Oksana, could you tell us please, who you are and how you got involved with
fashion?
I would like to answer your question ironically: I AM A HAPPY PERSON! In fact,
there is no irony in this. I am a happy person indeed because now I have the
opportunity to do what I love and I am free to create fashionable clothes, which, in
my opinion, are just perfect for women as happy as me.
Do you make clothes for happy women only? Is it a hint that your clothes are
not for everyone?
That's right, in today's business, you should try to flirt with all your customers, but
you don't have to please everyone. As Henry Ford said, "If I asked people what they
wanted, their answer would be – faster horses." So in the fashion industry, customers
themselves do not know what clothes they will like tomorrow. And I am glad
because nature had gifted me with what is called flair, as well as a good sense of
harmony and beauty. And I am excited that I can share this positive quality of mine
with people through fashion. My clothes are made of highly qualified fabrics and
luxurious accessories. I realize that for this reason, it is not for the mass market, which
is filled with third-rate things. However, I do what I love and I am glad to have the
freedom of expression that many can only dream of.
And how did you come to this, how were you involved in the fashion industry?
You are not going to believe it, but my first experience of self-expression in the
sphere of design occurred when I was 8 years old. Then I suddenly decided to
experience myself in the field of furniture design. This thought came to me as an
insight, and I immediately began to realize my creative ideas. And, since it took place
in the kitchen, the chair became the first victim of my creative ideas. I was absolutely
sure that it would be better for it to become an ottoman on low legs. In just 2 hours, I
managed to see off the legs of the chair and repaint what was left of it in a different,
more fashionable color. And by the time my mother came home from work in the
evening, this “masterpiece” of modern furniture design was ready to impress with its
beauty and sophistication.
Mom's reaction to the fact that one chair is now missing could be different. However,
she has chosen to praise me: “Wow! That's so beautiful!"
I guess these mother's words inspired me to further my creativity, and I am very grateful
to her.
My second "masterpiece" was already closer to the fashion industry. This time I paid
attention to the curtains that were hanging in our living room. I made a wonderful
dress out of them and decorated it with lovely accessories from gold-plated rings,
which I previously borrowed from the chandelier in our living room.
Now I am surprised with my mother's patience. At that moment, she supported me
again. Now I realize that her wisdom and patience were quite essential to me back
then. And that's what allowed me to find the courage and make changes - this is an
important quality that all creative people and innovative managers need.
Seriously, how did you get into the fashion industry?
If seriously, I did not come to the fashion industry right away. Before that, I had
received two degrees. One of them was in the sphere of directing, and the second one
is in the economy. I was engaged in business for a long time – managed a large
enterprise – a distributor of food products in Ukraine, moreover, I was the founder
and head of a publishing agency that specialized in the production of glossy
magazines about food culture. At the same time, I’ve always tried to dress with taste
and often attracted attention at various events. I have always been into fashion, and its
history; I was attracted by the topics of authentic style and modern methods of
designing clothes. Over time, people began asking me for a piece of advice on the style
of clothes. And this prompted me to study the topic of modern fashion more deeply
and more consciously. Later, this led me to create my own clothing line Dam
Damian. After all these years of routine that I had in business, this was like a breath
of fresh air for me. I felt that this creative activity corresponded to my natural talents.
And it became unbelievably inspiring to me.
Confucius was right when he said: Do what you love and you will never have to work
a day in your life.
I'm glad that it's about me!
How do you create your new collections? How do you get inspired?
Perhaps, you want me to reveal some essential secret to you? Maybe, I am going to
surprise you, but I will not make a secret out of this. I share the technology with you
for free.
This can be compared to all the discoveries that occur in the world, even scientific
ones:
First things first, you need to be very well versed in the issue that you are fond
of.
Next, you should study attentively what is happening in the industry right now,
what trends affect people's choices, and what new materials and technologies
appear. I sincerely believe that a good fashion designer should be an educated
and erudite person.
Another important quality that is required by everyone who wants to create
something new is the ability to consciously and vividly experience all the
events of life, not to live like a robot automatically, but visa versa, to notice
sharply and sensually everything that is happening around you. This quality
needs to be strained and trained constantly.
However, the most important point on my list, which helps me to create a new
collection, is the ability to relax at the right time and wait for insight.
It was as an inspiration, I had the idea of creating a headdress - a transformer,
consisting of three parts: a baseball cap, a knitted hat, and a massive hoop - an
ornament that reminds royal aesthetics. At first, I saw it in my imagination, and then
my team worked on how to organize the release of such a headdress for half a year.
The main problem was that the decoration we required didn’t exist at all and we
had to invent a way to produce it.
How does your life look like now and where do you see yourself in the future?
How does my life look like now? I’ve noticed that when I began to do my favorite
thing, a source of additional extra energy opened up in me. Now, in addition to my
work as a fashion designer, I also manifest myself as an artist (I paint in oils), host a
television program, organize events where I unite the creative people of the city, run
my own fashion blog and fulfill my duties of beloved mother and wife .
How do I see myself in the future? I try not to think too much about the future. I love
what's happening to me right now. I like being here and now. I enjoy becoming a
little better every day. And the future, well, let it take care of itself!
I am sure that with such an attitude, the future can turn out even better than I can
imagine!
Makeup Artist: Inga Bogorskaya
Photographer: Iana Chkhan @4han_ph
IG: @iana_chkhan
Fashion Designer: Oksana Mazaeva
Model: Liza Maslova @https://www.instagram.com/fvisionmgmt
You can read The MAIN ISSUE Vol. 23 here:
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