This creators of the brand Elena Reva and Elena Maistrenko invented the Ukrainian word "elected" by English transliteration. Such a successful idea, one must say, is one of the many born of a young tandem.
They have known each other for eight years, which means that they are friends for eight years. Elena Reva and Elena Maistrenko - models that made a successful career abroad, long cherished the dream of trying the forces in what they are not just knowledgeable about, in what they live - fashion. The first collection of OBRANI with the symbolic name PERSHA duo Reva-Maistrenko demonstrated in late 2009. At the show in the capital hotel HYATT, 200 VIP guests gathered, and very different: the singer Ani Lorak, and the deputy Lesia Orobets, the organizer of the Ukrainian Fashion Week, Irina Danilevskaya, and the secular lioness Alexander Chervonenko. The next day, OBRANI opened their show room in the center of Kiev, and a month later they celebrated their victory - their premiere collection was completely sold. Agree, not bad success for a small fashion company, so what's its secret?
So, what is the guarantee of such rapid success OBRANI - the new fashion brand?
We breathe what we do. Every day is devoted to fashion. I know that many were skeptical of our initiative, they say, the two models will be pampered and the first collection will end. Do not wait! (laughs). Our romance with fashion has just begun and it will be a long time.
Katya Osadchaya in her "Secular Life" said that the dress of OBRANI - a new fashion brand costs from 1000 euros. Is it expensive for beginners?
Katia - the pros of her business, she knows how to raise the rating of the program (smiling). In fact, the cost of the items presented at the show is from one thousand to five thousand hryvnia, depending on the amount of fabric and the complexity of the work. We strive for an optimal price-quality ratio, so fabrics and laces are expensive, and prices are not sky-high.
Let's get back to the basics: how did OBRANI appear - a new fashion brand and why did two successful models suddenly decide to become designers?
In fact , it's a long-standing story, and an old dream. Lena and I walked along the catwalk, moved from country to country, did a modeling career, and at the same time dreamed that someday we would take the place of designers. Then Lena went to live in France, I started working in Savik Shuster's program "The Third Half", got married, gave birth to a small miracle named Vasilisa. While I was inspired by my beautiful girl and loving caring husband, life changed in Lenin's life and she returned to her homeland. Some time passed, everything settled somehow, Lenin's experiences came to naught and we returned to the idea of creating our brand OBRANI.
You tactfully avoid asking about Lena's novel with Omar Arfush, with whom she lived in Paris for four years. But after all, this topic continues to be interesting to journalists-Lena Maystrenko: Listen, let me answer. Once. And this time will be the last. We lived with Omar for four years. It was different: both cheerful and sad, love and separation, everything was as it happens in all the beautiful stories. And the key word here was. No more. I am grateful to Omar for everything, but to stir up the past there is no sense, to recall the past to anything. Today my life is beautiful. I am engaged in something without which I can not imagine myself, I am happy and look only forward.
Who helped you create the first collection?
It seemed that the cosmos itself - we met so many beautiful people: from the team of the hotel HYATT, who prepared together with us the show, to the DJ Dima Hardtennis, who appeared in our life two days before the presentation and managed to mix a great track. In general, the first about our desire to create a collection was learned by Victor Anisimov. After our statement, a momentary pause, then Victor long listed us the pros and cons of the design career, described the difficulties that we will have to face. But still the desire to create OBRANI won.
Anisimov helped us with professional seamstresses and a designer. Well, it started ... -
The PERSHA collection was completely sold within a month ... Lena Maistrenko: And we, of course, inspire such success. Have we allowed ourselves to relax? No no and one more time no.
Now we are working on the second collection of OBRANI and at the same time preparing a cruise collection, which will be a big surprise for everyone, because it will be created in co-authorship with ... I will not say! Who reveals such secrets (laughs).