co-creators: ANGELIKA CHILIKOVA
London-based designer Angelika Chilikova founded CLON8 in 2013.
Kazakhstan-born, half Greek, half Russian, hailing from a long line of tailors and craftsmen, she began her career at a very young age. Chilikova’s work, influenced by her multicultural background infuses a world of black geometries with a sophisticated aura. Clon8’s spirit lies in the mysterious ease of the silhouettes that comprise its pieces. It aims to blur the line between genders, the avant-garde, ready to wear and conceptions of the norm. Clon8 brings uniqueness through texture, design and creative cutting. It forges an intriguing bond between urban and modern with a unique combination of luxury quality and sensuality.
What inspires you to create? Humanity and cultural heritage are very much my inspirational guide, but it is not a necessity for every collection I work on.
How would describe your style of design? What do you think your design brings of new/original to the world? Anyone that knows my collection would say my predominant use of Black. I find a strange sense of freedom in expressing myself in Black that encompasses a certain kind of functionality both cooling and warm.
By layering and overlapping, and experimenting with not so obvious formations using predominantly black, I believe I demonstrate the possibility of fabrication and challenge the conservative notion of garments.
Have you ever worked on a collaborative project before? Do you think collaborative design can be the future for fashion? In March 2015, I had a chance to integrate my expression with an alternative discipline when I collaborated with a talented architect and sculptor Vlad Tenu. The 2.1m tall transparent encasing was set over a mannequin wearing CLON8 dress called “Transit of Venus”.
I definitely think collaborative design is the way things are heading in the industry. Whether it’s collaboration between different disciplines or with another fashion designer, the process gives one a totally different outlook on your own work and let’s one explores whole new possibilities.
Please share with us an artist or a piece of art that inspires you. Why does it inspire you? Yohji Yamamoto has and always will be my admiration as a creator and as a person. His various interpretation of the colour black has always fascinated me and inspired my work. His process and perfectionist personality which has been described in his autobiography ‘my dear bomb’ has enlightend me of various different approaches to life.
If you were given a choice of having one colour that you would have to only use it for the rest of your life, what colour would it be? I would have to say ‘Black’. Black is a cultural signifier that represents various tribe, religion and concept throughout our history to this present day creating an identity in each relevant domain. It is peaceful and simple whilst also carrying the complexities of our past, present, and future.
Please share a film you could watch over and over again. “La Planete Sauvage” — Fantastic Planet (1973) by directors Rene Laloux and Roland Topor.
NEXT: discover the concept behind Angelika’s co-creation in AWAYTOMARS’ #512 collection
