Moda je veliko več kot le tisto, kar vidimo na modnih pistah ali v izložbah trgovin. Karierna pot Valeriie Serebriakove se prepleta med ustvarjalnim, poslovnim in podjetniškim svetom modne industrije, zato iz prve roke pozna, kako se ideje razvijejo v kolekcije in kako kolekcije prerastejo v uspešne modne znamke. V intervjuju razkriva svojo poklicno pot, izkušnje ter spoznanja, ki so oblikovala njen pogled na sodobno modo.
Šivati ste začeli že kot otrok. Kaj vas je najprej pritegnilo v svet mode in kako so te zgodnje izkušnje oblikovale vaš način dela danes?
Šivati sem začela pri približno osmih letih. Takrat o modi nisem razmišljala kot o poklicu – preprosto sem uživala v ustvarjanju oblačil za svoje Barbie punčke.
Ko sem bila stara enajst let, me je mama vpisala v studio za kostumografijo, kjer smo se učili konstruiranja krojev in šivanja. Najprej smo ustvarjali oblačila zase, kasneje pa skupaj oblikovali celotne kolekcije. Zelo hitro je to preraslo okvir običajne obšolske dejavnosti. Začela sem sodelovati na regionalnih, državnih in mednarodnih modnih tekmovanjih, kjer starost ni bila pomembna – štelo je le to, kaj si ustvaril.
Najbolj me ni navduševal končni izdelek, temveč celoten ustvarjalni proces: razvoj ideje, skiciranje, delo z materiali in iskanje popolne silhuete. Pogosto nismo imeli neomejenih možnosti, zato smo morali biti iznajdljivi. Tkanine smo včasih iskali celo v trgovinah s pohištvom ali ustvarjali iz nekonvencionalnih materialov, ker so bili pač edini, ki so nam bili na voljo.
Nekaj let pozneje je moj oče ustanovil podjetje za prodajo šiviljskega pribora z lastnim ateljejem. Opazovanje rasti podjetja je v meni vzbudilo zanimanje za vse, kar se dogaja v modni industriji onkraj samega oblikovanja. Ko je prišel čas za izbiro študija, sem želela razumeti tudi poslovno plat modne industrije, ne le njene ustvarjalne strani. Zato sem se namesto za študij na modni šoli odločila za smer ekonomije in marketinga.
Te zgodnje izkušnje še danes določajo moj način dela. Že od začetka sta ustvarjalnost in disciplina hodili z roko v roki. Tekmovanja so si sledila eno za drugim, rokov ni bilo mogoče prestaviti, ekipe pa nisi smel pustiti na cedilu. Takšen način razmišljanja me spremlja še danes.
Vaša karierna pot združuje marketing, maloprodajo in modno industrijo. Kako je ta kombinacija vplivala na vaše razumevanje uspešne modne znamke?
Prve izkušnje v marketingu sem pridobila v zadnjem letniku fakultete, ko sem prejela ponudbo marketinške agencije. Že na začetku sem sodelovala pri projektih za mednarodne blagovne znamke, velikih dogodkih in sejmih, kar mi je dalo vpogled v to, kako pomembno je strateško komuniciranje blagovne znamke.
Leto po diplomi sem se zaposlila v enem največjih maloprodajnih podjetij v Rusiji, kjer sem več let delala v korporativnem okolju. Tam sem spoznala, koliko različnih ekip mora usklajeno sodelovati, preden izdelek pride do kupca. Uspeh modne znamke ni odvisen le od kreativnosti, temveč predvsem od procesov, organizacije in ljudi, ki stojijo za njo.
Ob delu v maloprodaji sem začela svetovati tudi nastajajoči trajnostni modni znamki. Skupaj z ustanovitelji smo iskali proizvajalce v Turčiji in na Šrilanki, razvijali vzorce, vzpostavljali proizvodnjo in pripravljali prve kolekcije. Malo pred pandemijo sem začela razvijati tudi svojo blagovno znamko, vendar so se načrti zaradi covida skoraj čez noč ustavili. Ta izkušnja me je naučila, kako pomembna sta prilagodljivost in sposobnost hitrega odzivanja pri gradnji podjetja.
Te izkušnje so me naučile, da je za uspešno modno znamko potrebno veliko več kot le odlična kolekcija. Enako pomembni so ljudje, ki jo ustvarjajo, dobro organiziran proizvodni proces, skrbno načrtovanje ter sposobnost prilagajanja, ko stvari ne gredo po načrtih.
Sodelovali ste z več neodvisnimi modnimi znamkami v New Yorku. Kakšno je delo v njihovih ateljejih in kaj so vas te izkušnje naučile o modni industriji?
Delo v majhni ekipi je povsem drugačno od dela v veliki korporaciji. Skoraj nemogoče je ostati znotraj ene same funkcije. En dan z oblikovalcem razpravljaš o novi kolekciji, naslednji dan iščeš materiale ali komuniciraš s proizvajalci, nato pripravljaš pomerjanje ali pomagaš pri organizaciji modnega fotografiranja. Prav takšno okolje ti omogoči, da razumeš celoten proces nastajanja modne znamke in ne le svojega dela.
Ena izmed znamk, s katerimi sodelujem od leta 2024, je Christine Alcalay, ki večino svoje proizvodnje ohranja v New Yorku. Kljub visokim stroškom lokalne izdelave pomemben del kolekcije še vedno nastaja v tamkajšnjem Garment Districtu. Christine nove kolekcije razvija približno sezono in pol vnaprej, številni modeli pa ostanejo v ponudbi več let. Sčasoma se spreminjajo le materiali, barve ali manjši detajli. Z vsako sezono se kolekcije razvijajo, pri tem pa ostajajo zveste prepoznavni estetiki znamke. Prav ta doslednost ji je omogočila, da je zgradila dolgoročne odnose s strankami, ki se vedno znova vračajo po brezčasne kose.
Pri znamki M. Lorincz sem spoznala drugačen pristop. Linija visoke mode nastaja v New Yorku, medtem ko kolekcijo prêt-à-porter izdelujejo v tujini. Poleg vsake nove sezonske kolekcije znamka ohranja tudi izbor svojih prepoznavnih osnovnih kosov, ki se iz sezone v sezono vračajo v ponudbo. Hkrati nove modele razvija z veliko pozornostjo do aktualnih trendov in potreb kupcev.
V prihodnje načrtujem tudi sodelovanje z znamko Rhege Apparel, ki ustvarja žensko modo. Rhege predstavlja še en vidik modne industrije, saj znamko gradi predvsem z digitalnim pristopom. Njena rast temelji na doslednem ustvarjanju vsebin, močni spletni prisotnosti, strateških partnerstvih z vplivneži ter digitalnem oglaševanju.
Vaša kariera vas je vodila skozi zelo različna delovna okolja – od velikih podjetij do neodvisnih blagovnih znamk in lastnih projektov. Kaj je usmerjalo te odločitve?
Na svojo karierno pot nikoli nisem gledala kot na izbiro med korporativnim okoljem in neodvisnimi modnimi znamkami. Lani sem se med drugim udeležila razgovorov pri podjetjih, kot sta Tiffany & Co. in Michael Kors, zato sem bila vedno odprta za pravo priložnost tudi v večjih organizacijah.
Ker pa razvijam tudi lastno blagovno znamko, sem si želela pridobiti izkušnje, ki bi mi omogočile razumeti modni posel kot celoto in ne le enega njegovega dela. V majhni ekipi hitro spoznaš, kako proizvodne odločitve vplivajo na marketing, kako pozicioniranje blagovne znamke določa izbiro dobaviteljev in kako je vsak segment poslovanja povezan z naslednjim.
Ena najbolj dragocenih izkušenj je bilo delo na področju marketinga za oblikovalca, ki poleg couture mode ustvarja tudi uniforme za podjetja, kot sta Amazon in Alaska Airlines. To je bil odličen primer, kako lahko razmeroma majhna ekipa uspešno izpelje projekte za globalne naročnike. Prav takšne izkušnje sem iskala.
Trajnost je rdeča nit vašega dela. Jo razumete kot filozofijo, poslovno strategijo ali predvsem kot način sprejemanja vsakodnevnih odločitev?
Mislim, da enega brez drugega pravzaprav ni. Trajnost zame ni le filozofija ali metodologija, temveč predvsem način sprejemanja vsakodnevnih odločitev – tako v modi kot v življenju.
Pri znamki Christine Alcalay lahko že na videz nepomembne odločitve pomembno vplivajo na končni rezultat. Najmanjši ostanki blaga postanejo pasovi, pentlje ali lasni dodatki, večji kosi pa so namenjeni podjetjem, ki se ukvarjajo s prodajo neporabljenih tkanin. To ni posebna trajnostna kampanja ali marketinška strategija, ampak preprosto način delovanja blagovne znamke.
Enak pristop odraža tudi moje delo. Iz svilenega tafta iz zalog neporabljenih materialov (deadstock) sem ustvarila večerno obleko, ki je pozneje postala del razstave Old Threads, New Meaning. Razstava je raziskovala, kako lahko obstoječe oblačilo z novim oblikovanjem dobi povsem novo življenje in pomen. Po zaključku razstave sem isto obleko predelala v krajšo koktajl obleko in tako njeno zgodbo nadaljevala v novi obliki.
Prav ta vprašanja so postala tudi izhodišče za mojo knjigo Refashion, ki je bila prvotno napisana v ruščini, zdaj pa jo pripravljam tudi v angleškem jeziku. Knjiga obravnava celoten življenjski cikel oblačila – od izbire materialov in proizvodnje do ponovne prodaje, popravil, recikliranja in ponovne uporabe.
Pogosto govorite o dolgi življenjski dobi oblačila. Kaj ta pojem pomeni za vas osebno in kako vpliva na vaš odnos do oblačil?
Dolga življenjska doba oblačila ne pomeni nujno, da ga ena oseba nosi čim dlje. Pomeni predvsem to, da oblačilo ostane uporabno tudi potem, ko ga prvi lastnik ne potrebuje več.
Obožujem lepe stvari, še bolj pa rada odkrijem dober kos po ugodni ceni. Pogosto spremljam platforme za preprodajo dizajnerskih oblačil, kjer lahko včasih najdeš kos, o katerem si sanjal več let, za ceno, ki bi bila ob redni prodaji nedosegljiva.
Pred leti sem imela najljubšo obleko znamke ASOS, ki sem jo nosila skoraj ves čas. Pogosto se je pojavljala tudi na mojih fotografijah. Nekega dne mi je prek Instagrama pisala neznanka, ki jo je opazila na eni izmed objav, in me vprašala, kje jo lahko kupi. Ko sem želela poiskati povezavo, sem ugotovila, da model že dolgo ni več na voljo. Na koncu sem ji prodala kar svojo obleko. To je bilo še dolgo preden je preprodaja postala vsakdanji del modne industrije.
Pri znamkah hitre mode se kolekcije menjajo tako hitro, da številnih modelov po razprodaji ni več mogoče kupiti. Pred kratkim je prijateljica na platformi Poshmark našla popolnoma enako obleko iz Zare, ki jo je nekoč nosila do obrabe. V trgovinah je že zdavnaj ni bilo več, zato je bila preprodaja edini način, da jo ponovno najde.
Sčasoma sem opazila, da za različne potrebe uporabljam različne platforme. Vsaka ima svoje prednosti, omejitve in pravila, zato sem kot uporabnica nenehno prehajala med njimi. Takrat sem se začela spraševati, ali bi bilo mogoče vse te procese povezati v enoten sistem.
Po izkušnjah na različnih področjih modne industrije ste ustvarili projekt Behind the Seams. Katero vrzel želite z njim zapolniti?
Behind the Seams se ni začel z eno samo idejo. Začel se je s preprostim vprašanjem.
Vsakič, ko sem imela oblačilo, ki ga nisem več potrebovala, sem se vprašala: Kaj naj naredim z njim? Odgovor je bil le redko preprost. Nekatera oblačila je smiselno prodati, druga je bolje podariti, tretja pa sodijo v reciklažo. Večina ljudi preprosto ne ve, kam sodi posamezen kos.
Želela sem poenostaviti ta proces. Kaj če bi bila edina odločitev uporabnika ta, da se od oblačila poslovi, sistem pa bi poskrbel za vse nadaljnje korake?
Danes ima vsaka možnost svoj zapleten postopek. Prodaja pomeni fotografiranje in objavo vsakega izdelka posebej. Donacija ali recikliranje zahtevata iskanje ustrezne organizacije, preverjanje pogojev in dostavo. Tudi kadar cilj ni zaslužek, lahko odločitev, kaj storiti z oblačilom, vzame veliko več časa, kot bi pričakovali.
Podobno težavo sem opazila tudi pri delu z mladimi modnimi znamkami. Njihova zgodba se redko začne z lepo kolekcijo, temveč z iskanjem zanesljivih proizvajalcev, razvojem vzorcev, pogajanji o minimalnih količinah naročil ter nenehnim usklajevanjem kakovosti, stroškov in rokov. Že nekaj prototipov lahko za mlado blagovno znamko pomeni veliko finančno naložbo, brez zagotovila, da bodo modeli sploh prišli v proizvodnjo. Poleg finančnega tveganja to ustvarja tudi nepotrebne odpadke.
Ena od ključnih idej projekta Behind the Seams Collective je zato ustvariti prostor, kjer bi lahko nastajajoče modne znamke sodelovale s preverjenimi proizvajalci ter skupaj reševale izzive, ki jih posamezno pogosto ne morejo premagati.
Projekt Behind the Seams se še razvija, vendar prav ti dve ideji ostajata njegovo glavno vodilo.
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Fashion Is More Than Design
Valeriia Serebriakova on creativity, business, and building a more sustainable fashion industry.
Fashion is about much more than what we see on the runway or in stores. Valeriia Serebriakova’s career has crossed creative, commercial, and entrepreneurial sides of the industry, giving her first-hand experience of how ideas become collections, and how collections become businesses. In this interview, she reflects on that journey and the lessons she has taken from it.
What first drew you to fashion, and how did those early experiences shape the way you work today?
I started sewing when I was about eight years old. At the time, I wasn’t thinking about a career in fashion. I just loved making clothes for my Barbies.
When I was eleven, my mom signed me up for a costume design studio. We learned patternmaking and sewing, first by making clothes for ourselves and later by creating collections together. Very quickly, it became much more than an after-school activity. I began competing in regional, national, and international fashion competitions. It was an environment where teenagers were taken seriously. No one cared how old you were. What mattered was what you created.
What I enjoyed most wasn’t the finished result but everything that came before it – developing an idea, sketching, working with fabric, and trying to achieve exactly the shape I had imagined. We rarely had unlimited resources. Sometimes we searched for fabrics in furniture stores or worked with unconventional materials simply because that was what we had available.
A few years later, my father started a sewing supply business with an in-house atelier. Watching the business grow sparked my interest in everything happening beyond design. By the time I had to choose a university, I wanted to understand that side of the industry just as much as the creative one, so I chose commerce and marketing as my major instead of attending a fashion school.
Those early experiences still shape the way I work today. From the very beginning, creativity and discipline went hand in hand. Competitions came one after another, deadlines couldn’t be moved, and you couldn’t let your team down. That’s a mindset that has stayed with me ever since.
How has your experience in retail and marketing shaped the way you see successful fashion brands?
During my final year at university, I received an offer from a marketing agency. It was my first experience in marketing, and it immediately involved projects for international brands, large-scale events, and exhibitions.
A year after graduating, I joined one of Russia’s largest retail companies, where I spent several years working in a corporate environment. That’s where I saw how many different teams have to work together before a product reaches the customer. Everything happening behind the scenes determines whether a company can succeed in the long run.
While I was still working in retail, I also began consulting an emerging sustainable fashion brand. Working closely with the founders, I learned as we went: sourcing manufacturers in Turkey and Sri Lanka, developing samples, building production, and preparing collections for launch. Later, just before the pandemic, I started developing my own fashion brand. The pandemic changed those plans almost overnight, forcing me to put the launch on hold. It also taught me how important it is to stay flexible when building a business.
Those experiences taught me that there’s much more to building a fashion brand than a great collection. The people who bring it to life, a well-organized production process, careful planning, and the ability to adapt when the unexpected happens matter just as much.
What is it really like to work inside New York ateliers and independent fashion brands?
Working in a smaller team has very little in common with working in a large company. It is almost impossible to stay within a single narrow role. One day you’re discussing a new collection with the designer; the next, you’re sourcing fabrics or working with manufacturers; and then you’re preparing for a fitting or helping organize a photoshoot. That kind of environment gives you a much broader understanding of the entire process, rather than just one part of it.
One of the brands I’ve worked with since 2024 is Christine Alcalay, which keeps most of its production in New York. Despite the high cost of local manufacturing, a significant part of its collection is still produced in the Garment District. Christine develops new collections about a season and a half in advance, and many styles stay in the collection for years, with only the fabrics, colors, or small details changing over time. New collections continue to evolve with each season while staying true to the brand’s aesthetic. That consistency has helped the brand build long-term relationships with customers who come back for pieces that feel timeless.
At M. Lorincz, I experienced a different approach. The couture line is made in New York, while the ready-to-wear collection is produced overseas. Alongside each new seasonal collection, the brand continues to offer a selection of signature staples that return season after season. At the same time, new designs are developed with close attention to current trends and customer demand.
I’m also planning to collaborate with Rhege Apparel, a womenswear label. Rhege represents yet another side of the industry, with a digital-first approach to building the brand. The brand has grown through consistent content, a strong online presence, strategic influencer partnerships, and digital advertising.
Your career has taken you through very different working environments. What drove those decisions?
I don’t see it as a choice between one model and another. Last year, I interviewed with companies like Tiffany & Co. and Michael Kors, so I have always been open to the right opportunity at a larger organization.
At the same time, because I’m building my own brand, I wanted experience that would help me understand the business as a whole rather than just one function. In a small team, you see how production decisions influence marketing, how brand positioning affects sourcing, and how every part of the business shapes the next.
I worked on marketing for a designer who creates couture and also designs uniforms for companies like Amazon and Alaska Airlines. It was a great example of how a relatively small team can deliver projects for global brands. That is the kind of experience I was looking for.
Sustainable fashion for you – is it a working methodology or a philosophy? How does it manifest in specific decisions?
I don’t think it can really be one without the other. It’s less a philosophy or a methodology than a way of making everyday decisions, including in fashion.
At Christine Alcalay, even seemingly minor choices can make a difference. The smallest pieces of fabric are turned into belts, bows, and hair accessories, while larger pieces are passed on to companies that resell unused fabric. It’s not a separate initiative or a marketing strategy. It’s simply part of how the brand operates.
The same mindset is reflected in my own work. I created an evening gown from deadstock silk taffeta, which later became part of my exhibition Old Threads, New Meaning. The exhibition focused on how an existing garment can evolve and take on new meaning through redesign. After the exhibition, I transformed the same gown into a shorter cocktail dress, continuing its story in a different form.
Those questions also became the foundation of my book Refashion, originally written in Russian and now being adapted into English. The book looks at the full life cycle of clothing, from production and material choices to resale, repair, recycling, and reuse.
What does “the long life of a garment” mean to you, and how is that reflected in your own relationship with clothing?
The long life of a garment doesn’t necessarily mean one person wearing it for as long as possible. It means the piece remains useful, even after its first owner has moved on.
I love beautiful things, and I love a great find even more. I like browsing resale platforms for designer pieces. Sometimes you come across something you’ve wanted for years for a price that would have been impossible at retail.
Years ago, I had a favorite dress from ASOS that I wore all the time. It was the kind of dress that kept appearing in photos. A girl once found me on Instagram through a location tag and sent me a message saying how much she loved it. She asked where she could buy it. I went to find the link, only to realize it was no longer available. In the end, I sold her mine. This was long before resale became part of everyday fashion culture.
In the mass market, where collections change so quickly, many styles never return once they sell out. Recently, a friend of mine found the exact Zara dress she had loved and completely worn out on Poshmark. By then, it had long since disappeared from stores, and resale was the only way to find that particular piece again.
Over time, I noticed that I kept relying on different platforms for different needs. Each had its own strengths, limitations, and rules. As a user, I found myself constantly moving between them. Eventually, I started wondering whether the whole process could work as one connected system.
Having worked across many different areas of the fashion industry, what gap did you feel your new project, Behind the Seams, could fill?
Behind the Seams didn’t start with a single idea. It started with a simple question.
Whenever I had a garment I no longer needed, I kept asking myself: what should I do with it? The answer was rarely straightforward. Some pieces are worth reselling, others are better donated, and some should be recycled. Most people simply don’t know where each item should go.
I wanted to make that easier: what if the only decision a person had to make was letting the garment go, while the system handled everything after that?
Right now, each option has its own process. Selling means photographing and listing every item. Donating or recycling means finding the right place, figuring out the requirements, and making the trip. Even when money isn’t the goal, deciding what to do with a garment can take far more time and effort than most people expect.
Working with smaller brands exposed me to a similar challenge on the production side. It rarely begins with a beautiful collection. It usually starts with finding reliable manufacturers, developing samples, negotiating minimum order quantities, and constantly balancing quality, budget, and timelines. For a young brand, even a few sample rounds can require a significant investment, with no guarantee those designs will ever reach production. That creates not only financial risk but also unnecessary waste.
One of the ideas behind Behind the Seams Collective was to create a space where emerging brands could work with trusted manufacturers and solve challenges together that are often too expensive or too difficult to tackle alone.
Behind the Seams is still evolving, but those two ideas remain at its core.
Model & modna oblikovalka: Valeriia Serebriakova @lerucha_ Fotografije: Valeria Kalabina @kalabina.photography Ličenje in pričeska: Lina Pronina @linapronina_ Studijske fotografije: Christine Alcalay @christinealcalayatelier & M. Lorincz @mlorincz_
