Anna: The main thing is that we both wanted to make something fresh that would look simple and that had some message at the same time. At first, we were going to create a different project, but we had some difficulties with it, so we decided to hold it over for a while. After that, Ilya offered me to implement the idea of transformation of old frumpy clothes into unique garments. I was excited about it, so we thought about location, and we were lucky that the model we wanted for our project was in town.
Ilya: Actually, I came up with the idea for this project when I was on the subway with a friend of mine who is also a fashion photographer. We were talking about fashion photography and he was highly indignant at the fact that those people who proudly call themselves fashion photographers work only with clothes from thrift shops and mass market. He was annoyed because the main task in fashion photography is, according to him, to display how to wear and mix clothes of new collections. That was the moment when I realized that I couldn't agree with that statement, and wanted to change that assumption.
Personally, I’m not prejudiced when it comes to the choice of clothes. In my wardrobe you will find not only clothes from my dad and granddad, but from the female sections too. Moreover, I’ve recently bought a pair of shorts that were originally designed for eleven-year-old girls (in fact, they look waaay better on me). Fashion is not just about brands and labels; it is the emotion, mood, form, texture, colour and combination of them. And let’s not forget about the content!
That’s why we wanted to create a project that would represent another point of view on the fashion industry. The other project we were working on ended up not being available, but as a matter of fact, it had the similar message behind it (namely, showing another face of fashion). Thereby, I wanted to work only with Anna on a new project!