Discovery Gallery with Coswick. OLGA SAMOSCHENKO

The Model

“I don’t judge people by what they wear but I always pay attention to how they are dressed”

Olga made a statement when she brought her favorite armchair to our photoshooting. This centerpiece set the mood and style of the session. It was Olga herself who dictated the rules of the setting, not the photographer. Andrei Schukin was put in an unexpected situation for a professional photographer; he only had to take photos. As a professional photographer, he is used to having the full control of the model, to create a vision of the artistic setting, energy, and mood. But all that changes when two artists collide together on a project. Ideally, mutual understanding and trust develop, which happened here. Andrei took on Olga’s proposition on the setting, while Olga put her trust into Andrei and let him guide the photo shooting This was a new role for Olga; in her profession, the cameras are pointed at her models, not her. 

A Name in the Fashion Industry 

The name, Olga Samoschenko, is well-known and recognized in the world of Belarussian fashion – she was there at the inception of the industry. The year 2020 will mark the 25th anniversary of the very first fashion show “Mammoth.” Name Samoschenko is now a brand that is recognized much further than her home country of Belarus. Her designs were showcased in Russia, Belarus, and the Czech Republic. She established herself in the Moscow fashion industry with numerous awards in professional shows in St-Petersburg, Moscow, Vitebsk, constant attention from press and critics.

This Belarussian designer has an extensive list of celebrities who choose her design, which, certainly, is important to any artist. In the fashion industry, this is considered a sign of appreciation and quality. But for Olga, this is not the most important thing: “It is important to do what I love, and to be happy that others appreciate it too. When people want to wear the dress that I’ve designed, I feel the true satisfaction of an artist”.

It is this drive that inspired Olga to start in the fashion industry in 2000 and open a professional studio where she creates her signature collections.

One of the professional recognitions was the invitation to teach at the Belarussian State Academy of Arts, from where she graduated years ago. Today, she teaches the Art of Costume Creation to her future colleagues. At first, she did not take the job offer seriously: “This was the big experiment for me. It was a total coincidence that I agreed to it. I thought I was not good enough to be a professor. But as I got into it, I realized how interesting and inspiring the process was, – says Olga with a smile. – I really got into it, and the students became good friends with whom we have so much in common. Now, I have a big professional network of the most interesting people. This makes me happy”.

Lights-Camera-Action

Olga is calm and confident, open and feminine. Impressively sensitive to the change of mood and tone of her colleagues. But she doesn’t open up right away, she likes to keep her distance at first: “There is a belief that Belarussian people are closed and careful in new relationships. And I am truly like that. I take my time to sense if there is a relationship that is worth building”.

And once the trust is there, she will share and open up. She will talk about her nine-year-old daughter with sparks of love in her eyes. She will share why she loves living in Minsk: “I love the rhythm of a big city”. And that her favorite way to relax is hanging out with close friends, going on a family getaway in nature, watching a good movie, and having some me-time.

She jokes that judging people by their clothes is her professional flaw: “I don’t judge people by their clothes, but I always pay attention to how people dress. I love to observe how they express themselves through their styles”.

The photoshooting is over. Olga and Andrei are looking through the photos, choosing the ones they both like, sharing their thoughts and nuances – the dialogue between two artists. They are both satisfied. Done.

As Olga is bidding her goodbyes, she is smiling. Somehow it is different now, more open perhaps…

In project used Coswick Chevron flooring Grey Cashmere.