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Nashe is an emerging unisex label in Moscow. The name Nashe (spelled – 'Наше' in the Russian language) is the gender-neutral usage for ours in Russian.  The label is produced by young graduates of Moscow’s British Higher School of Art and Design, Timur Katkov and Olya Chelyapova.

«Nashe means something personal and something that belongs to everyone at the same time. It is a private talk that touches every single one of us”, mentions Olga as she sits down on the vintage leather couch that reminds of the USSR times. The young duo created Nashe out of their personal needs, riffing on comforting memories of their childhood.  It wasn't something spontaneous when they built the brand. Their standout item is a puffer jacket that has a lining made out of a comforter that zips up to the top of the hood, transforming the piece into a cocoon. Katkov described this type of outerwear which is the central fragment of their brand as a form of escape.

 

“We met each other in university in Krasnodar. We did a few collections together during those study years, and that later led brand creation. We always exchange ideas by having an honest talk. The most important thing is to decide what do we want to say and then we think about how to communicate this idea”, says Mr. Katkov while looking and Olga who kept nodding as Timur spoke.

 

"We are exploring the questions of an inner misbalance, thinking about gender, social and sexual identities, psychological problems"

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Their studio is located in a modest office room on the ground floor in the center of Moscow. A small team of five people in total is working on the upcoming presentation of their short film under the title “Nashe Film” as well as on their first presentation at Moscow Fashion Week this upcoming March. There are always some dilemmas when working on a collection, but both Timur and Olga see the complex of their work as a goal that needs to be achieved rather than. “We change the way we work every day as we believe that in demand of building our communication signals very clearly, and there a lot to be done to make sure it works. There is no system and rules to do that; it's about honesty and flexibility”, they indicate. 

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For several seasons now, fashion has been bombarded with references to the exhausted post-Soviet ’90s aesthetic. Neither Katkov nor Chelyapova were alive in the early ’90s, and neither know firsthand of the stressful parts of the era. Instead, they’re leaning toward a more fluid, inclusive look. “We want to understand a human being, to understand how we connect with our inner and outside worlds,” acknowledged Olga, “right now, we are exploring the questions of an inner misbalance, thinking about gender, social and sexual identities, psychological problems. The fact that we are based in Russia and are a Russian brand is also something we always keep in mind. This makes us look at all those topics through the lens of our country, from the position of a Russian person, considering the inherent mentality.” Both commented that being born in Russia has definitely shaped their views and designs. Every single aspect of their work is unconditionally related to their origins. The inspiration, on the other hand, might come from diversified places. The brand creators state that they want to keep the theme running through every collection they create with a slight change during design research. "We always work separately creating two different collections," they indicate, "then we see what the touch points are and if there are any common perceptions of the issue, the centerpiece of those end up being the final looks." The first collection that came out this summer was a trial one; now the young brand is trying to build an identity and a concept to make their name recognizable. 

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"The idea behind the brand raises a lot of issues of post-USSR times

in Russia in the form of reworked designs"

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Not a label but a social fashion-protest against racism and homophobia in former USSR. "We took old tracksuits worn by our grandparents who were in the working class and re-work it to the point where clothes become representative of our concept," mentions Timur. The moment a customer has understood and revealed certain emotions after seeing designs from «Nashe» was the most memorable moment for its' creators. That was when they realized the importance of their work; there always will be at least one person caring about their designs.

“We have a lot of ambitions,” says Timur, “to become more global, so be could get more feedback, evolve and the move the brand forward. To collaborate with creatives from other industries, working on something completely different on a deeper level and from a different angle.”

 

«We want to become more experience, that is all», concludes Olga.

 

The film “Nashe Film”  was released in early 2018 and attracted a lot of attention from press including the infamous Buro 24/7, Vogue and Tsum (the most prominent luxury department store in Russia). The brand is still young and mainly attracted the attention of local press and buyers yet the night is still young. The idea behind the brand raises a lot of issues of post-USSR times in Russia in the form of reworked designs. Fresh and in need of being heard.