Who is Orttu?
Updated: Sep 29, 2018
For those who seek balance in a world of extremes, who look for inner peace in the chaos of modern life and who want to express it in their style as well their lifestyle, let me introduce you to Orttu. Based in the Ukraine and founded by designer Artem Gryshchenko and couture pattern cutter Victor Victorov, their designs are contemporary yet timeless.
Recently, a friend introduced me to the designers’ collection and I was instantly obsessed! I mean, how could I not be? Their silhouettes break so many gender norms, I instantly wanted to be draped in every piece. I got even more excited when the brand wanted to get creative with me and photograph an editorial of me wearing their incredible designs. I asked myself where there was an EPIC location that I could really showcase their designs and Prince Edward County, Ontario and its sand dunes came to mind.
I also had the opportunity to start a dialogue with the founder of the brand and get to know Orttu a little deeper. I was very curious what the word "Orttu" means and Artem explained that Orttu was a word that they created that had no previous meaning but the definition they decide to give it. "Orttu is a fashion religion where we all seek balance in our world of extremes. We cut through complexity to find simplicity. We want to express it in our style as well as our lives."
"The Orrtu man is very connected to this world. He believes in the body and the spirit. He is willing to make his mark on this world. He is creative, different and sometimes weird."
When dressing for my photo shoot, I was so in love with how the different fabrics felt on my skin. I am always curious how designers select which fabric is the perfect one. When I asked the designers they said " The days when we get to choose the fabrics are actually the best days in our lives. We have so much fun during the process and get so much inspiration. Every time we choose the fabrics we just close our eyes and start touching and feeling them. If I feel a connection to the fabrics we definitely have to order it."
Orttu is gearing up to showcase their next collection for Ukrainian Fashion Week and I could not be more excited. I was curious what the inspiration was for this upcoming collection " creating this collection for us is like cooking. In the menu for SS19 we wanted to have Japanese silhouettes, European cut mixed with Middle Eastern spices." Stay tuned to see what came out of these interesting ingredients.
