first place.
I learnt by doing, from my mistakes and happy accidents, knowledge etched in practice, and none of it is wasted.
And now I'm carefully pouring it into "The Adornment Passage" an opening of my practice that marks this new chapter of my life and work. This step required courage and surrender to open up in a way that I haven't before.
I've reached a point where further growth requires giving. I trust that it will grow beyond me.
Now I to return to the source of all the making, stepping away from the everyday rhythm of the shop, to descend, to remember.
And I'm not doing this alone. I don't know exactly what it will become but I'm following wherever it leads.