Constanzia Yurashko – Be Yourself Inside and Out

Constanzia is a fashion designer I have discovered recently. Her works are unique and attract the attention immediately. Simple yet sophisticated. Some colourful, but  also subtle. An ensemble of concept, fabrics, quality and attitude to the achievement of the perfect combination thereof.
Hello Constanzia, I am very happy to discover your beautiful creations. How did you become a fashion designer?
Hello Gabriela, thank you for your appreciation. I always knew that I will do fashion design, because my passion came with self awareness. I perceive clothes in a special way and I believe that clothes you choose should identify with your personality, character and energy that you exude. Thus, a properly chosen attire gives you double-confidence, individuality and personality that represents you. Each designer has his own signature or style that distinguishes him from the others. I get inspiration from Moods, Emotions, Feelings, so my creations have Attitude and Character.
I work exclusively with natural fabrics! Because clothing is a second skin, it must breathe.

I know you did an internship at a fashion house in London. Has this helped you perceive the role of a fashion designer as such?
Yes, I did few internships in fashion design and jewelry design. The most representative was the internship at Tata Naka London in 2009-2010. Certainly this experience has broadened my horizons because I saw in practice how to work every day at a recognized brand, and how much work is put into. Probably therefrom came the motivation and desire to create a product of my own.

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Constanzia Yurashko | SS15

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Constanzia Yurashko | SS15

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Constanzia Yurashko | SS15

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Constanzia Yurashko | SS15

Was 2016 a complex year for you as a designer?
2016 was both productive and difficult from a professionally point of view. But it was a year in which I grew up, I matured as a designer, and that’s good!

Today the fashion industry is an amalgam of styles. Not necessarily all appealing. Is the launching of your own collections a reaction to these?
Frankly, I’m not the person who tracks trends. There are very few designers that I follow and admire. However I believe that there is room for everyone, because design is an art first, and so it is very subjective. I respect those who have a distinctive personal vision, creates a trend, and I am very reserved when it comes to commercial issues and plagiarism. My collections are an absolute externalisation, an inner manifesto.

How would you describe the aesthetics that you brought into the world of fashion in Moldova? I noticed that you have some models with asymmetrical dimensions or are simply overlong, with sketched women faces as decorative elements. Where from come all the ideas, images … even the boldness? I guess not everyone has the courage to make such creations in Moldova. Most of the designers, from what I have seen, are opting for a usual style that catches everybody.
When I create , I do not take in account the space where I am, and that’s probably wrong in terms of business. It’s also wrong to want to please everybody because it is not possible to create clothes purely commercial. I want to create a qualitative product, which face competition from outside. Although in recent years in Moldova, we follow a positive development in the field of fashion design, consumer education and the growth of the market capacity will require a long period of time.

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Constanzia Yurashko | AW16/17 ‘Stolen Memories’

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Constanzia Yurashko | AW16/17 ‘Stolen Memories’

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Constanzia Yurashko | AW16/17 ‘Stolen Memories’

What do you think about the fashion articles that are made just for show? Does it make sense?
I believe that clothing is made to be worn and comfortable of course. But any kind of creation is useful when it brings a message, a meaning or significance.

I saw a wild silk dress, and simply got charmed by it, besides many other clothes created by you. I want to know is wild silk a key material to create something quite phenomenal in women’s clothing? Do materials you work with matter, whether the finished product will be successful or not, or success depends, however, mostly of the shapes and colors you combine?
Thank you so much! I recently discovered wild silk, in the latest collection workflow. I liked its properties and I did not failed choosing it, because customers like not only the model of the dress, but especially the way they feel wearing it. It provides ease and comfort to the skin.
And in the process of creating a unique product, the formula is very complex. I liken it to a puzzle in which each piece must be placed in a correct order as it follows: concept, design, silhouette, colors, fabrics; and finally whether it is a look book then  model, styling, photographer. The harmony of all these elements contribute to creating a qualitative and complete product.

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Constanzia Yurashko | AW16/17 ‘Stolen Memories’

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Constanzia Yurashko | AW16/17 ‘Stolen Memories’

How is it to be a designer in Moldova? How do people react to your unique creations? Are there people who can afford your clothes and accessories? Do you want to expand your sales premises in other countries as well? If so, what are they?
It is more difficult of course, because it doesn’t allow me to give free rein to the creation entirely. The reactions are mostly positive, negative may not have been exposed to the public, I don’t know :)). But in my working experience with clients here, people are very reserved and somehow I understand them perfectly. Related to accessibility, prices do not prevent women to wear my creations, but fear of “being different” or “not being similar”.
Therefore, not to “get me lost” as a designer, I decided to reroute and of course to extend my sales premises. I will not disappoint the local customers of course, with whom I will continue to work individually.

What motivates you to stay in Moldova and work as a designer here? Most people go. They are  seeking their luck elsewhere …
I did not definitively decided where to activate. Here is my family, my parents to whom I am very attached and it’s very important to me to see them every day.

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Constanzia Yurashko | SS16

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Constanzia Yurashko | SS16

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Constanzia Yurashko | SS16

What historical period in fashion inspires you?
There is no such period that inspires me particularly because all were preceded by any political or social events with an impact on clothing. Moreover I do appeal to historical periods in terms of inspiration.

What designers inspire you the most and why?
First Alexander McQueen, unique and incomparable in the way of visualization and perception of himself, and life as a whole. With an absolutely brilliant technical skill, extreme and intensive emotion and affection, I consider his creations did not have and will not have a precedent.
Delpozo – by nature, sense of aesthetics and balanced architectural approach to human silhouette.
Erdem – I love and I feel their feminine but strong energy of the creations close to mine.

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Constanzia Yurashko | AW15/16 Capsule Collection

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Constanzia Yurashko | AW15/16 Capsule Collection

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Constanzia Yurashko | AW15/16 Capsule Collection

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Constanzia Yurashko | AW15/16 Capsule Collection

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Constanzia Yurashko | AW15/16 Capsule Collection

When you start your first collection, did you thought you’d ever get here? I guess that you are a very ambitious person.
I am very self-critical and never satisfied with the results. There is much more work to do until  I can say I got somewhere.

How is a daily life of a designer ?
It is not a timetable job, so the most important is discipline and the ability to detach routine. To find inspiration in things that do not inspire and find motivation in things that do not motivate.

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Constanzia Yurashko | AW 14/15 Cashmere Collection

What message do you have for  those who read the interview?
Each of us is unique, exceptional and incomparable in his own way. It is important to find yourself in everything you do and do it with a lot of heart and devotion.

Dear Constanzia, thank you very much for this interview. I wish you a lot of motivation, success and inspiration in everything you do.

To be informed about new collections, I invite you to subscribe to Constanzia’s Facebook and Instagram pages.
You can find the interview in romanian language on Revista Atelierul.
Don’t forget to subscribe to  Kreativ Løve | The Creative Lion as well.
Thank you.

 

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