Why Jealousy? The fashion brand’s secret motto is “I’m jealous of this garment on you”: clothes so good that you’ll get envious glances. It is led by the multi-talented Tanu Muino, who has made a name for herself as a photographer and video maker in Ukraine’s music industry. Sick and tired of photographing unflattering clothes, she decided she would create her own brand alongside Sasha Stukalskaya, they launched Jealousy in 2012. They have overcome many obstacles and now distribute in over four countries. However, Tanu tells us she plans to 'eventually take Jealousy anywhere where people wear clothes'. Here we give you an exclusive look at Young Guard, their latest Fall/Winter 2017 collection.
What motivated your career jump from creating music videos to creating clothes?
Directing music videos and designing clothes either exist independently in my life as two separate professions or complement each other. Before my first collection for Jealousy was released, I tried working as a fashion photographer and stylist. When working as a stylist for Ukrainian fashion magazines I was constantly faced with the fact that things did not always look good on camera. I wanted to make clothes that I could either use in filming or wear myself. I needed something bright, well-cut, comfortable and ironic at the same time. It all started quite trivially: in 2013 my friend and I made several samples, which were immediately sold out. Later on, we decided to show a complete collection at the Mercedes-Benz Kiev Fashion Days. At first, all that seemed like pure fun, but eventually it evolved into a sensible project called Jealousy.
Is there anything that can be said through clothing that can’t be through music (or vice versa)?
For me, clothing is all about mood, when music is all about emotions. Anyway, both of them help us to communicate with the world, but through different sense organs.
Despite the success of your brand, you’ve never trained in fashion. What are the biggest challenges you've faced during the creative process, manufacturing and ultimate selling of a collection?
Manufacturing is still a major stumbling block. I dream of having tailoring skills sometimes. One can not be professional in everything, so we try to find the best technologist for the Jealousy team.
What’s the concept behind the name of the brand?
Jealousy is a marketing engine. I believe in the positive power of this feeling, which leads to perfection.
Who is the Jealousy girl?
The portrait of the Jealousy girl is an energetic girl who celebrates every moment of her life; she has an irony and of course a good sense of humour. She is fond of unusual cuts, enormous volumes, hypertrophic sizes and asymmetry.
When is the perfect occasion to wear Jealousy?
First and last dates! Jealousy clothing is perfect for meeting with the girl squad, beach parties, or even to colour the monotonous weekday routine. For example, one can work in the office in our oversized hoodies in the morning, and in the evening go to a birthday party in our ultra-short red mini dress.
What’s the source of inspiration for your latest collection?
This new Fall/Winter 2017 season showed my obsession with outwear clothes. We rethought the puffer down jackets that once derided as Michelin Man – wear, showing the diversity of a piece – from a childlike crop to a near–sleeping bag alternative. Basically, all we want to do this stormy winter is stay in our cosy comforts all day and stay stylish. So Jealousy puffers and raincoats are on point!
Lena Pogrebnaya, a local Ukrainian photographer, directed this shoot, entitled Young Guard. How did this collaboration come about?
We’ve known each other for ages (as we are both from Odessa, the city in the south of Ukraine) and we always follow each other’s art. We decided to combine Lena’s photography style with Jealousy clothing. The Fall/Winter 2017 collection suits perfectly this collaboration. We tried to show the plasticity of architecture and corporeality, the contact of space and models, the variety of forms and the unity of composition.
In this editorial, you play a lot with symmetry and balanced compositions. What were the motives for this decision?
According to Lena – the space dictates the direction, and we just followed the lines.
What message or vibe did you want to communicate through this shoot?
The idea of the shoot was to merge people with a geometrical and brutal environment, to show the beauty of both humans and urbanism through the contrast. The photographer wanted to emphasise each person's uniqueness and aesthetic, producing a new solid, harmonious environment where both play an important role.
There has recently been a huge outburst of young and talented designers coming from Ukraine (Sasha Kanevski, Subrosa Kyiv, and Yulia Yefimtchuk, among others). What are your thoughts on this new wave of creatives?
Geographical borders have opened recently. Now we can travel, study abroad, and make businesses all over the world. The political situation in our country makes us strive for life.
You already distribute in Ukraine, Hong Kong, Philippines, Russia, as well as online. Now, what does the future hold for Jealousy?
Our goal is to establish a global footprint and to get our clothes sold wherever people wear them.
