THE DESIGNER
leCRI is a passion project of Anna Kuzmenko - 28 year old designer from Ukraine. Always dreaming of becoming a fashion designer, she received a master's degree in costume design at the Kyiv National University of Technology and Design in 2020. Since then, she has released 6 collections, 3 of which were presented at fashion weeks in Kyiv and Berlin.
While working on her master’s collection she became interested in upcycling and has been pushing the boundaries of sustainable approach in fashion ever since.
In 2023 she launched her own upcycling and knitting clothing brand leCRI with the mission to create unique clothing using upcycling techniques, combining natural and secondary materials and couture techniques of fabric manipulation.
Anna focuses on slow fashion principles, creating limited drops, made-to-order and custom garments for her clients. She believes it is possible to create beautiful and emotional garments without depleting our planet’s resources any more.
THE BRAND
leCRI is a sustainable Ukrainian women's clothing brand that produces unique upcycled and knitted clothing. The brand’s main focus is reimagination of upcycling techniques and emphasis on craftsmanship and fabric manipulation. The collections are released in limited thematic drops. Each drop of the brand is a new story and an immersion into the world of the designer's fantasies. Our core values are escapism, romanticism, and sustainability.
leCRI has already managed to gain attention at fashion weeks in Kyiv and Berlin. The brand's items have also been published in many online and printed publications, including L'officiel Ukraine and Vogue Ukraine. The brand's main sales channels today are its Instagram page and a multi-brand showroom in Kyiv. The brand was also successfully presented in a charitable multi-brand showroom of Ukrainian designers in Berlin. Today, all items are made by the designer personally in Ukraine.
THE COLLECTION
The main source of inspiration for the collection was the ama - women of the sea - women who have been diving into the cold waters of the ocean without scuba gear for centuries to collect mollusks containing natural or cultured pearls, as well as seaweed and sea urchins for emperor’s court. Their tradition has a thousand-year history, is mentioned in ancient Japanese texts and is the motif of iconic miniatures.
Having delved into the study of the origin of these brave divers, the designer was inspired by the aesthetics, rituals and mysticism that surrounded their activities over the millennia of the existence of a unique female profession. The main goal of the collection is to demonstrate traditional Japanese techniques of fabric manipulation and immerse the viewer in the atmosphere of professional mermaids of Japan who conquered the elements of water and air.
Supporting the brand's DNA, the collection uses recycled and natural materials, with emphasis on craftsmanship techniques and fabric manipulation.