Uncommon threads: the avant-garde vision of Russian fashion collective Nina Donis

Since launching their label 14 years ago, fashion collective Nina Donis have continued to push the boundaries of conceptual design in Russia. The duo behind the label — Nina Neretina and Donis Pupis — studiously avoid convention to create collection after collection that embraces a fusion of styles, anything from Scandinavian knitwear to uniforms. Just three years after their launch, in 2003, Nina Donis were listed in Fashion Now, a book of the world’s 150 most important designers as chosen by the style-savvy staff at i-D magazine. In the book, the label’s signature style is described as reminiscent of the British pop eccentricity found in early Westwood, Galliano and McQueen with a hint of “Russian romantic nostalgia”. In a photoshoot exclusively for The Calvert Journal, Moscow stylist Artur Lomakin looks back at some of the best items from recent Nina Donis collections. Known for eschewing press attention, Lomakin exchanged letters with Neretina and Pupis for the project, both of which are included in the album.

Photo assistant: Yaroslav Kloos
Set design: Dasha Soboleva
Make-up: Nika Kislyak
Hair: Evgeny Zubov, Julia Karpuhina
Models: Sasha Vseviatskaya, Frida Frida, Ira SuperMax, Lia Serge
Special thanks to Kuznetsky Most 20 for providing the space, Olga Karput, Natasha Turovnikova, Point Model Management, Lesya Myata and Anastasiia Fedorova.