Molodow Studio
Molodow Studio is a brand that thrives on spontaneity, drawing inspiration from everything except conventional fashion. Known for its experimental use of bold patterns, unconventional silhouettes, and upcycled materials, the brand often reflects a fusion of punk, hip-hop, and traditional Japanese art. Molodow Studio embraces imperfection, celebrating mistakes as opportunities for unexpected creativity. With sustainability guiding its process and a strongly curated visual identity, the brand continues to push boundaries, merging subcultural influences to craft garments with attitude and edge.
Your brand has a distinctive aesthetic that really stands out. Can you tell us about the inspiration behind your designs? Also, the use of bold patterns and textures is a hallmark of your collections. What is your creative process like when developing these intricate designs?
First of all, thank you for the compliment! My inspiration for my clothes comes from everywhere except clothes themselves, to put it simply. The creative process starts with a feeling that I get impulsively, like it and continue to act on it until I can visualize and realize it. So these emotional impulses come quite by chance while I'm usually not even thinking about designing. It can come from music, sports or a cigarette, all kinds of different things, there are no rules. However, the design process never produces exactly what I visualize. Because I taught myself to sew, I still make a lot of mistakes, for which I am very grateful. Mistakes lead to unplanned things, which I then usually like better than the initial vision. How can you create new things if you do everything right? My focus is on emotions and not on perfection. So you could say that abstract expressionism is a great inspiration. Of course, it meets with resistance, but it's only a matter of time before this art form is implemented and liked.
We see a lot of unique and unconventional silhouettes in your collections. How do you approach the challenge of creating garments that are both innovative and wearable?
I start with a simple silhouette in my head and roughly follow its proportions. So the focus is first and foremost on the silhouette of the piece and is then broken down until it can be worn as a piece of clothing. That's how I see the world. I see the big picture first before I go into the details. What makes my pieces innovative is that my initial vision has nothing to do with clothes and only transforms into wearable clothing in the process.
There’s a clear sense of attitude and confidence in your brand’s identity. What kind of narrative or mood are you aiming to convey through your clothing? Can you tell us more about the cultural or subcultural influences that inform your designs? How do these influences shape your brand’s ethos?
I like it loud and expressive. My clothes are not exactly inconspicuous. I draw inspiration from various subcultural influences and mix them. For example, classic traditional Japanese art, which is actually rather finely expressed, is embroidered on baggy pants in a very thick and 'pretentious' way.
In general, I draw a lot of inspiration from the punk scene and its reinvention in the present. For example, I like how people suddenly start mixing punk with hiphop. Something like that was unthinkable back then and today a new genre is emerging from the combination. I approach my designs with a similar mentality and way of expression and combine different subcultural influences to create something new.
Sustainability is a growing concern in the fashion industry. How do you approach sustainability in your design and production processes?
I started my label with upcycling and I will continue to do so. Of course, there are limits to what I can produce. I have a design that I upcycle on commission, which is not easy. Finding the right second-hand clothes every time to make exactly the same design is a challenge. But it feels good to use almost no new things and to reuse old clothes that are just lying around in the corner anyway and make hot stuff out of them. I'm trying as best I can to continue along this path and develop new designs that can be reproduced this way. Of course, there are limits to what you can do. I now also have designs produced, but I pay attention to clean production and small quantities in order to maintain the value of the clothes and to keep my distance from fast fashion.
Your brand has a strong visual identity that extends beyond just the clothing. How do you use photography and styling to enhance the storytelling aspect of your collections?
The presentation of my clothes is a task that I am happy to take on. The representation of the clothes forms the bridge between me and the viewer. My pictures are created in a similar way to my clothes, very spontaneously and impulsively. I have a rough vision in my head, then I just start making and most of the ideas emerge in the process. Just like with my clothes. I took almost all the pictures myself so that the process is equivalent to the way my clothes work.
Are there any past collaborations that were particularly meaningful for your brand, or any dream collaborations you hope to pursue in the future?
I've never had a collaboration with another brand, but I have worked with some magazines and artists. I think the biggest success is that Machine Gun Kelly wore my pants at a concert, which was super random and not planned at all. The most significant success was that Nascar Aloe wore my pants at a concert. That was for personal reasons and it showed me for the first time that my clothes can really make it into a niche that I want them to be in.
There was a situation where I had the chance to take my clothes to Ken Carson when a client who was organizing a concert invited me to hang out with him backstage. I had to pass because I was studying for an exam that I ended up failing.... damn, that felt so bad, haha. I also want to thank lildenimjean for posting my first design, which was kind of the beginning of making my stuff public. I definitely have some brands and artists I'd love to collaborate with, but I'm keeping it to myself until it comes true.
What can we expect next from Molodow Studio? Are there any upcoming collections or projects that you’re excited to share with us?
I took a long break from releasing new stuff because of personal reasons but I'm working on a lot of new stuff right now. So yes, there is a lot coming in the near future! Recently I experimented with rust and clothes. I sewed metal into fabric and let it rust which turned out pretty interesting! I might include that technique in some future projects. In general, I’m in an experimental state right now, so I’m trying out a lot of things and see what I will keep on working. I don’t like to plan that long ahead, I’m more spontaneous, so follow my journey and see where it goes.
