Nanushka is one of my favorite brand of the year because of the line of their clothing, which stands out among many others.
I love their soft-knotted shirts, their neat midday dresses and their original shell bags.
The little plus of the brand Nanushka is their desire to make fashion sustainable, with shirts and pants in vegan leather. A position that works because the quilted vegan leather jacket remains the hit of the brand. Nanushka has cleverly won her nobility in a few years. Interview with the founder of the brand Sandra Sandor.
Could you define the brand Nanushka ?
Nanushka is a Budapest based contemporary fashion house that I founded that aims to deliver an effortless wardrobe for the modern human. With a signature style of confident ease and an evolving focus on sustainability, my collections are inspired by my ethereal journey through travel and time that results in easy-to-wear pieces from the highest quality. As we have just introduced the Nanushka Man to the world, we want to further explore the relationship between women and men with harmonizing collections that bring inclusivity to luxury. With our collections designed in Budapest and produced in Europe, my brand is stocked in over 40 countries and over 250 retailers such as Le Bon Marché, Barney’s and NET-A-PORTER.
How and when was born the brand ?
Growing up around the fashion industry and watching my mother work on her childrenswear business, I always had an intuitive feeling that I would pursue a career in fashion, which is how I chose to study at the London College of Fashion. In 2004 when I was writing my thesis, I really had the urge to develop my theme into a reality. I then moved back to Budapest and decided to create Nanushka as a way to make clothing for women, like me who love to dress comfortably but still feel beautiful while doing so.
Where did you get your inspirations ?
I was born in Budapest, Hungary 8 years prior to the fall of the iron curtain. Throughout history, my home country has always been an intersection of East and West. This duality has formed our culture, personality, and aesthetics. Each era has left its enriching imprint behind but at the same time, we had also formed our own identity. I have always thought of myself as a seeker. I’m constantly seeking new ways of seeing things and new ways of understanding who I am, where I come from and where I’m heading. I have realized that what drives me, as a designer is how I can create a bridge between distant cultural references from different times and different places.
Who is the Nanushka woman ?
I like to call the Nanushka girl a modern human, who is respectful of the life and cultures of others, cherishing the planet as well as being deeply confident in her femininity. She also dares to express her style, likes functionality and values spirituality.
Do you have a brand philosophy? If yes, which one ?
I love to draw inspirations from my travels and through different cultures and time and juxtapose them into a collection. I, myself love comfortable clothes and to feel confident and comfortable in everything I wear, so that’s why I am to add confidence to ease, making every piece informally beautiful.
What is the DNA of Nanushka? For you, what makes the brand unique ?
Nanushka’s main ethos is that we design around the mentality that if a piece is functional than by definition it is deemed as beautiful. Nanushka prides ourself upon designing an effortless wardrobe for the modern human that is luxurious but at a more contemporary price point. We bring informal beauty to our collections with a number of statement pieces such as our knitwear, denim and our signature vegan leather pieces that give various versatile options to your wardrobe. When you purchase a Nanushka piece, you purchase an investment in your wardrobe that you wear time after time and season after season, simply because they’re of the highest quality and they will never go out of style.
Do you have iconic samples of the house ?
Our Fall/Winter 2019 collection is a prime illustration of our fast thinking team with innovative ideas and ingenious ways of bringing remarkable ideas to life. Taking our classic pieces that have received worldwide recognition, such as the Hide puffer jacket, the Lubo belt bag or the Alamo robe coat, we have constantly reached our goal of bettering these classic pieces while keeping their authentic form. This not only applies to our clothes, but also to us as a company and how we are perceived as a brand – always bettering ourselves, season after season.
Did Instagram play a role in your expansion? Do you consider it as a new media ?
Of course! Instagram has been a pivoting point in our brand’s success, it allows us to reach a wider audience outside of both Hungary and Europe. It truly allows us to be ourselves and show who we really are!
What position do influencers play in your communication strategy ?
They translate our creative and aesthetic vision that they can then place in the appropriate environment that we can’t necessarily reach ourselves. We also learn from each other about who really fits our brand and it’s a wonderful way to showcase our products!
How can you explain the popularity of the brand this year ?
I believe that people are starting to realize how practical and beautiful the clothes really are and it’s not the type of pieces you see on the runway, you love but you can never wear. Nanushka clothes are the pieces you see, you love and you wear forever.
What are the actuality of the moment and upcoming projects ?
We are currently in the process of launching other Nanushka stores internationally in a few of our favorite and most promising cities that we are incredibly excited and proud of! We also showcased our debut menswear collection which we will be working on growing and expanding with – another proud milestone moment. I believe that we future holds many exciting things, whether it’s taking a deeper dive into our sustainable commitment, launching new collections or introducing new products to the world, we are planning to reach new customers and build new relationships which are always a top priority for us.
Any fashion tips to give ?
Always feel comfortable, beautiful and confident in everything you wear.
La nouvelle collection pre-fall est disponible sur le site de Nanushka