Retoxifying interview with Lyudmila Lane

Interview by R.M. team, photography by Lin Vitali.

Note: The author's views are entirely his or her own and may not reflect the views of RetoxMagazine.com

Lyudmila Lane – UCA Rochester,
Graduate Fashion Week (GFW) 2011

Retox Magazine: What was your inspiration behind this collection?

Lyudmila Lane: Moving sculptures of Peter Jansen. My vision was to recreate body movement into a garment to express woman’s moods through fluid fabrics using different types of pleating.

Retox Magazine: Tell us 3 interesting facts about your collection.

Lyudmila Lane: 1. The colour palette inspired by pencil sketch Suzanne Valadon’s Ketty s’Etirant.
2. Some garments can be converted – for example the cape can be lifted up and used as an exaggerated collar or half way.
3. All pleated pieces are hand sewn, some with elements of embroidery.

Retox Magazine: How would you describe your signature style?

Lyudmila Lane: It’s a mixture of subtle contradiction; fragility and strength, flow and structure, innocence and sophistication for the women admired by men, sexy but real.

Lyudmila Lane from UCA Rochester presents her collection at Graduate Fashion Week (GFW) 2011.

Retox Magazine: Do you think your style will change in the future?

Lyudmila Lane: My style is the result of constant research and it develops with my life experience.

Retox Magazine: Where are you planning to sell your collections?

Lyudmila Lane: I just had an offer to sell my collection on online shop "Not just a label", it will also include the garments which hasn’t been used in the show.

Retox Magazine: Where do you see yourself in 5 years from now, 15 years from now and 55?

Lyudmila Lane: In 5 years working as a head of my own brand – five years would be ambitious but perfect. In 15 years selling my designs worldwide. In 55 – in the memory of my children as a great designer. They have inspired me to fulfil my dreams, and I hope whatever I achieve is an inspiration for them.

Retox Magazine: What was the most fun part of studying fashion?

Lyudmila Lane: The freedom to experiment in so many ways - different projects, different media, print, textiles. I enjoyed the challenge to create.

Lyudmila Lane’s choice of music

The track is called Hero Dead and Gone by De-Phazz from the album Plastic Love Memory (2002). The prolific De-Phazz was a jazzy, lounge-oriented downtempo project led by German-Austrian producer Peter "Pit" Baumgartner, who surrounded himself with a shifting cast of collaborators that featured vocalists Barbara Lahr, Karl Frierson (as in the song Hero Dead and Gone), and Pat Appleton, as well as drummer Oli Rubow.

Retox Magazine: If you could have a dinner date with any fashion designer in the world, who would it be and why?

Lyudmila Lane: Honestly..? It would be my tutor and brilliant designer Marcus Wilmont, because he pushed me to the limit and made me believe in myself.

Retox Magazine: Supposedly we lived in a nudist world and it was fashionable to show off garments only on occasions when playing sports (yes this would be a weird planet!) What sport would you choose to show off your collection and why?

Lyudmila Lane: Snowboarding, I always wanted to design winter gear with lots of bulky knitwear, relying on my eight years of experience in the knitwear industry and being snowboarder myself.

Retox Magazine: If you were to design an outfit and call it ‘Retox’ what would it be and look like?

Lyudmila Lane: It would be tailored trench coat with different layers of transparent fabrics, contemporary print in an innovative combination of colours.

Interview with Lyudmila Lane – UCA Rochester, exclusively for RetoxMagazine.com.