Drawing on metaphors and analogies, business director Nathanael Gam, has an unorthodox but incredibly precise way of explaining his thoughts – an exactness that flows through every stitch and digital command created inside Izmaylova’s London headquarters. While others may have recoiled from bold business ventures, Nathanael has led his company forwards without hesitation, fully embracing fashion’s digital explosion. He sits down to discuss the fine balance of online luxury, and how its digital evolution requires sensitivity and respect.

“We are taking something that is steeped in history and bringing it into the modern world – it requires sensitivity and respect.”


Nathanael, why launch a fashion brand now – considering the state of the industry?

There is no escaping the world and its current state. Every day on every newsstand it is the same story. Austerity, credit crunch, budget cuts, redundancies, crumbling nations. It is grim. But luxury is showing remarkable resilience. It is easy to think a recession is a terrible time to start a business, but in reality there are many reasons proving otherwise. Smart entrepreneurs are taking advantage of new opportunities and unique needs presented by the downturn. The trick is to find a way to meet them.


Do you feel the digital space is the best platform?

Yes. If someone is interested in a brand, they will go online to find out more. But the online space is no longer about providing information. It’s about an experience that simultaneously informs, entertains and meets needs in an intuitive way. When Antonina and I decided to launch Izmaylova, we wanted to create a brand relevant to our generation. A generation led by the digital revolution.


The digital revolution has also made it easier for younger brands, like Izmaylova, to find their place.

Absolutely, the online space has changed how fashion functions as an industry and how it is delivered, disrupting both traditional media and retail industries.


And this has made it easier for younger fashion brands?

Before, a brand had to wait until someone in the press took notice. Press would then create retail opportunities. There was a lot of waiting. Now, new business models have emerged that combine the two. Brands can generate their own press, though social media and blogs, and sales through their own e-commerce shops. But the internet makes blending commerce and content much easier and less capital-intensive, allowing younger brands, like us, to find our place.


Creativity and business have always been a bit like oil and water.

I think the state of the world has forced everyone to think in more creative ways to generate interest and stay afloat. It is fascinating how aspirational markets like fashion and luxury have produced some of the most innovative business models we have seen in awhile. They are intuitive and give consumers what they want before they know it. You can’t do this offline.


Are fashion brands fully exploiting digital opportunities?

In general, I believe we haven’t seen what our digital world has to offer. That is a beauty of technology – it evolves constantly. It is impossible to know where it is going.


Luxury fashion, however, has been very slow at embracing online opportunities.

Luxury is all about experiencing the dream at close range, which is perhaps why this centuries-old industry and its mighty brands refuse to embrace the web with any gusto. But they are paying dearly for it.


To a certain degree, brands lose a bit of control. Could this be the hesitation?

The spontaneity is intimidating. Also, consumers want to know the brands they purchase. Brands have never been so accessible. It’s about building a repertoire and a connection through transparency. Technology is not only revolutionizing the way we shop but our expectations.


Also, how do you maintain the aura of luxury online?

Luxury is about exclusivity. The internet is about the democratization of information and accessibility. The challenge of selling luxury goods online is enormous. The experience is completely different. Purchasing a luxury good is a sensory experience that requires a high aesthetic appreciation. How do you accomplish that online? We are taking something that is steeped in history and bringing it into the modern world – it requires sensitivity and respect.


By using the internet as our chief global distribution channel, our approach has to be focused. It is not about price; it is about creating value and building trust, which is hard to do when you are a new brand. A pleasant, seamless atmosphere is crucial. Effective product presentation and options for multiple product views can deliver the comfort level required to create sales.

To translate the offline luxury experience, we have used innovative technologies to provide some of the same benefits as a retail store. An online chat option and a personal shopper mimic the services of an upscale retail store. We also have a customization option for key Izmaylova garments. We offer a layered experience that is interactive. We use extensive visuals, such as colour-schemes, video clips to showcase clothing, slide shows, three dimensional product view zoom to show features and textures.


Do you think it is necessary to have an offline presence as well?

In fashion, seeing, touching and trying on a garment is important. While better online merchandising and product visualisations have undoubtedly enhanced the e-commerce experience in recent years, it is still very far from replicating the in-store experience. Finding the right fit also remains a significant problem. Antonina and I have discussed opening as series of pop-up offline stores providing customized fittings.


We have gone online to find our way back offline.

Without doubt, our online world has created more dynamic offline experiences. If anything they have made them more valuable. But this is the future; all commerce will have an online and offline component.

Sitting across from Antonina Izmaylova-Gam, it is challenging to ignore her profound sense of serenity; it permeates the room, softening disarray with gentle persuasion. Despite the constant flurry of meetings, appointments and travels which govern her schedule, Antonina is a calm creative force. Unfazed by the duality of her responsibilities, as creative director and business woman, she has nurtured the label which bears her name with poise and confidence. The Central Saint Martins alumnus discusses history, the colour black and Izmaylova’s contribution to “Made in England.”

“Sometimes, an idea remains just an idea. It is a part of the creative process - what can be captured and what remains free”


Antonina, inspiration is normally derived from the past – why is this?

I think most of us are intrigued by the past.  What it was like to live in a time other than our own. There is a certain charisma and romance to history. As a child I would spend hour upon hour in art galleries or wandering the halls of Catherine’s Palace lost in thought. Tracing the gold, baroque mouldings with my fingers. History is a dream world. It profoundly influences the way I design.


Would you say the past is more inspiring than the present?

The past is easier to understand because we can reflect upon it; we don’t have this luxury in the present day because we are in it. But inspiration can come from anywhere or anything.


Do you actively seek out inspiration?

There are particular things in history that constantly inspire me. Moments in time.  Places or buildings. I consider these ongoing inspirations that can be found in every collection.


Such as?

The 1920s. It was bold and revolutionary. At times, decadent. I love how the garments complimented the natural curve of the female form, rather than aggressively accentuating or restraining it. They were free flowing. The emancipation they enabled – the incredible freedom which I believe paved the way for ongoing innovation in design but also the challenging of conventions. What is considered feminine or masculine.


Other times, inspiration finds you?

Yes, inspiration can arrive at anytime.  Catalyzed by anything. It is a journey. You never know how it will happen.  It is a very organic process; it can evolve from the most unlikely and ordinary sources, entice any of the senses, or peaks your curiosity like how ostrich feathers move.


There is an element of design that is less spontaneous or creative, the moment when inspiration is made into something practical.

The first object I designed was not a garment but a piece of furniture inspired by the Surrealist movement. A chair with integrated book shelves. I am constantly inspired by other design disciplines like architecture.  The precision. The process of designing and creating a beautiful building also applies to tailoring a perfect garment.


When creativity meets practicality.

Yes. The garment begins with a thought, a concept or a feeling. The thought is then captured with a sketch, from this moment the most interesting part begins - when a two dimensional idea becomes a three dimensional creation with a purpose. When the creator meets the conceiver. The pattern helps it achieve ultimate perfection, sometimes this is also where the process stops. When an idea remains just that.


Creativity that cannot be captured?

Sometimes an idea is just not possible. It is a part of the process, like sketching. It can take hundreds of sketches before you get it right and feel totally in love.


Architecture is very permanent, whereas clothing is very temporary.

It is easy to assume this, but it is not true.  I think to a certain extent, most designers want their collections to be timeless. It is the mark of a true designer, when you are able to wear their creations regardless of season or time. The most challenging part of creating a timeless garment is to achieve the right balance between modern and classic.


You derive this from your surroundings as well.

Growing up in Moscow I was inspired by Imperial Russia; the rich heritage and opulent architecture. The ballet Russe and opera.  My family, particularly my mother, always taught me to respect your heritage. This is a value I try to embrace in my work.


To respect the past?

We have infused our collections with Russia’s past and London’s modernity. Studying at Central Saint Martins made us appreciate its forwardness, but also its street fashion, ambience and combination of architectural styles. You need to have an open mind.  Open yourself to new influences. But also giving heritage modern relevance.


Would you say Izmaylova’s atelier is a testament to this?

Fashion began by hand. We have invested in those who preserve this history through craftsmanship. Our pattern-makers, seamstresses and embroiders possess these very technical skills, but give them a place in the modern world. There are very few brands that produce their garments in-house or have an atelier like we do. With the rise of mass production and fast fashion, these values have been undermined. Craftsmanship is timeless.  It is a beautiful and poetic commandment of excellence. A shared experience, human contact on the material. It is a gift.


Colour can also help a collection transcend time.

Black is one of the most beautiful colours, yet it is the absence of everything. It is known but also unknown - this is its attraction.  Quite simply, it is the embodiment of power.  Something that can be had, but not. It is the colour that best describes us. Fashion is not only about having, but feeling.


An emotion.

Dressing is incredibly emotional. It conjures memories. As a child, I often accompanied my mother to stylish boutiques around the world, watching in admiration as she purchased dresses for the ballet or opera. My desire to design for elegant, pragmatic and enigmatic women, just like my mother, started here.  I believe black embodies their spirit. A woman who is not afraid of being luxurious.


Or seductive.

Yes!