Liliya Litkovskaya, designer

FotyMody: Can those things which happen in Ukrainian fashion sphere be called an industry?Litkovskaya: I`ll say that it`s a beginning, some beautiful alive competition between fashion-magazines. That is, it`s the industry that is on a wave and it is popular. Everybody pick up and develop this industry, everybody want to refer to it by the means of the photography, the stylistics, the interior design. Here it develops with good support of outer environment at the moment.FotyMody: And how does outer environment support?Litkovskaya: Fashion-magazines hold certain competitions, raise young designers to the level of venerable designers, outline them a field of activity, opens them, develop all these, push them to actions.FotyMody: And what is the percent of fashion photography in Ukrainian fashion industry?Litkovskaya: The photography always keeps abreast with fashion industry, because we make certain moment, which lives by oneself. This moment is fashion show and clothes on rails, when somebody came to us to buy something, to order something… The photography makes a moment which has just been photographed and has already lived by its live. We, designers, can carry on our idea, our conception to final consumer by the means of photography. The photography expresses a natural mood and entire energy, a message that you have conveyed in clothes.FotyMody: What is the prior for designer - the presentation of the collection on the show, on the photos in Internet or in print media?Litkovskaya: Of course, the moment when the show goes is the prior, because you can`t do the same show, and exactly it is the first presentation of your collection. Also it is a lookbook, because the moment photographer catches expresses the mood of clothes. Of course, it is done thanks to the photographer`s professionalism, right location and work of all the team that participates in shooting. Now lookbook is the total-lot necessity for each designer.FotyMody: According to which principles do you choose the team (a model, a photographer, a stylist, a make-up artist) for your lookbook creation?Litkovskaya: A photographer should be an A1 specialist. I need to feel and understand this person to make well co-ordinated work. But self-discipline is the main factor when I choose a photographer. Some people need to be pushed up; they sort and retouch photos for a long time… It` s not enough just to say, “I can shoot beautifully”. Really there are few photographers in Ukraine, who make their work quickly, unlike at West. All the team members should get ready for working in one direction. All the team should be in one breath – that means when everybody are for one idea, they burn with it, it`s interesting for all of them to see what will come out from this process, when they like clothes and want to see them from different viewpoints, when they want to work and experiment. Then it is interesting for you to work too and you see how your clothes play in angle. All the team members should be fans of their work.FotyMody: Do you listen to make-up artist when he offers his variants of make-up?Litkovskaya: Sure. I used to be a stylist and made some purposes how to make a make-up, about mimicry and behavour… I listen now, if I`m interested in his opinion. We shot the campaign in Paris recently. Make-up artists and hairstylists asked our lookbooks at the evening before the shooting, we send them, they looked at them, have thought all the night and came prepared with some variants of ideas to the shooting stage. That is, they saw the lookbook, thought about it, were imbued with this stylistics but not just saw something somewhere and decided to plug it for Litkovskaya at the shooting. I have not met such approach here.FotyMody: And what our specialists need to work on the same level?Litkovskaya: A desire. A desire to work, not to have their nose in the air. Not to think that they made two or three successful photoshoots and everything will go on wheels. A desire to find out some new ideas, to inspire, to communicate. To organize themselves. To develop.FotyMody: And how to develop? Is there somebody to teach from and orientate in the picture`s quality?Litkovskaya: There are such people who get away, leave everything and go to study, for example, to London. No matter what happens, they bring a camera to someone during a year and study in such way. But the best way to study is to work with spiritually close photographer. Maybe it will be the better experience than any institute. But the main things for photographer are the talent and sence of shot and composition.FotyMody: If you like the works of some foreign photographer, can you make a task for the one who is making your lookbook to “repeat” this or that stylistics?Litkovskaya: No, I have not such experience before. Cate Underwood and Vasilina Vrubliovskaya are the last photographers who I collaborated with. They worked in their stylistics and with their views completely. When you give a task to repeat, you will have an off-grade copying only as a result. If person has his own viewpoint let him make it in his true style. Then he updates the picture by Photoshop, by his strong sides. When the person is saturated, with his tools it is the main thing.FotyMody: And if the foreign agency call you and say, “We have a list of photographers and want to do a shooting for you, choose”, whom would you choose?Litkovskaya: =) I would go to see all the portfolios. I won`t say about flashy Steven Meisel who shoot fantastical fashion stories. Really there are a lot of young talents to choose via their portfolios. I would not catch on names. I judge by works, but not by PR and surnames.FotyMody: And what is role of Photoshop in photography?Litkovskaya: If it is a reportage shooting – when you went, shot, you see life and progress in this photo – you don`t need a Photoshop here. But it is necessary to use Photoshop in stage photos, as fashion photos are. It used to be shot without Photoshop. Yes, it was more natural but we don`t go back into that time again. It used to waist more time and tools, photographers didn`t have much work. It is much more work now. And gadgets are needed to do this work quickly.FotyMody: How does the process of choosing the face of the brand go?Litkovskaya: The process of choosing is difficult, we discuss. The face of the brand is the charisma in eyes, some way of life, something in hair, in idea, in make-up or in its absence… All these things should harmonize with clothes.FotyMody: Were there any accidents when you looked at girl`s portfolios, you liked them at photos and then in studio you understood that she was not suitable?Litkovskaya: Yes, there were. And it can happen vice versa. We reviewed many girls from the agency for the shooting campaign in Paris. There was model which photographer insisted on, editor liked her too, but I didn`t because I wasn`t impressed by her portfolio. She felt out of our conception. But they insisted on. I agreed. We arrived and I was so glad that we have chosen her… Well, if a girl doesn`t match for the shooting we say goodbye to her. Of course, we find some words and it`s not easy. Maybe the whole her life is in it, but we say, that she doesn`t go for us only. As you know, she can be the number one for another designer.FotyMody: Can you remember your impressions when your clothes was in fashion story for the first time?Litkovskaya: =) Well, I saw the magazines and knew that they take designer`s clothes for shootings. It`s even more cool when these clothes are on the covers… I was expecting for it. When my clothes was taken for shooting, I thought that I touched to the fashion industry by my little finger! It was with my first collections… When stars appeared in tabloids or in glossy wearing my clothes, it was the motivation for further work too.FotyMody: Are the modern Internet-magazines an alternative to glossy magazines? What do Internet-magazines have and glossy dont and vice versa? Where the picture looks better?Litkovskaya: In the glossy. I can touch it, look at it in a different way, lay it horizontally… =) The story in magazine is more pleasant, because I can look at it for a longest time. As you opened a magazine, stuck on it, then put aside, then looked at it again. And Internet is the unlimited stream of information, you know that you have to look something again and again, more and more… You seem to drift. A magazine is much more intimate. It is a tactile communication, you can`t do with Internet in such way. But Internet has its trumps too, they are efficiency and interactive. You can know all the news for the month before magazine comes out. You can discuss and get them.FotyMody: If someone will call you and say at the day after tomorrow, “Lilya, we want to see you at the world Fashion Weeks. Paris, Milan, New York, London – make a choise!”, where would you conduct a show?Litkovskaya: In London. Because a creative is born there, styles, tendencies, flows are born there too, all these are picked up by music and modern art – all is united there. Not commerce views are there, but art-views and desire to open something new. The location for the show is East London, loft or underground.FotyMody: And if they offer the same proposition but you have to choose between China, Mexico, India and Australia?Litkovskaya: Australia doesn`t need anything, all is good there. I think, China because it is near to Japan. Japan and China are the common market. Japanese fashion is unlike other. East has its own aesthetics. Well, we have nothing to do in Mexico, because we don`t sew carnival clothes. Mexico doesn`t need our clothes.FotyMody: And where are they needed?Litkovskaya: I don`t know, I`m here at the moment.FotyMody: Here. And what do we have here? Here all the people here talk about whether Kyiv will become a 5th fashion capital. Will it?Litkovskaya: Not now. It becomes when textile industry goes on well, there will be new channel of fabrics delivery, when it becomes more broad and available for all designers. When some stable processes will take place on economic and political levels.FotyMody: Try to make a statistics: what will happen in Ukrainian fashion in five, in ten, in fifteen years?Litkovskaya: I can`t do such forecasts. It is outside my competence.FotyMody: And the probability of Vogue Ukraine`s appearance?Litkovskaya: There won`t be Vogue till the main office decide that Ukraine needs it. Undoubtedly, we need it. For all that, it is canals, and the development of our country in the world fashion context.FotyMody: If you were offered to lecture at the university which gives the designer`s education, what course would you teach?Litkovskaya: It’s so interesting. I would ask the list of courses. =) I think it would be a cut. A cut, an approach to it, how to think, on what to push on, what to choose, with what to inspire, how to design, some prototyping… That is, all the things concerning the cut.FotyMody: What were you lacking of while studying? What did you want to study but there was not?Litkovskaya: Well, I am lacking now. It`s lack of fabrics, world fashion critics who would come to Ukrainian Fashion Week and open you designers. Of master-classes. There is lack of many things. It gets out, begins to create gradually now. To turn into life.FotyMody: There is lack of world fashion critics. And are there such people to whose opinions you considers as to critics, in Ukraine?Litkovskaya: There are several such persons who know everything right up to a zipper`s brand, they know who uses this zipper, when rebranding was. And sewing, and soft goods, and woolen clothes. There are few of them. If a critics is on a level “Oh, all is crap, fuck it all”, I would not discuss. I would not talk with person if he says, “I don`t like it”, because it is not a critics. Someone says, “This is something, of some year and it`s trash”, we don`t take them too. It you want to make a brilliant display of yourself, to show that you have been siting at style.com during several hours, it is not a critic. If you are deeper a bit that all of these, you are interesting for us. We take critic with honor when it is real constructive.FotyMody: And is it really important what zipper is in these pants?Litkovskaya: It`s very important. If you sell this clothes at a high price, if you say that it is exclusive, that 50 hours of handwork were spent for its fabrication, then you are responsible for this zipper, that it won`t break when you dress it up for the 3rd time. You use some brand of accessories because it have lived for certain age.FotyMody: About the trends. If you were the chief of Trend Syndicate, would you dictate the way you feel or abolish all it?Litkovskaya: Really not one person is a chief there. There are huge teams that follow all the things which happen in world not only in fashion but in lifestyle. It`s really serious work. Indeed when I was asked about trends I say, “I won`t answer”. I express my own trend in my collections, my own preferences to some fabrics, textures, colours, etc. That is my view of trends, my own trends.FotyMody: It you were presented a million euro to invest them into business tomorrow, what would you do?Litkovskaya: I would buy a premises that I can`t rent. =) I would buy the best equipment. And there would be a less of money, to be true. =)FotyMody: And if there would be 10 millions but to go to world market.Litkovskaya: I would apply for work a professional team. Marketing specialists, managers. I would organize my own textile manufacture.FotyMody: Are there such people who can lead the designer out the world market in Ukraine?Litkovskaya: I`m searching!!! You should write it. Maybe, someone will be found.FotyMody: Which professional and personal qualities should have designer to become a worldwide?Litkovskaya: He should like his work and give himself to it completely. Ability to work. He should wash if and brush its teeth as do it for himself in the morning. Then this work could play some weighty role somewhere beyond the borders of your country.FotyMody: If person sits at how and sew for his friend of sister, is he a designer?Litkovskaya: I begun in such way too. But I don`t shout everywhere that I`m a designer. I just liked to do it, I liked the final result. The mood of the person for whom I have created it, egged me on further work. You can`t call it hand-made, designer or not-designer. It`s a beginning stage to something. You can`t know what happens next.FotyMody: And when does the moment appear when a person who sews clothes can call himself a designer?Litkovskaya: When he is sold at stores. When buyers are interested in him. And buy him. It`s a final criteria. In general, a designer is a person who knows how to sew and cut a clothes. And when does person who painted a picture can call himself a painter? He is a painter already. With a designer is in the same way. Created clothes, sew it, that`s all. He is a designer from very moment when he embodied it into life.FotyMody: The theme of our issue is “Water”. With what do you associate it?Litkovskaya: It`s a very close element for me. This transparency, depth… If there much water… For example, the sea is the some ideas. The sea and the water always inspire me. In different displays: ice or river, steam or hose splashes. It`s alive and brings something crystal clean.FotyMody: What does Litkovskaya aspire to and orientate whom?Litkovskaya: Probably, I aspire to world peace… =) And on whom I orientate… I wish the harmonious work inside our company, all the things should be amorous. I orientate on clear work. On mutual understanding. On desire of all form my team to aspire to the best only, to develop, to find alternatives and undiscovered decisions.FotyMody: What should all the people who begin their way in fashion industry aspire to and orientate whom?Litkovskaya: Don`t stop halfway. Don`t be afraid of difficulties. To seach. To find, to move. To be freedom-loving. To say as you think. To show what you see. No matter what happens.