Stanislav Sumenkov is a Russian designer from Yekaterinburg, near Siberia. His name in Cyrillic looks like this: Суменков Станислав. We learn about what makes him and his collection tick, the latest of his countrymen to propel a new attitude, eschewing in-your-face bling…

Fabien Kruszelnicki: How long have you been designing clothes for?
Stanislav Sumenkov: Approximately 4-5 years now. It all started with my education at the college. For some time I did working apparel, but then I got into designing my own collections.

FK: Why do you design clothes?
SS:I think there is a lot of opportunity to express new ideas in clothes.

FK: Who shoots your collections?
SS: I photograph, because when you do it yourself, your thoughts about apparel designing gets enriched.

FK: Where are the images on your clothes from? Did you photograph them yourself?
SS: Yes, I have an interest in photography. Mainly these are my own photos or photos taken by my friends. I shoot for myself and I shoot to capture the moment, to show the atmosphere. I don’t much care about the academic aspect of photography.

FK: Did you study fashion?
SS: Yeah I went to college, but I never graduated, because at the college they teach the technical side of production, not the artistic part of it.

FK: You live in Yekaterinburg, near Siberia, what is the city like? Is there a lot to do?
SS: It is quite a developed city as Per Russian standards, just like Moscow, only 4 times smaller. Unlike Yekaterinburg, in Moscow they still have architectural monuments, but in our city they demolish everything and replace it with glass buildings, shopping malls and other stuff like that.

FK: Where’s the best place to go out in Yekaterinburg?
SS: It is hard to point-out a single place. We have a lot of places of interest. It’s always better to see it once then to hear about it a hundred times, but the best places are beyond the municipal boundaries, away in the region. I think you would like it there. Come visit sometime.

FK: Have you travelled abroad a lot?
SS: Yes I travel, but not frequently.

FK: What’s exciting about fashion in Russia at the moment?
SS: I think absolutely nothing, with few exceptions. Lots of people say that there’s nothing there.

FK: What kind of inspiration do you have when designing clothes?
SS: I try not to limit myself to a single aspect. Yes I do get inspired by military wear and sportswear, as well as different silly images and things incongruous with each other. I like different sorts of online humour about Russia and Russians. I think sometimes you can find real works of art on the internet.

FK: What does it feel like to be a Russian designer not in Moscow?
SS: I think there is not much difference in it.

FK: What other designers are you a fan of?
SS: From Russian designers I like Denis Simachev, Nina Donis and Gosha Rubchinsky.

FK: Do you have a lot of friends who make clothes?
SS: Unfortunately I don’t have such friends.

FK: You have a lot of military images on your Tumblr, is that a big inspiration?
SS: For some time war is a very real topic, but my opinion of war is negative. I am more fascinated by military wear, lots of pockets, camouflage fabric. I think in the future I will definitely use these elements in my collections.

FK: How is sportswear important to you?
SS: Because sports style and sportswear are an integral part of the Russian culture. Sports apparel can be put on in absolutely different manners and this attracts me the most.

FK: Where would you like to see your collection stocked?
SS: Well I am a humble guy, but I like London. There you have all the needed conditions for the development of young designers and this is very important.

FK: Would you want to travel and design from a more conventional fashion capital?
SS: Yes it would have been good. In Russia you have lots of problems with manufacturing. To prepare a short collection you need to spend colossal energies in finding fabrics, personnel and all the rest. Factories accept only large scale orders.

FK: What are your biggest inspirations?
SS: All that concerns Russia.

FK: If you could sum up your collection in three words what would they be?
SS: Russia, vodka, submachine gun (just kidding). Actually it is hard for me to characterise it just by three words. It is probably the set of different emotions, feelings and my conception of clothes.

FK: How do people buy your collection if they want something?
SS: My first collection was made in limited numbers and there was nothing left practically. In the next season I am planning to sell my stuff online.