Studio
Inside the Studio: LIZURÁ
Which city and particular neighborhood is your studio located in?
Our showroom and atelier is located in the heart of Saint Petersburg, also know as the “culture capital of Russia." Our building stands on the English embankment surrounded by museums, historical buildings, and a military academy. In the summer we can see the unique and beautiful bridge opening at midnight, which is done in order for ships to travel through the city.
What made you choose this particular space and location?
We were looking for a space that would make our clients comfortable and enjoy themselves. It is very important for our creative process—the space is a continue of our fashion.
Most favorite and least favorite aspects of the neighborhood?
Our most and least favorite part is the embankment: in the summer the fresh sea breeze with its red and pink sunsets is amazing, but in winter it’s harsh and unforgivable with its strong winds.
What made you decide to create a fixed base with a physical studio space?
We realized that in order for buyers, clients, stylists and others to fully understand what we do we needed to have a space that represents us. Our showroom works by appointment, and we wish to spend as much time as needed to have all our attention on our guest, which is why we sit by our big marble table drinking coffee and creating an experience—all those details of the experience are a bit forgotten today. Every client is important to us and we work hard on bringing back the aspect of individuality, quality over quantity, and attention to details. Almost all of our pieces are made to measure by our tailors for the perfect result.
How do you think working in a studio plays a role in the design process?
When you work in a space that you love, that you build with your hands, and everything speaks to you in your language—this is harmony of your mind and space.
Tell us a bit about your space. What are your favorite components?
The space is in a closed private business building that is owned by a Saint Petersburg family. We control how private or open we wish to be that day, which helps when you wish to be in your own head space without being disturbed. We have big windows and you can see the river and the other side of the embankment and its beautiful with sun shining through the big arched windows at day and city lights at night.
Where do you feel the most inspired in your space?
I enjoy working late, when it’s dark outside and I see the night city with its lights and noise of never-ending city life I feel very inspired. I turn all the lights off, put on music (Lana Del Rey, soundtracks from David Fincher movies, Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross) and I start seeing ideas and create designs. We have a marble table that is the center of all the work, the cold stone is very nice and soothing its filed with our energy.
Bring us through a day in the life while working in the studio.
Our day starts in the atelier on the 5th floor where I work with my co-founder Lora Lizura and our team of tailors. We go through or plan and custom orders, and we talk about details and complicated parts of the orders. We take time to drink coffee and go through new design ideas and inspirations from fashion, collections and fabrics to the designs of our next graphic designs for cards, bags and other things. Lora returns to the atelier to supervise and help with the garments, and I stay in our showroom on the 2nd floor and work on all the designs, image and planning in what direction we should go. I and Lora work together with our clients, making them comfortable in our showroom, helping them create the wardrobe they wish.
Most unexpected part of the studio?
Our marble table, it has a magnetic energy about it. All clients always compliment it and enjoy feeling the stone, they like to look at the marbled veins that go from silver to warm pink all through the table. The table was our first investment in our small workspace when we started creating this brand.
What’s your creative process like? Has it changed since working in your space?
It starts with a feeling and vision about a shape and how the fabric falls and moves, how it sits on the body, how it contours the curves of the women that wears it. I start to think more about how to realize the visual image and bring it from fantasy to reality. I don’t draw or sketch the garments, I write down every idea on post-it notes with the smallest details, it’s a fully invisible process in my mind. When I feel that I completed it, I present it to our team and the designer Lora. I print images for them, from movies, magazines, portraits to give them the understanding of the feeling the women has when wearing it I sometimes draw on top of those images the shape and lines of the fabrics. All the mood boards and visual images are for the team to get inside my mind, to see what I see, to feel what I feel to bring it to life.
