Art Deco dresses from her fall line. (Courtesy of Kira Plastinina)
Kira Plastinina, a junior at SMU studying communications, French and fashion media, has certainly proven herself as a young international designer.
Where are you from?
Moscow. I lived there all my life and went to an American school in Moscow. I moved to the U.S. a few years ago.
When did you realize you wanted to become a fashion designer?
I was always interested in fashion design and clothing, ever since I was young. I started with dressing up my dolls. When I got a dog, I started dressing it up too. I then started creating clothes for myself and my friends.
How long have you worked as a designer?
Since I was 14 – that was when my first collection came out.
What do you like best about designing clothes?
Every time I design, I design for myself. Every garment I create, I try on. I make sure the fabric feels good, the fit is comfortable and the overall effect is flattering. I want my clothes to be practical.
Describe your brand.
My brand’s name is LUBLU Kira Plastinina. It is a premium contemporary brand that is targeted toward trendy women who are involved in fashion.
I would best describe my lines as feminine, daring and savvy.
What is the meaning of your company name, LUBLU?
It means, “I love” in Russian.
How would you define the style your fall line exemplifies?
When designing the fall collection, I was interested in the ’60s and ’70s, and how two consecutive epochs can have completely different styles. So I aMy line has a lot of pieces made from guipure, which is a thick lace fabric. A big part of the fall collection is Art Deco print featuring flamingos, and color blocking.
How would you define your personal style?
My style reflects my every day life. It is pretty relaxed and feminine. You will mostly see me wearing oversized T-shirts and tight jeans. I like to look put together, but not like I tried too hard.
What is your favorite trend this season?
Graphics and prints – I love how people mix and match different prints, or when they wear an outfit with a single print.
Color is another big one. I am really tired of black and white. I also love bulky necklaces.
Who are some of your favorite designers?
Right now I really like the collections from Carven, Pucci, Kenzo, Altuzarra and Proenza Schouler.
What stores do you like to shop at in Dallas?
My favorite is Forty Five Ten. I get a lot of inspiration there and its atmosphere is great.
Where else do you get your inspiration?
My inspiration comes a lot from my life and things that I am doing. The 70s have been inspirational to me for a long time and my first collection revolved around this decade.
What are your favorite fabrics and patterns to work with?
I consider myself more of a dress designer, so silk is one of my favorites. Neoprene is a fabric that is unique to LUBLU and I have been working with it before it became fashionable. I also love experimenting with knit-wear.
Where can readers find your clothes?
There is a store in Los Angeles, but they can also be found in multi-brand boutiques in New York and Miami.
What are some of your biggest accomplishments?
My brand will be opening our own manufacturer in Russia beginning in time for the spring and summer 2013 collection. Everything for LUBLU will be made in Russia.We’ll have our own in-house production, higher control over quality and more flexibility.
What are some of your fashion-related goals?
Keep on doing what I’m doing, expand, introduce my line to the market in the U.S. and have a bigger presence globally, especially focusing on the Middle East and Asia.
What advice do you have for aspiring fashion designers?
Be very involved and on top of what’s going on in the fashion world. Read fashion publications so you know what is happening in the industry.
Develop your personal style look at different pictures to see how trends are evolving. Learn how to predict for future years what will be trending.
Have a vision – don’t worry if you can’t draw. Focus on developing your personal style and insight into predicting future trends.
