Russian Label Partakes in a Bit of Shape Shifting and Rule Bending
Intended for the beautiful moments, Russain fashion label — RASARIO — pays tribute to femininity and sexuality with opulent bows, bustier dresses, and that perfect tailor-made fit.
The evening has begun to wind down into a delicious breeze, and the once-clandestine stars are daring to make their appearance in the night sky. The energy of the room is still abuzz as you find yourself surrounded by friends and family united in blithe celebration. You capture the attention of your contemporaries with your poise, everyone is beaming; but perhaps not as well as your own ensemble. From the “second-skin” feel of the tailored fit to the saturation of the print, you can’t help but feel positively regal with each step; and others take notice as well. Your dress becomes a natural extension of your own charisma and confidence, flattering every unique aspect of your feminine figure, giving you permission to shine as an individual who encompasses every aspect of womanhood. You are a vision.
But the question is, WHO are you wearing?
If Moscow-based visionary designer Rasida Lakoba has any say, you would be donning a piece from her luxe label RASARIO. The Russian designer has been digging deep into explorations of fit and femininity in pursuit of producing pieces that speak to the highest levels of womanhood. Since 2012, the atelier has embodied the culmination of revelry, refinedness, and revelation as the brand seeks to amplify every woman’s quintessential beauty, making women feel most confident and most like themselves.
The line dares to galvanize the feminine spirit, that it might allow for everyday and occasion to feel like a party. When asked about her philosophy, Lakoba revealed, “The art of making a huge celebration, gathering friends and family and showing up in a stunning, gorgeous look at the same time - that is what our lives should really consist of!” If her success is any indication, the fashion world agrees.
A native of scenic Abkhazia, one thing is immediately clear, Lakoba listens. She listens to the lilting cadence of the stories that women tell with their bodies, their hands, eyes, or even the careful movement of their neck. She listens to her clients all across the world and allows their demands to play out in the commissions she fulfills across international markets. But her listening also makes her among the more savvy players in women’s fashion today. “I had no mentoring or specialized experience before I started RASARIO,” reflected a pensive, but grateful Lakoba.
Only a mastermind can translate inspiration from the colors of her motherland and famous artists such as Nicholas Roerich into statement pieces that speak to a woman’s own beauty and story. The grounded designer has also rooted her collection in the “legendary bustier dress” (released with every new line), which gives her the creative license to then take exceptional but calculated risks with big pay-offs for those who endeavor to wear RASARIO. One cannot simply listen to these stories of women and dedicate their lives to outfitting them while speaking directly to their souls through fashion, and not also be about the business of uplifting women. Her entrepreneurial approach to fashion speaks to this as RASARIO is clearly intended to make space for women to arrive exactly as they are - daughters, sisters, wives, mothers, professionals, girlfriends; and to step into the oft-forgotten role of Queen.
While not rooted in conventional design education, the designer has been intentional about learning everything regarding dress construction and the production process. Merging the artistic nuance with the methodological demands of her brand, she has shaped her perspective regarding fashion as a business. “It’s more business to me than anything else,” expressed the couture connoisseur. She spends a good amount of time listening to the market and meeting the demands of increasingly globalized trends. “RASARIO is a fashion business, not fashion aiming to become a business one day,” posits the creative, and it is her very committed to this notion that has allowed this fashion business in particular to gain so much notoriety.
It appears that Lakoba is also a practitioner of patience, as she waits for the timing to play out just right. This can be seen not only in her partnerships with A-list celebrity stylists but also with the incorporation of stylistic elements that, introduced at another moment in the brand’s lifespan, might otherwise have been ill-received. Specifically, Lakoba mentioned the use of an animalistic print that the line had not considered before. “Time came though,” she noted, "and this idea seamlessly matched the whole artistic concept.” Similarly, the concept of the large, opulent bow that she referred to as a “literal anachronism” at one point in time, is now such a staple for her United States audience that its absence would be inconceivable. Seems the RASARIO owner is just as patient with divulging her next steps as she prefers to “keep all the information regarding our future collections a secret.” The suspense might kill us, but we all know that it will be well worth the wait!
Lakoba deepens her definition of what it means to be a “RASARIO woman” with every design, “And I dare to hope that I create it right,” she challenged herself. When a woman feels her most beautiful in one of her dresses, then she is free from competition with others and allowed to truly be joyous. That is what empowerment is made of and for that, we salute her.
