Blind designer takes Ukraine by storm
Published 16 March, 2008, 07:52
Having good eyesight might seem like one of the main requirements for making clothes. But one fashion designer from Ukraine has proved that 20-20 vision doesn't come first when it comes to real art. Although Sergey Ermakov is almost completely blind, he's already earned a reputation as the country's most popular dressmaker.
Sergei Ermakov is the number one and most expensive haute couture designer in Ukraine. His colleagues say that his talent will inevitably conquer the fashion gurus in Paris.
When he was younger he wanted to be a tailor. During the Soviet Union, he recalls, everything was grey and dull, but his mother could sew amazing clothes that made a great impact on his life.
At the age of 11, he was diagnosed with diabetes which affected his eyes. He can’t sketch out his designs any more. He plays it by ear and his assistants are always there to help.
“I could read on my own before, but now my mother and my friends are reading to me. They go to fashion shows with me and comment everything they see. Of course, to make up my mind up about a dress I need to feel it,” Ermakov says.
Designers are always flattered when he comes to their shows.
Although recognized at home, he doesn’t want his fame to stop here. He wants to see the girl on the other side of the planet wearing His dresses. New designs often keep him awake all night long.
“At the last Lucciano Pavarotti concert in Kiev, I closed my eyes and there my new collection dawned on me. Sometimes the starry night is the source of inspiration. For one of my Russian clients I made a dress like that, sparkling crystals against the dark silk,” Ermakov says.
Sergei says that he doesn’t argue with God and accepts the female form the way it is. He picks models older than 20 to make his work look classy and mature.
And always gets very nervous in front of an audience. His studio is a hive of activity. Sometimes it takes months to work on a certain dress. But as he says, it’s all done with heart and soul.
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