Interview with a designer “Blood & Honey” Lidia Pfayfer

Our today`s guest Lidia Pfayfer shared with SiaSpace.com editor the peculiarities of production, her attitude to artificial fur and reasoning why work in New York is not so extensive as in Kyiv.

 

Before “Blood & Honey” you had your own interior design bureau that existed five years (Pfayfer&Fradina Interior Design). Tell us, please, how did you switch to clothes design?

It happened rather sharply. With the beginning of revolution in 2014 most building works were blocked due to well-understood reasons. Accordingly I had more free time and I understood that always wanted to create colourful fur scarves. Nobody did it three years ago and it was a very good novelty. That’s why first ten scarves were sold out very quickly, then I reproduced them and so I moved to bags, shoes and clothes.

 

What is the procedure of choosing the fur like? Do you have constant suppliers or you send people to the exhibitions and auctions?

We choose fur very meticulously and so pick the best one. Nowadays we buy it from different places: if it’s rex we go to Italy, if it’s white fox or mink we go to Scandinavian countries. For now we have our own, tested supplier for a different kind of fur.

 

Who deals with coloring fur?

First we tried to cooperate with one of the Ukrainian factories, but the problem is that there are many intricacies in work with fur. For example, if you keep the fur above the steam a few seconds more than necessary, it will turn from light blue into a deep blue. Furthermore, the animals have their own hormones and this can also affect the color. Now we order ready-colored fur from suppliers. Usually I know in advance which colour will be fashionable, and depending on this factor I choose fur from numerous samples that are sent to us by foreign factories.

What happens next?

Fur plates are delivered to us and our furriers come into work. They put out these fur plates on special boards according to some complex technologies. Then they soak them and stretch them so fur would take the needed shape. They are fixed and remain for a while, you will not manage just to take a piece of fur and make a scarf. First, it takes two days only for the material to get the necessary shape.

We choose fur very meticulously and so pick best pieces.

Natural fur causes a lot of controversy and discussions. Gucci house has just renounced the use of such products. Before Armani Group, Stella McCartney, Vivienne Westwood, Calvin Klein and many others which have not produced anything using materials of animal origin for a long time. What is your attitude to such a tendency?

As for Gucci, it seems to me that this is more of a great PR action, so as the brand produced fur coats, leather jackets and slippers with fur inside for many years. Therefore, nobody knows what will happen after creative director is changed. Stella McCartney is a vegan and she never produced things made of animal origin materials. She has her own well-formed opinion and I respect the position. To be honest, I thought for a very long time about the fact that some people blindly try to protect nature even not thinking how much chemical, harmful and polluting substances are used to produce simple jeans. And we never think how much plastic, dirt and clothes are on garbage islands in the ocean. So let's look at the root of a problem. If we take a fur coat and it gets into soil within some time it will be molded.

Anyway nowadays faux fur is on peak of fashion have you ever considered making similar goods?

I will not hide the fact that last year we bought faux fur in New York and wanted to test it at work. I even found a factory that specializes only in it, and considered creating a separate line. Honestly, good faux fur is expensive. As a result, we get a coat, which is slightly cheaper than a fur coat made of natural fur. But it's still faux fur that does not feel warm. With all the pros and cons, I respect everybody`s opinion, but still stick to my own one. And so not yet.

 

After the case with Beyonce stylists write directly to us, tell about the shootings and we cooperate.

Was it a surprise to you when Beyonce came out carrying your clutch, after Blood & Honey clothes was worn by Peris Hilton, Leandra Medin, Winnie Harlow and many other celebrities who lined up after queen B?

 Yes, Beyonce was absolutely unexpected for me. She grabbed it on a date with Jay Z, the photo of her was taken by the paparazzi, and so Beyonce made us a stunning advertisement. The inscription "I kiss better than I cook" has well defeated the tabloids. But we should not forget the fact that if it had been the most common clutch, it would have been hardly noticed at all or have raised such a fuss around it. At that time I was in Kiev and did not understand what was happening. Loads of people began to subscribe to our instagram page, and the mail was piled up for a couple of hours. Later I was shown a photo of Beyonce, and everything was clear. 

Do you keep in touch with stylists who promote brand?  

After the case with Beyonce stylists write directly to us, tell about the shootings and we cooperate. It is true that our clothes hit the popular episode Empire. Stylists find us and show their interest in us which we are always grateful for.

Where is your head office situated?  

It is difficult to say for sure. We are sold in three stores in New York. Also we have there closed type show room that is regularly visited by buyers and stylists. In Kyiv actually we have our own shop for our customers.  

 

How is your spending time in Kiev different from spending it in New York?  

However strange it is, I am more relaxed in New York. There we have a sales manager and director in the office who deal with arranging all the issues. Here all the collection is made, that is why we have some shootings, their arrangements and fussing all the time. I arrive there and I sigh out so as my schedule in Kiev is very busy.

The client of Blood & Honey is …..  

It is definitely a very brave and confident lady who is not afraid that somebody will not appreciate her stylistic experiments. She is the lady with a sense of taste, very easy-going and lively, she accepts everything according to fan. Today she puts on a cardigan with pandas and tomorrow it will be a smoking by Yves Saint Laurent, and she feels equally comfortable wearing both options.

You can buy Blood & Honey clothes online following the link

Author: Tetyana Likarenko