#INTERVIEW: Galina Yudashkina, Creative Director of Valentin Yudashkin | Taking the Reins
Valentin Yudashkin has been on the official Paris Fashion Week calendar, and a member of the French Federation of Haute Couture and Ready-to-Wear for over 20 years. Valentin Yudashkin is a Russian luxury powerhouse producing exclusive fashion pieces, leather goods, accessories and fragrances, as well as architectural and interior designs with offices in Moscow, Paris, Hong Kong, and now Dubai.
Following the passing of Mr. Yudashkin, the late founder and creative director of the brand in May 2023, his daughter Galina Yudashkina (who recently relocated to Dubai) has taken the reins of the fashion house — it’s development and creative direction, and aims to uphold the company’s international acclaim with a bold artistic vision.
We speak with Galina Yudashkina about herself and the Valentin Yudashkin heritage, And about the mission and ideas that help the brand produce some of the most incredible fashion pieces in the world.
Tanja Beljanski: While designing your collections, you love to have muses. Who are your muses? And who is the Valentine Yudashkin's woman of today?
Galina Yudashkina: We do and I do indeed. Muses are essential in understanding your audience, your values and goals. The collective image of a Valentin Yudashkin muse is a strong, powerful and confident woman who has a strong connection with her inner self and wants to express her individuality to the world.
Similar to the muses as our clients are the muses at the end of the day. We feed off of each other’s energy and compliment each other with true beauty.
TB: Who was your style icon growing up?
GY: Growing up I had the chance to personally meet some of the most inspiring, talented and passionate women including Naomi Campbell and Gina Lollobrigida, but I have also always personally admired Goldie Hawn and her relationship with Kurt Russel.
TB: What part of being a fashion designer do you enjoy the most?
GY: I am still only thirty three years old and believe that there is a lot more to learn about the art of fashion so I would personally say that the learning part is my favourite. In fashion there is no limit to perfection.
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"In fashion there is no limit to perfection."
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TB: How do you balance good business decisions with your creative mission?
GY: Without sales there is no art and without art there are no sales. The balance usually depends on how far we can take the creative process without putting too much pressure on other parts of the company. Personally I believe that the creative processes are key with our incredible team usually on the same page.
TB: Sustainability. What is your design ethos? How has the Russian brand adapted to this demand?
GY: Sustainability is extremely important for the world to move forward but is still very difficult to achieve in the fashion industry. Everyday we spend more and more time analysing the supply chain to try and identify key areas of improvement. One of the main ways that we have improved significantly is planning, reducing the number of unsold items which have significantly decreased with higher demand.
TB: What direction is fashion heading?
GY: You could probably write a book about this and there have been multiple great studies outlining the future of fashion. This said, we believe that the most obvious trends are: strong push for sustainability and customisation as people want to express themselves as opposed to simply trying to be part of a brand’s identity.
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"I could not imagine a life without art."
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TB: What are you most passionate about, besides fashion?
GY: Family, Art and Travel. I could not imagine a life without my three incredible children, husband; multicultural and super talented family. I could not imagine a life without art, bringing man-made inspirational beauty into the world and I could not imagine my life without travel which broadens the horizons of thought through interactions with new cultures, people, nature and architecture.
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"I believe that I have no other choice
but to continue the tradition."
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TB: You have been recently relocated to Dubai. Tell us about your experience in the UAE.
GY: Apart from having traveled to the UAE in the past we have now found ourselves living in the UAE for the past year and a half and call it our home. UAE, as well as the Middle Eastern region have welcomed my family and the Valentin Yudashkin brand with open arms and hearts, something that truly melted my own. Today we love everything about the UAE, from the beautiful mountains of Ras Al Khaimah to the blue lagoons of Nurai Island and Mangroves of Abu Dhabi through which we love to kayak on the weekends.
TB: What pushes you forward?
GY: Family. It is as simple as that. The Yudashkin Maxakov family has always had a history of achievement and success in many industries, including Diplomacy, Art, Fashion, Business, Science and Technology through sheer determination and hard work, and I believe that I have no other choice but to continue the tradition.
