Katimō core values are simple yet effective: high-quality materials, attention to detail and premium quality of tailoring. Read the exclusive interview with L'Officiel

Quintessential of minimalism elegance, <a href="https://katimoclothes.com/ru/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Katimō's</a> clothing style embodies an effortless retro-chic aesthetic. A look that is inevitably found in all seasons in all Katimō collections. The pieces are elegant and simple at the same time but always equipped with a "je ne sais quoi" that makes the difference. Thus, dresses with bold details, sweatshirts with funny prints, oversized blazers and effortless coats combine a vintage spirit and a contemporary allure. A highly desirable explosive mix. On the side of promises, Katimō is committed to quality production. Made in Kiev, the models are made with high-quality materials embodying the characteristic sleek design, rationality and respect for the environment.
&gt;&gt; Discover more of Katimō in this exclusive interview

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L'OFFICIEL: How did you get your start in fashion?
 Katya:&nbsp;I was always interested in fashion, as a child I loved watching fashion channels on TV, flipping through magazines, and then making sketches of clothes I liked in a notebook. But I grew up in an ordinary post-Soviet family, and was convinced that fashion could only be a hobby, but definitely not a profession, since in my world it was considered frivolous. I never had any plans to create my own clothing brand, so the birth of Katimo still seems to me like a magical coincidence. The history of the brand's creation is unique, but, at the same time, it all started with the trivial &ldquo;nothing to wear&rdquo; situation. I came up with a dress, but did not find anything similar in the store and decided to sew it myself. To tell the truth, I still don&rsquo;t understand how I did it, since I didn&rsquo;t know how to design and sew at all. But at that point, my intention to have the dress of my dreams defeated my lack of skill. I bought 4 meters of fabric and spent the night cutting it with clerical scissors and sewing it on a small household sewing machine. As a result, the dress turned out exactly as I imagined. And the very next day I went to the office in this dress. In fact, the $20 spent on fabric was the first and only investment in the brand.
L'OI: How did you end up launching Katimo?
K: I continued to wear a dress made by my own hand and was very surprised when familiar and unfamiliar girls, seeing it on me, asked where I bought it. When I replied that I made the dress myself, they asked me to sew the same one for them too. So, I turned to my friends who had a small sewing production, and for symbolic money, they made the correct template based on the prototype of my dress and sewed a new one from the leftovers of the purchased fabric. I sold it to a colleague, and with the money I earned, I bought more fabric. I sewed 2 dresses from it, sold them, and bought fabric again but for 4 dresses already, and so on. Somewhere during the third purchase of fabric, the understanding came that this process needs to be formalized, i.e. to have a name, logo, tags, packages. Having absolutely no experience in launching brands, my husband and I tried to figure everything out on our own, googled, asked friends, and thus found the necessary contacts. My husband was involved in production, procurement, documents, and I created the design and was engaged in sales.&nbsp;Literally speaking, the Katimo brand appeared by chance, thanks to one dress.+
L'OI: How has your background influenced who you are today?&nbsp;
K: I have had unconditional love for clothing and fashion since childhood. As far back as I can remember, I have always loved to dress up. This was passed on to me by my mother, she is a great fashionista. 70% of my daily emotional state depends on what I put on in the morning and, as a result, my appearance always accurately translates my mood.&nbsp;I have always loved shopping, but not for shopping purposes only. I get aesthetic pleasure from the textures of fabrics, from neat stitches, straight lines, perfect cut. This story is not about owning a particular thing, but about clothes as a source of inspiration. Sometimes you need to try on a beautiful dress to brighten your mood.&nbsp;I must say that before Katimō appeared, my work, in one way or another, was always associated with clothing and fashion. My first job was as a consultant in a clothing store, then I worked for a short time as a junior editor writing reviews on new fashion collections for a local news media, also I worked as a stylist and a bit of as a buyer. There have always been many victories and failures along the way, and I am grateful to this experience for bringing me to the point where I am now. I definitely would not want to change or fix anything in my path.
L'OI: How would you describe Katimo&rsquo;s aesthetic?
K: The brand is all about a minimalist aesthetic with an emphasis on quality and functionality. I love intuitive design, mainly because it gives our clients the freedom to express themselves, which, in my opinion, is the most important task of fashion. Our collections are often filled with intellectual and artistic contexts and good design is very important to us, but functionality comes first. We always remember that clothes should serve a person.
L'OI: What can we expect from Katimo's SS22? (and can we expect a Holiday drop?)
K: I can't speak about the concept of the collection before we release the official teaser. The one thing I'm certain about is that it will be splendid! The holiday collection will be out very soon, at the beginning of December.
L'OI: The FW21 collection was inspired by Scandinavia (and Scandinavia goddesses), can you talk us through this choice?
K: Each collection is built around the Woman and FW21 is no exception. In its center stands the image of the goddess Skade, who is considered to be the most feminist of all Scandinavian goddesses.&nbsp;I have always admired the richest cultural fund of the northern region, historical heritage, nature, and the rather ascetic lifestyle of the Scandinavians themselves. It resonates with me on a spiritual level. Before starting to work on the collection, I did a lot of research and found much information and interesting facts about Scandinavia. This inspired me even more and made it clear that the topic is so vast and deep that it should become the leitmotif of the entire season, and not just one collection. Therefore, the Winter 21/22 capsule will be dedicated to the Arctic and the Eskimos culture, and the Holiday 2021 collection will be inspired by the northern lights.

L'OI: Is there any other culture you'd like to explore?
K: Yes, I`m into the culture of Japan and Peru. But frankly speaking, I am a very curious person, and perhaps there is no culture in the world that I would not be interested in. I`m sure that there is something astonishing in every culture, so I`m in a permanent state of exploring. &nbsp;
L'OI: What tips do you have for wearing minimal pieces? How to make them cool, contemporary and vibrant? 
K: I have only one piece of advice on this: you only need to wear the clothes in which you like yourself. I am convinced that the best accessory is self-confidence. Then, even in a simple white T-shirt and black trousers, you can look stunning.
L'OI: Who has had the most formative influence on your practice? 
K: Women who wear Katimo. Their response is my main reference point. I love seeing women in our clothes in the photos, or meeting on the streets. And, looking at them, my main mission crystallizes - to create, not just things that will cover the basic need for clothes, but concepts that reflect women`s personalities.
L'OI: Where do you look for inspiration? 
K: In my case, inspiration is the experience received. My thinking works in such a way that I find a visual clue and start working with it. Fashion design for me is not a fantasy that came out of nowhere, it is a definite emotion that I have lived through. However, I never look for inspiration on purpose, it doesn't work for me. There are so many beautiful things in the world, and every day we experience a very diverse palette of impressions, and my task in this is to try to surround myself with beauty and be attentive to my feelings. My creative resource is very large and I really like to implement it in new collections, but I am a human being and I am not always in a creative mood, and at such moments I just relax and wait. &nbsp; But answering the question, I can say for sure that the main source of inspiration for me is people. I can watch passers-by for hours, peer into their faces, read emotions, look at clothes and outfits in general. &nbsp;
L'OI: Describe Katimo's woman 
K: Katimo`s woman is any woman. I don't want to endow her with any particular characteristics or qualities, because it creates limits. &nbsp;For a Katimo woman, there are no limits on age, lifestyle, or appearance, since our clothes should complement a woman and definitely not vice versa.
L'OI: If you could have anyone (alive or dead) wear Katimo who would it be?
K: Maye Musk and Princess Diana.
L'OI: Katimo&rsquo;s quote to live by&hellip; 
K: Don&rsquo;t ever save anything for a special occasion. Every day of our life is a special occasion.
L'OI: What can we expect from Katimo&rsquo;s future?
K: Despite the fact that Katimō is already 6 years old, I believe that we are at the very beginning of the journey. The brand's DNA is strengthened with each new collection. &nbsp; I sincerely believe that Katimo will gain worldwide popularity. &nbsp; And if we talk about the near future, then in 2022 we plan to launch several new important directions within the brand and strengthen our position in the fashion industry.

Discover the Winter 2021 Capsule Collection:

Katimō's way to live minimalism

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