»My clothes are a homage to women who are not defined by age.«

I was born in Kazakhstan in a village called Koksu, near the Chinese border, and in 1994, I moved to Germany when I was ten years old. My parents, who are of German descent, took up the opportunity to move to Germany following an invitation of the German government when things got tough back home.

I remember, when I was four years old, I held a sewing needle in my hand for the very first time, and I knew instantly that I wanted to “do fashion” – even though I had no access to any fashion media at the time.

Initially, I studied Fashion Design in Germany, followed by Textile Technology and Management. Both gave me a real insight into the fashion industry and inspired my love for textiles. I spent my practical year at fashion firm that specialises in blouses and stayed there as an employee in the sample sewing department.

I’m very grateful that I was taught vital sewing skills by bespoke tailors. But still, I decided early on that I wanted to set up my own business. It always made me unhappy to see someone else’s name on my own designs.

I like to combine classic and innovative patterns with high-quality production. My style is romantic, timeless elegance. A lot of my inspiration comes from my upbringing in Kazakhstan and my grandmother. She always used to read novels to me and tell stories about fairy tale castles. That’s probably why I love everything romantic – castles, paintings, dresses and gardens. My grandma had a huge garden filled with flowers.

My little sister (who always modelled my clothes) and I enjoyed a carefree upbringing, surrounded by nature, as far as the eye could see. Floral prints are still my favourites, in particular delicate, soft ones; I like the fine, subtle elegance of it. So, my clothes are a homage to women who are not defined by age.

High-quality and sustainable production of my designs is extremely important to me. We produce all our items in German studios, so that means short transport routes and clear communication. And I also sew myself because I love it. My aim is to offer customers timeless clothing that can be worn for more than one season and be easily combined with other items. For me, sustainable means producing what the customer really wants. Not large quantities of stock that end up being sold off in endless sales or, even worse, thrown into a container. The value and desirability of the products and the handiwork that goes into them are increasingly lost this way.

Our materials, preferably natural materials, come exclusively from Europe, mainly from Italy and Spain. This is of course ‘too expensive’ for wholesale, but I know where it comes from and how it’s made. I’m against any kind of exploitation. That’s why I think wholesalers have     a hard time with young designers.