IA London, the art of fashion

IA London is a British brand created by Ira Avezov. Herlatest fashion show at London Fashion Week offered us a collection that combines avant-garde and sophisticated British innovation. Ira Avezov begins her artistic process by creating a series of original artworks, hand-painted digitally directly on the pattern. Similar to a painting, each artwork becomes the surface of the garment. The duality of the form and the artwork confront one another to compose a work of art. This young designer expresses a philosophy, a recognizable singularity and becomes a visionary of our time. Fashion takes part in the artistic debate and in custom creation by asserting the symbols of the garment.

Maison Sensey: How did it start?

Ira Avezov: I was a designer long before I knew the word “design”. My first collections were dolls clothes, hand-painted on paper for my primary school classmates in return for their tolerance towards me. I studied classical painting techniques, art and textile design. After my studies, I started working as a designer, and later became a creative director. In 2017, IA Londonwas created under the “art of fashion” vision, aiming to address the long-standing challenge of integrating the design aspects of fashion in art.

IA’s first collection, “Shadows Have No Eyes” (SS18 Men’s), was fairly simple and only included T-shirts and scarves presented during Paris Fashion Week by the Ozone showroom. Then followed the women-inspired collection “My Beautiful Fukushima” (SS18 Women’s) and Macbeth-inspired collection “Sleep No More” (FW18/19 Men’s and Women’s).

Each new collection is designed to make a few steps forward in the complex integration of print and garment. Since the Spring-Summer 2018 Women’s collection, we also developed a unique personalized wholesale concept, inviting retailers to become partners in the design process and to curate their own orders by choosing any combination of print + garment. IA’s collections are already distributed in 7 countries. Our buyers greatly appreciate being able to tailor orders to the needs of their local audience.

What message do you convey through your collections?

I design clothes for people who are not trying to blend in, for whatever reason. Being different and not blending in is often seen as a weakness, something that makes you vulnerable. My garments are designed to turn it into a strength, wearing them is like saying: “I’m different and that’s perfectly fine”.

What is your inspiration for the prints?

I try to learn from Japanese poetry, where the creative concept changes every season. Japanese poetry is a quest for the purest word, without any adornment. It is a long journey and I only just got started.

What are your techniques for printing?

Every garment must look like an actual painting. An advanced digital printing technology helps to achieve this result by reproducing even the slightest nuances in details and colors on about a hundred different fabrics, including luxury silks, cotton, linen, wool and blends. All our collections and accessories are printed and finished locally, embracing the tradition of fine British manufacturing.

What is more important in your creations: style or printing?

Most fashion designers first think about patterns, drapes, shapes. Images usually come second. I think about images first. But my final product is a garment. I need to negotiate between the image and the garment, I need to prevent them from fighting but rather empower one another. It is very important to achieve.

Could you tell us about your recent show at London Fashion Week?

The Spring-Summer 2019 collection was IA’s debut runway. The brand was selected by On|Off London, renowned for showcasing the best emerging and established talents, including Gareth Pugh, Peter Pilotto and J.W. Anderson to name a few.

This collection is anchored in a simple narrative and observation of human existence. Throughout history, humans have been driven by their desire to rule, by an ideology that overlooks and underestimates nature. The quest for wealth, power and longevity defies the beauty of the fleeting moments we experience, overlooking the sublime temporal essence of life itself.

Your collection draws inspiration from Alexander McQueen’s work. Do you want to bring the creative, truthful look at our society that fashion lacks today?

Sight is our dominant sense, and it’s also responsible for deriving meaning from what is seen. We are exposed to so many images these days that we are not looking at one another anymore. I try to design images for us to wear, so that maybe we will start looking at each other again.

Interview by Barbara Sensey
Paris