Polina Oleynikova is a young emerging artist that creates ethereal designs by merging her fine art background with current time events. Polina provides a new perspective on how fashion should be like in the 21th century. Her design process draws inspiration from the social and political issues of the day, provoking discussions about the injustices that are occurring in modern society, while adhering to the environmental ethics.
We had the opportunity to speak with Polina and get to understand her work and inspirations. Read on to discover more.
Tell us a little bit about your journey as a fashion designer.
I began as a fine artist and thought I would continue on this path. However, when I applied for university in the UK, I had to pass a foundation year, which was a great experience as I was able to experiment with different art mediums. Fashion came up unexpectedly, but felt like the right choice. I was fascinated by the idea of creating 3D objects that would interact with the human body.
Exploring the space between the body and the garment and how it makes you feel, move, and behave became my main point of interest, and the more experience I had, the more I moved towards the idea of garments with purpose, which would be the ones you want to keep through generations.
I believe in the concept of dedicated, careful, and thoughtful work with each garment I make, so I would like for my creations to be precious and one of a kind.
How do you define fashion?
Fashion is a mirror of the current time; it enables you to look back on the past and foresee the future in connection to the present. Fashion is the moment.
Each of your works is a tale in itself. How significant is storytelling to you, and how do your designs embody it?
I’m a storyteller at heart. All of my creations serve as metaphors for my journey, thoughts, and beliefs. The stories come naturally to me; they keep my mind occupied. I think I am now at a point where I want to shift from romantic concepts to provocative and socially sensitive ones. It is about conveying emotions and feelings through the image, and that is how I communicate with the world.
What is the first thing you do to start creating your collections?
I start with research and sketching. Sometimes I do a painting before starting the collection. It works like a main mood board for me. It makes the process of concept transition from 2D to 3D effortless. Sometimes I like to do quite literal transitions, like collaging pieces of my research right on the body. It is surreal and gives my mind ways to look at garments from a different perspective. I love to completely immerse myself in the process, to the point where I am literally unable to disconnect from my research until I get the story I need.
How would you describe your visual identity?
I’d say it is bold and big. Turning minimal into maximal feminine yet genderless.
You’ve lived in places such as Italy, the UK, and Russia. Do the cultures you have experienced influence your creations in any way?
Absolutely! Our cultural background has an impact on how we perceive the world, what decisions we make, how we approach problems, and how we solve them. I can’t express enough how grateful I am for the opportunity to live and study in different countries, travel the world, and get to know beautiful people. I learned so much from them. This gave me a very special type of freedom: the freedom to generate new ideas by combining different elements from the cultures I experienced. The most interesting part of this exploration to me is the craftsmanship. Every culture uses a unique set of techniques to produce art and crafts. Learning how to use them in a modern way creates an eccentric type of language.
You experiment a lot with volume and space and their correlation to the body. What attracts you to this specific silhouette?
I just love to go large-scale. I love making the garment bold, as if it’s making a statement. It requires a lot of meticulous work, but the result is always worth it.
Your work is heavily based on collaboration with different artists. What impact do these collaborations have on your creative process? And which one was your favorite so far?
Collaboration among artists from different disciplines is one of the strongest incentives towards self-development. To understand other artists’ philosophies, you need to be flexible and open-minded; Once you do that, your vision becomes broader each time. It’s fascinating how abundant this process can be. The biggest impact on my work was the collaboration with Russian performance drag artist Gena Marvin. I made a piece for one of her performances, which she presented in Istanbul and Paris. The fact that the war started at the same time we worked on our project had an impact on the final outcome. We both knew it would be our last work in Russia. I really wanted to make it stand out and create an apocalyptic look with hope for a better future. It was a beautiful and liberating experience.
In your opinion, what is the most important aspect of the fashion industry?
I believe it has to do with staying up to date and having the ability to translate the most delicate subjects in your work. By keeping up with the times, I also mean being responsible in the way you design, produce, and sell. Fashion is way more than just a powerful look; it must equally deliver a message that matters and positively impact the environment.
How do you see yourself and your career evolving in the next few years?
I want the fashion industry to be safer than it is right now. I sincerely believe if emerging designers, like myself, unite toward a kinder industry, it will have a huge positive impact for everyone. I see myself working in this direction. My dream is to find like-minded creators from various backgrounds and create a studio that would be a totally safe place for everyone. Safe to think, talk, and create. I want it to be a small world of concentrated artistic energy because I truly believe that there is nothing more powerful than united creative minds.
To discover more of Polina’s work checkout her Instagram or her website
