Irina Dzhus talks about DZHUS , last Collection ,,PSEUDO’’ and more ..
Updated: Nov 14, 2022
How would you define your style ?
It’s innovative, conceptual, nonconformist, and future-oriented. Speaking from the design perspective, its unparalleled.
Has your conception about the world of fashion changed since you started? If yes, how?
Even when I’ve just started, I hadn’t had any utopian expectations about the industry. However, back then, I couldn’t even imagine to what extent everything depends on one’s connections. It’s all about the human factor: who you’ve managed to reach and who of those likes you. Your talent matters, of course, but it’s way not the key factor defining your place in the fashion world.
What is the story behind your last collection ,,Pseudo’’ Season23 AW22?
“PSEUDO” is the last collection our brand has presented before the war. We had a show at Ukrainian Fashion Week, and in just a few weeks we were already hiding in a basement of our apartment block while explosions shook the horizon.
The concept of the collection refers to the phenomenon of metamodernism, which is the cultural era we now live in. It is defined by illusion, controversy, and irony as a starting point for creativity. Along with that, duality and hidden senses have always been undividable from DZHUS design that offers numerous metamorphoses of clothing and accessories, and clothing into accessories. In our Autumn/Winter line, duplicity is materialised literally, and the extra content is physically unveiled, as our pieces are transformed either when delaminated, or once their inside is extracted. The silhouettes are exaggeratedly structured, and the styles divide into two directions: abstract-escapist ‘cocoons’ versus markedly classic pieces, concealing a potential for radical reincarnations.
Looking back, this collection became somewhat of a prophecy, with its focus on dualism, unexpected changes, and complete reimagination of the normal.
If you have to choose only three looks from your collection, what would you choose?
What should we expect next from you?
Upon my evacuation, I began to, gradually, relocate the brand to the EU and explore opportunities for, at first, survival, and then further development of our business. At the same, I felt (and still feel) it as my duty to support those of our collaborators who remained in the country by providing jobs for them. At that point, we continued to produce retail and wholesale orders in Ukraine, although it has been pretty challenging, considering logistic difficulties as well as frequent electricity collapses.
Having focused on the practical side of running the business in the changed circumstances, I took a decision to skip the SS23 showcases season. It’s no secret that I develop each of our innovative patterns by myself, which is very time-consuming and requires concentration. Neither did I feel financially ready to step into a new portion of the promotional expenses. I was about to put up with the fact that we wouldn’t have a show this autumn when, suddenly, we started receiving invitations to participate in international fashion weeks with our current collection, “PSEUDO”. I am so grateful to the world’s fashion community that has been so unprecedentedly supportive in these hardest times. Eventually, we had shows at Brussels Fashion Week, Vegan Fashion Week in Los Angeles, Feeric Fashion Week in Romania, and about 7 pop-ups, most of which also had a charity mission.
Now it’s been 8 months since my life has drastically changed. I wouldn’t say war is possible to get used to, but at least, I’m no longer that shocked and disoriented and seem to be ready for bold actions. I’m working on resuming our experimental activity and some production processes at a new place and, hopefully, we’ll be able to make it for the next season. I look forward to creating for our soulmates again!
Check out DZHUS official website below !