I am very excited and proud to introduce you to my new start-up project: The Astral Planner - a new, modern, elevated organization + stationery brand launching in Fall 2020 focusing on three pillars of wellness - organization, personal development, and astrology…
Read MoreHappy Holidays everyone! It's been a little quiet from our end this year and there's a good reason for that. I have been slowly scaling back the Ready-to-Wear business to allow me to focus on another one of my passions that I have been harboring for a couple years. As you might have noticed, we didn't release a new Ready-to-Wear collection this year as we've been focusing on a new start-up / extension of my brand.
Read MoreQ: You are very conscious about the environment. How do you take it into consideration while producing your designs?
A: I am devoted to minimizing waste. I want to do luxury in a smart and transparent way. Our factories and our vendors for our materials are usually Italian, French, and Polish. They are family businesses, multigenerational that have dedicated their lives to their craft.
Q: What inspires your collection?
A: My Fall 2017 collection was inspired by Russian high-society in the early 19th century - their mannerisms, decadence, and social gatherings. I drew imagery from Russian nobility balls, which were accompanied with opera, ballet, and musical performances and were always preceded by elegant invitations drawn by artists.
Q: Can you explain the DNA and identity of the Elena Bobysheva brand? And what you feel that your brand represents?
A: I wanted to create a brand that reflects a slower pace and process: where things are made with care and detail, where tradition is more important than trend, where there is a purpose to every piece, and things are made to last.
Read MoreQ: When did you first know you wanted to be a designer? What in particular draws you to the field?
A: I've always been interested in fashion but when you are a child you don't realize what fashion is or if you can make a career out of it. I certainly didn't know a fashion designer was a job because nobody I knew worked in the fashion industry but my mother and grandmother were seamstresses, so fashion is clearly part of my DNA. I really became enthralled by the industry when I was a teenager. However, I decided to take the cautious path and began to study Business & Entrepreneurship in college…
I am honored to be with you today for your commencement. It is a privilege to be among the first people to congratulate you on completing your time at the Art Institute of Indianapolis. Delivering a commencement address is a great responsibility and I had wracked my mind and heart of what I ought to say to you today. I asked myself what I wished I had heard at my own graduation and what important lessons I have learned in the years since. After a lot of thought and reflection on my experiences, I've narrowed it down to three important life lessons.
Read MoreQ: How did you decide to get into sustainable fashion?
A: It was natural that I applied my own values to the heart of my business because I am a vegetarian and environmentalist in my personal life. I didn't want my label to contribute to the excess the fashion industry produces so I build my business around a sustainability mantra from day one without sacrificing on quality or design. I don't think that ethical standards and high-end fashion should be mutually exclusive of one another...
