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Designer Asiya Bareeva’s Moscow-based studio is 30 minutes outside of the center of the city, tucked away in a former factory. The outside of the building is a monstrous Stalin-era creation that looks like a post-apocalyptic ruin. But up a few flights of stairs is a little slice of heaven, the small oasis that functions as Bareeva’s studio. The interior is dotted with piles of rich fabric, brocades and woven rugs, some pieces bought from secondhand bazaars or from Bareeva’s grandmother’s chest. Ceramic tableware made by Bareeva herself dots the space. Here, the designer looks like a royal from another era. She is wearing her hijab, donning her own designs from several seasons ago, including a puffer jacket patchworked from a mélange of pastel and cream silks and squares of brocade.
Bareeva first began designing in 2013 after finishing technical university for textiles. Since then, she’s been known for collections made from secondhand materials sourced from bazaars and her relatives. Her decision to use vintage fabrics started from an eco-friendly standpoint. “There are too many clothes in the world,” says Bareeva. “We shouldn’t produce more; we have enough.” Her belief in Islam and its teachings of modesty are also present in her clothing, too. All the clothing, made to fully cover the bodies of models, is painstakingly and beautifully layered. Bareeva wasn’t always religious. She grew up in a secular Muslim family descended from Tatarstan. It was only after a trip to Mecca a few years ago that she decided to adopt a more religious lifestyle.
Underneath her stunning puffer jacket, Bareeva wears a plain, minimalist dress and a long-sleeved top. It’s symbolic of the recent change in her designs as well as her spiritual life. “I did a lot of things and I did them in a complicated way,” says Bareeva. “I wanted to put everything in one piece. I had ambitions to show my internal world, which I consider an egotistical way of working. Now, I have different intentions and I want to think more about my work.”
To regain focus, Bareeva has taken a break from clothing and is now delving into creating ceramics, a form of art that she considers to be purifying and soul-cleansing. “I am looking inside of myself and I am looking to simplify myself. There were the difficult clothes,” says Bareeva, referring to the intricate designs that first put her in the forefront of Russian fashion. “But I let go of the past and I feel like it is far from me. I like my old clothes but it’s not me anymore. I am already someone else.”
