In His Own Words: Designer Sergei Cherkas

Ukrainian womenswear designer Sergei Cherkas is the creative director of Cher Nika by Cherkas and Сher Nika Boutique brands. His creations feature a girly aesthetic, but designed with luxury and grace in mind. Since the launch of the brand back in 2006, Sergei has shown his creations on runways in the Ukraine, Poland and Romania.In this Attire Club interview, Sergei discusses his career, his muses and how fashion continues to live in country shaken by political turmoil.Read the interview below:How did you become a designer? Was this an interest of yours from an early age?

I can most likely consider it a vocation, as my hand longed to draw sketches since early childhood.

A refined taste for beautiful clothes was typical for my mother and she handed it down to me. So my first masterpiece was made for her.

What was the biggest challenge you had to overcome in becoming a designer and launching your label?
To start is probably the hardest thing in this process. The idea of Cher Nika Boutique brand was born in 2006 and its development demanded investments. We got our first serious order; it was an individual sewing of outerwear. The earned money allowed us to work out the entire collection which included casual and night clothes. And further development of our brand as well as the growth of demand in our market led to creation of our first line Cher Nika by Cherkas in 2015.

But the difficulties still exist. Among the essential problems we face are inconstant access to materials of high quality, low purchasing capacity, depreciation of Ukrainian designers (due to enhanced value of foreign brands), lack of professional buyers, low development of the industry on the whole.

Ukraine is currently in a global spotlight due to its troubled political scene. How is the fashion world in such a context?
On the one hand all this raised Ukrainian fashion industry on some level - people became aware to support Ukrainian manufacturers, but on the other hand - from the economical point of view - people's purchasing capacity fell down, now people prefer plain basic wardrobe to designer's clothing.

As for me - I wanted to show the strong side of our people facing this rather tragic situation in our country. So my attitude was reflected in F/W'15-16 Cher Nika by Cherkas collection. The collection named STRONG shows us an image of strong and independent woman.

How would you describe your design aesthetic and what design elements define your creations?
Our brand presents an image of a strong and independent woman, but this image is still full of grace and magnificence. Our client can be described as a woman who is always in mainstream, but who is also ready to experiment, and we are ready to give her all the opportunities with our new collections. I create eight collections per year - two seasonal and two capsule for Cher Nika by Cherkas line and two seasonal and two in-between-season collections for Cher Nika Boutique.
How does a special clothing item change a person?

A woman appreciates herself in a new and higher level and way.

What advice would you give to people who want to become fashion designers or launch a fashion-related business?
All I can say is "Think a hundred times before you do it". Once you start such a business - it becomes your whole life; often leaving too little space for everything else. But if you are determined - then try to find an interested investor, create a good team, make quality your priority, feel the mainstream in fashion and be stubborn on your way to success.

Thank you!

Fraquoh and Franchomme

Photos by Alexandr Rybchuk for the F/W'15-16 Cher Nika by Cherkas collection.

To see more of Sergei's creations, visit the official Cher Nika website at: http://cher-nika.com/.

P.S. We want to hear from you! What do you think of Sergei's world views? How does a special clothing item change you? Share your feedback, questions or thoughts in the comments below! For more articles on style, fashion tips and cultural insights, you can subscribe to Attire Club via e-mail or follow us on Facebook or Twitter!