Anna K

Photo Courtesy Of Anna K

WHERE WERE YOU BORN AND RAISED, WHAT'S LIFE LIKE THERE AND WHERE DO YOU LIVE NOW?
I was born by the Dnipro River, in a small Ukrainian city, surrounded by trees and lots of flowers. A city swamped in nature. There are a number of places to ride your bike in the summer or create a snowman in the winter. It's an idyllic place for the perfect childhood.

I’ve attended art school since the age of six. I also spent a lot of time doing sports as my father is a volleyball world champion. My grandfather taught me how to play chess when I was young and I’ve won a number of championships. I’m still fond of playing against people older than me just so I can beat them. After high school I moved to Kiev and started studying at the College of Technology and Design. I discovered the world of new interesting Ukranian designers. They liked my style and asked me to wear their clothes. And they would say in gest that I should create my own line. Yet they were really surprised when I showed my first collection during MBKFD at age 16, and “Vogue Italia” called my it the most promising that season. Now I travel between London, Milan Paris and Kiev. I’ll probably stay in Paris for a long time. Or maybe in London. Probably not Milan. However, I love New York.

WHO WERE YOUR HEROES GROWING UP?
Lewis Carroll's “Alice's Adventures in Wonderland”; and by the way, in Nabokov's Russian translation “Alice in Wonderland” is “Anna in Wonderland”,  “The Little Prince”, Kate Moss, Steve Jobs, Marley from "Marley & Me”(my Labrador's name is Marley), Snoop Dog, Sponge Bob, Natalia Vodianova (also a small town girl), Coco Rocha, several fairy tale heroines and of course, Pippi Longstocking.

WHEN DID YOU START MODELLING?
I started when I was 14. But it was boring and not as creative as I would've wanted. It wasn't long before I started doing the styling, and create clothes on my own. Fortunately I was studying design at the time.

HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT THE SIZE ZERO DEBATE?
I'm size zero, but these debates are empty vessels. All women are amazing no matter what size they are. What’s important is her inner world, sense of style, her goals and knowledge of fashion. My clothes are usually worn by celebrities like Linda Tol, Candella Novembre, Sofie Valkiers and Daria Shapovalova. None of them are size zero. This I know for sure, and it’s the motto of my brand: Every girl is a model.

WHY DID YOU TRANSITION FROM MODEL TO DESIGNER?
I've always understood what my friends want to wear. And it's not always what the designers and the brands out there make. I want to tell stories to a generation open to new experiences.

HAVE YOU COMPLETED YOUR TRAINING?
I'm thinking of further studies in Paris although I still have to figure how I’m going to study and work on developing my brand at the same time. I have so many things I have to do right now.

YOUR CLOTHES ARE HIGHLY WEARABLE YET PLAYFUL, THEATRICAL AT TIMES, WHAT’S THE CONCEPT BEHIND THE LABEL ANNA K, AND DOES YOUR WORK REFLECT YOUR OWN PERSONAL TASTE?
Yes. Each one of my collections reflect a deep and personal experience. Legends. I dip into them just like Alexander McQueen dove into Atlantis in his last collection. That's why I don't always separate the pieces for the shops and for the shows. I frequently wear the creations myself, and I pair them with Comme des Garçons, Jacquemus, Miu Miu and Prada, Kenzo and with my Nikes.

WHAT'S YOUR PHILOSOPHY ABOUT THE ART OF FASHION AND HOW DO YOU BALANCE CREATIVITY WITH COMMERCE?
The art of fashion, is the art of presenting a fantasy. It's about putting that element into the real life of those  who understand your dreams. Every girl is a dreamer and for this reason I've created the special hashtag, #AnnaKGirls. I've never chased after commercial success. It comes by itself., although I often communicate with the buyers and the owners of the shops like Sara Andelman from Colette, Andrea Panconesi from LVR, Licia Bonnesi from G&B Negozio or Kelly from Lane Crawford. They’re good people with a sensibility for taste.

WHAT ARE YOUR HOBBIES OUTSIDE OF THE INDUSTRY?
I adore traveling. I spend a huge amount of time outside my home. I want to travel to Asia soon. Japan, China and Korea are countries with cultures my friends from Asia tell me I have a connection to. I've never been there so it’s kind of a mystical coincidence. I play chess. I collect pieces of cool designers. I paint a lot and I create the prints for my clothes myself. I also enjoy going to museums. My latest infatuation is René Magritte. The play of straight lines, colours and shades appeals to me. I like driving my Fiat 500 By Gucci with my dog in the front seat. And this summer I plan to travel around Italy on my Scrambler Ducati.

WHAT'S YOUR GREATEST INDULGENCE?
I love to sleep. And I love to eat sweets.