Voronin's interview

On April 14, 2012, at the age of 74, Mikhail Lvovich Voronin, the most famous fashion designer of Ukraine, the master of men's suit, the legend of the fashion world, died.

To the attention of readers of his interview, which he gave a year before his death. Published based on materials from the Internet.

1. You are rightfully called a trendsetter, you have seen a lot on the path of development of our Ukrainian fashion specifically, you have even been awarded the Living Legend order. Do you feel like that yourself? No. Because I know that I still need to learn a lot in life in order to really become like that. In our profession, you have to study and work all your life. If I, not knowing how to do anything, thought only about money and fame, I would never have them. After all, such thoughts distract from work. Even when I became a famous master, and a lot was said and written about me, I continued to study further. I continue to study to this day, because there are so many interesting things in the world, and I know so little. A person, even in 100 years, will not be able to learn and manage everything. 

2. And what features of fashion did you notice? Is it really repetitive?
Necessarily. As they say, what you need to “take from your grandmother’s chest” is somewhere on average in 20 years, maybe even 15. Because fashion has begun to get ahead of the return time a little, if earlier it was 20-25 years, then today it’s already 15 years later, fashion repeats itself.

3. I read that on a bet you somehow sewed a coat in one night. What other sacrifices have you had to make for the sake of your favorite cause?
These were not sacrifices, but the pleasure of showing their skills, so that people would be convinced that a person can do anything if he wants to.

4. And your first author's show in Hollywood in 89 - when the iron curtain was just sleeping - how was the Ukrainian designer perceived abroad then?
They received it very well, because it all depends on who organizes it all for you. And since it was organized by the president of the company herself, the reception was very good. As usual, such screenings are held in hotels, it was comfortable there, there were not many people, somewhere around 50-70 people. Received very well. Of course, I liked men's clothing more, and women's - despite the fact that I took it then from our fashion house, very good clothes in my opinion - I was advised not to deal with women's clothing in the future, but only men's.

5. You are rightfully considered an innovator and inventor. Take, for example, the most famous invention - the unexampled, vest-dummy method. How did you come up with this idea? Dream vision? like all great discoveries :)
There was no sleep here! There was a real life, but the desire to improve every time. After all, when I became a cutter, the first thing I started doing was putting things in order. How to properly schedule work with our customers. How to work with our master performers so that more time is left for creativity. When I got it, I proceeded to the next step. I was looking for ways to start working with one fitting. To do this, I went to Leningrad, I watched and studied. I worked for half a year all day long - I didn’t succeed, sewed, altered, paid people money from my own pocket, because they had to smack it all, but I still wanted to repeat it. If someone is already working with one fitting, why can't we do it? And within half a year of hard work, I found the mistakes that we had and went to work with one fitting.
The fewer fittings the cutter makes, the faster the tailoring process goes. Customers began to stand in lines less, but still we could not serve everyone. I wondered: is it possible to sew a perfectly fitting suit without trying on at all, only by taking measurements from the client? I was prompted to make a decision by a randomly read article in a newspaper. It said that scientists found a Neanderthal finger and restored the whole appearance of a person from it. This led me to the idea that there are general patterns in the figure that can be used in my craft - clothing modeling. I started studying anatomy, asking experts. And he created a construction like a vest - a kind of blank for any figure. It is put on a person and moved around the figure so that all key lines are vertical and parallel with respect to the floor line. After that, the deviations of its figure from the typical one are determined. When the patterns are ready, it remains to tailor, sew - and the suit will fit perfectly. This is how Voronin's unparalleled mock-vest method appeared. He not only accelerated the process of tailoring, but also simplified the technology for creating a suit.

But the whole topic of the unparalleled vest-dummy method has not yet been disclosed, this is still the future. Because today our task is not only to make the suit beautiful, but to make a suit that will fit your character and be comfortable for you. Often we hear how one client says: “it’s hard for me to lace up my shoes in this suit”, and the other one will stand in front of the mirror, look and say “see, there’s a small wrinkle in the back”. Both of them are right! Therefore, first of all, we need to understand the inner world of this person, so that he wants, and then make clothes for him. But when we make these clothes, we should not copy his figure, but be sure to fit his figure into the correct image drawn by us. The image depends on the time in which we live, whether it is the space age or sports or any other - it is important to fit a person into this image. Then he will always be fashionable, he will feel good and comfortable, and he will be modern.

6. And the creation of the largest tuxedo in 2002 is proof that you can dress men of absolutely any size?
Yes this is true. According to our methodology, today we can sew products both as large as possible and as small as possible. This idea came about after a dispute in Germany, when I was told at a design meeting that all European designers make clothes mostly in sizes 48-58, because other sizes are ugly and they don’t want to ruin their reputation. I tried to prove to them that you can make any size and make it beautiful. Therefore, I decided to create this tuxedo, which entered the Guinness Book of Records. 

7. It's no secret that your trademark is a favorite for our Zaporozhye mayor Yevgeny Kartashov. How did your acquaintance begin? Is Evgeny Grigorievich a picky client? :)
No, he's not picky at all. He understands what he wants, is quite simple in communication and in the selection of his wardrobe. He needs a suit that will be comfortable, in which he can work easily, he does not need any ostentatious elements and excesses. If people of his level basically want a foreign brand, then he is proud to wear our clothes, domestic ones. He's great, I respect and love him.

8. By the way, you probably know about the young Zaporizhian woman Polina Gorlova. How would you rate the work of a young designer from the height of your flight?
We always say that Ukraine is full of talents, and in this case, this girl is just of interest, because such a famous artist as Vyacheslav Zaitsev, as Pierre Cardin, has already paid attention to her. If people have already paid attention to this talent, then I will only be happy to support her.

9. Didn't you think to bail and sponsor some young talent?
I would love to do it. But God only knows how busy I am today with work in order to lead a team of 2500 people in our difficult time. Make sure people are happy. Both our customers and our employees. Find that middle ground. Therefore, you have to work a lot, there is no free time even for yourself. Sometimes you need to go to the doctor, but I put off this visit for a month or two. Unfortunately, there is no time today.

10. How did you get the idea to create your own perfume? Was it difficult to find your scent?
If we talk about a men's suit as a complex image, then it will not be complete without fragrance. The idea of ​​creating a perfume is the idea of ​​every designer who has already created his own trademark, produces his own products and wants to have his own perfume as well. It was difficult to find the fragrance, we worked hard on it with our French colleagues. Perceiving the world through smells and images, perfumers specially came to the shows of our collections, absorbed the mood, spirit, emotions, studied the invisible connection between Voronin's costumes and their owners. Work and disputes with perfumers continued for more than half a year, they sometimes thought that we were fastidious, but when the fragrance was found, they realized that we were right. More than 100 variants of compositions were developed, from which the most appropriate one was chosen. It is ideal for those who respect tradition and etiquette and serve as the finishing touch to their own sense of style.

11. You create clothes, release your perfume, publish the magazine "High Light". What other undiscovered talent lurks in Mikhail Voronin?
If I have a free minute, I will think about what and how to make it even more interesting and better. Still be more helpful. I can't stand still. I don't know what's ahead. But I want to improve and improve.

12. By the way, what is the situation with the High society in Ukraine? Can the Ukrainian elite really be called such?
Unfortunately no. She's not ready yet. And not because they are not smart or not educated, but the daily struggle for power simply humiliates them all. And we can't figure out which of them is who, and it's a pity.

13. You are running a "Student" promotion - providing a discount on costumes for students. Is it an anti-crisis method or a way to instill in the younger generation a taste for clothes?
I think that everyone saw that this is a desire to instill in our younger generation a taste for clothes. And to give an opportunity not only to students, but also to teachers to look worthy. Because often, teachers come in such clothes that it is a shame to speak in front of students. What example will they set? Therefore, we decided to make this action for both students and university teachers.

14. And what, first of all, in a man's clothes betrays his bad taste or, let's say, just his character?
Sleeve length, carelessness, wrongly fastened buttons, wrong movements. But I always look not at the costume first, but at the image. If I see an image, then the person is dressed correctly. A man's jacket, like a piano, requires skillful handling. You need to know which buttons should be open and which should be buttoned when you are sitting. And there are a lot of such nuances. A suit, like any other product, requires respect.


15. Mikhail Lvovich, your collections are designed for strong and energetic men like you. And in what way do you allow yourself to be weak? :)
Sometimes go out without a tie. Due to the fact that I have a low and dense neck, I am not always comfortable in ties.