Ask Anna Wintour, founder of the brand N68 Atelier, about men’s fashion, hard work and the most important thing in a designer’s career

Recently, local brands are rapidly gaining momentum, weight and importance. Almost every week, new players with great ambitions and bright talents emerge in the fashion arena. We always follow such projects closely, bring you the most promising ones and boldly convey the names that are definitely worth knowing to Anna Wintour.

Our new hero is Natalya Baibakova, the founder and designer of the N68 Atelier brand, responsible for men’s fashion in Russia. She creates classic (and not so classic) suits, breaking the rules but at the same time following the traditions and proving that style and trends are not synonymous. Guilherme Marinato and Vladimir Marconi wear the brand’s suits, Ksenia Shipilova uses the atelier’s services and the show is opened by Elena Letuchaya. We can list the fans and friends of the brand for a very long time, but there is no point in doing so, because the N68 collections speak for themselves.

Today we invite you to get to know the talented designer, learn a little more about the world of men’s fashion, his hard work in the fashion industry and of course his endless search for inspiration. Shall we begin?

N68 Workshop

It’s very simple: N is Natalya, 6 is the inverted “B” with which my last name begins, and 8 is the infinity sign.

In 2018.

I really don’t like clear categories like smart casual, casual and so on. First, the terminology is problematic for many, and second, I want to think more broadly. That’s why I would say our motto is: “Style inspired by self-expression.”

It was a “Dad” jacket. I wanted to combine classics and trends harmoniously, so I cut up an old bomber jacket my dad wore years ago and redesigned it into a best-selling jacket that lasted two years.

For Russian men. We value the place where we live and do business, and we love the language we speak. And we respect traditions. First of all, our mission is to make Russian men stylish. In fact, my first collection was called “Yesenin” and was dedicated to the poet’s works, and in February of this year there was a show inspired by “The Bathing of the Red Horse”.

It doesn’t matter to me or the entire team where he works or what he does. He can host social events or sit in a leather chair in his office with a glass of whiskey. N68 Atelier has the perfect look for both.

In fact, I always knew who I wanted to be. Even as a child, instead of dolls, I begged my parents for pens and paper, and when I grew up, I entered the Institute of Design, and then went to Italy. Thanks to this, I realized that what I wanted to do was men’s suits. This path turned out to be more difficult, because this direction is more commercial, and girls are the most solvent consumers, so usually everyone takes up women’s clothing first. But I’m used to going against the system, nothing can be done. (laughing.)

Men.

This is a difficult question because you can be an example to someone in many different ways. And it doesn’t mean plagiarism or borrowing an idea. When I started, I was guided in some ways by the classics of Zilli or Brioni. What the Maison Margiela team has done is also very inspiring. All this mix of cultural codes has made it possible to create our own unique product.

Quality. Character. Style.

We have several of them. First, we have complex things that are easy to “read”. Second, we were able to keep the line between fashion and commerce. And the third “trick” lies in the brain. In our team of creative people, there is a balance between more rational and serious ones. It turned out that both “hemispheres” of the company work at 100%.

The “Dad” jacket and the “Charlie” pants. I am especially proud of the latter because of the correctly designed patterns that solve the problems of any figure. And of course, I cannot fail to mention the “I” jacket that we presented in the couture collection. The accent patches on it are fabric from Alexander McQueen’s archive collection, which is available on the black market. We collected them and made the product into a single copy, and donated the proceeds from its sale to charity. But I do not like to brag like that, I told you for the first time.

I am not a supporter of such answers. It seems to me that you should never guess. Every brand grows, develops, tries new things. And that’s okay.

I am proud of not giving up. I didn’t have a rich family or a rich sponsor; I just had a lot of hard work and faith in my work. I really don’t like stories where you have to shed tears and I don’t want to talk about how hard it was in the beginning. Let’s just say that hard work pays off. Even now, I spend almost all of my income on fabrics, threads and equipment. Because I want the brand to have the best.

There were no such failures. But I am very stubborn and it is very risky to be like that in our time.

Stay within yourself. Not alone, but within yourself. In our profession, it is easy to lose the so-called balance. You have to remember that the higher you fly, the more painful it is to fall. And here you need to find inner balance. Our brand director Ruslan always tells me: “Stay calm and do not look at the situation from one perspective. Because it will destroy you.” We live in a 5-dimensional dimension; everything is very variable. The most important thing is to stay within yourself in terms of emotional and mental health. Because there will be ups and downs. No one is immune.

There are plans to find a new mansion for the brand. Not a store, but a mansion, N68 house, so that men can come there not only to buy clothes, but also to communicate with each other. True, the problem is that there is no ideal room. Everywhere I want to change or add something. I also want to do more great shows, we already have experience in this, so more will come.

Demand and hard work.

On the fabric! Our brand director Ruslan always jokes that I am ready to spend all my money on quality material. But I can’t do it any other way. We work only with the best, so I go to Italy to buy, look at everything to the smallest detail and I am ready to argue with Ruslan forever. (laughing.)

Also, if I had a lot of money, I would spend it on scaling media and the right PR campaigns that would go viral and really catch on. It’s really hard to get all your ideas off the ground without a proper budget. But the main thing is to never give up. Even without LVMH money.

Dmitry Nagiyev.

I have no right to judge.

George Clooney.