Designer Masha Popova on subverting the ‘sexy’ normative

Image: via Masha Popova

The full quickfire Q&A article was published for CHECK-OUT Magazine and can be read here.

In a time that feels about as stable as jumping on a dodgy-looking rollercoaster running at turbo-speed, there is something strangely familiar about the transformative work and trial-and-error process of Ukrainian designer, Masha Popova. Her work traverses fashion history in its cuts and subverts beauty in its skewed silhouettes, and is arguably one helluva ride. Popova graduated from the MA Fashion course at CENTRAL SAINT MARTINS last year having interned at Celine and, under the guidance of John Galliano, Maison Margiela. Since then, the designer has nurtured a client list that includes everyone from ZARA LARSSON and LIL MIQUELA, to BLACKPINK’S ROSÉ and JISOO.

For her AW21 collection shown last week, the designer chose butterflies as a central motif - think colourful creatures melded to the chest in gauzy lilac bras and luminous blue appliqué. They perch atop spliced jeans, tainted with a rust-like texture as if in decay. It’s dirty-looking, but in the best possible way. It’s a collection that points to a post-human dystopia where nature is emerging through the cracks of a remnant world. Sound familiar? The designer’s foray into biomimicry can be attributed to her experimental design process: “I don’t like to do techniques I’m comfortable with. When I experiment, I often prefer how mistakes look,” she explains. “I like the risk.”

With London Fashion Week going digital for its second season in a row (thank you, Covid), Popova released her AW21 collection through You Make Me Dizzy - a short film that sees the garments through a ‘90s “crime thriller-inspired” lens. “I was thinking about Natural Born Killers and crime. Then I found this reference of a boy standing on a round-a-bout, it made me dizzy. I loved that link to childhood memory.” This dizzying childish disorientation is reflected in Popova’s views on the fashion industry as a whole, a sector she describes as warped by flaws. Among poor mental health and OTT egos, it can feel so far removed from reality that it’s almost nauseating (much like the playground rides within Popova’s AW21 film). Her designs, however, maintain a vivid clarity and never fail to find allure in imperfection.