"What I wanted to create was something more than just high quality clothing, it needed to have a heart..." meet our interview with a great person and one of the best kids fashion designer Dace Zvirbule.
What sparked your interest in fashion?
I guess it must be my passion for colors and beauty. Here I must also mention my two lovely daughters who have been my main inspiration. I love paying attention to details in life and in things that surround us and they all just seem to come together in a fairy tale - A Royal Tale, which is then told by Aristocrat Kids with each collection.
How did you develop your skills as a fashion designer?
For some reason, when you are in the right place doing what you are passionate about, the right information and right people seem to find you. I have had a very rich 5 years that have given me the opportunity to become introduced to this great field of FASHION. I still feel that there is so much to be discovered and learned. But the bottom line is that no matter how bad or tough a day might turn out, I am still happy to be exactly where I am.
At what age did you first notice fashion around you?
I guess those are my teen memories that brightly come to my mind - I loved experimenting with fashion.
What sort of clothes did you enjoy wearing as a child and what did you hate wearing?
Just as any little girl, I found that the best fashion pieces are always the ones hidden in your mom’s closet. :) The most disliked item must be the winter tights we had to wear during the cold and snowy winters, they always seemed to itch.
Why did you decide to create Aristocrat Kids? And where did the name of your brand come from?
It was just the right time and place to turn my long lived dreams into reality and that is when one thing led to another, another... and so it happened. The name Aristocrat Kids - because it sums up all the little details that mean beauty for me, adds a little bit of fairy tale and altogether comes to being A Royal Tale. What I wanted to create was something more than just high quality clothing, it needed to have a heart - a story that could make it possible for the kids to become part of it. Something that would bring a smile, let you forget about the everyday rush, at least for a moment. We are creating a little Wonderland, we try to remind people of the basic values that have been somewhat forgotten in this very fast century. We focus on long term relationships and put quality on the very top of our priority list.
Do you have a particular muse for your children‘s collection?
I think the biggest muse is life itself. Just think of the colors and emotions it brings to us, it is only then a challenge to select the right ones to be brought together and made into a story ñ a collection.
Can you tell us a little about the new Aristocrat Kids collection for girls?
The new collection FW2015-2016 opens a new chapter of Royal Tale and yet another magical place – Winter Wonderland. Deep royal colors, soft velvets, exquisite silks, cashmere and lace - all come together to tell the story about the extraordinary union of a little girl and her gracious, sincere companion – the chestnut colored stallion.
The collection introduces three new signature prints – wild rose, cashmere knit and gracious horses. Every piece in the collection is hand-made, including the beautiful accessories - footwear,
hats, bags, knitwear and embroidery. Each garment is hand made by a single tailor from the very beginning to the final product and comes with a special tag individually signed by this royal tailor.
“ARISTOCRATA” introduces a special new friendship with the luxurious House of Dormeuil, making their finest cashmeres, wool/silk mixes and the very limited edition Royal Qiviuk* part of this collection!
Each Royal Qiviuk garment is specially tailored and comes with a unique, individually
addressed certificate, hand signed by Monsieur Dormeuil himself.
It is the beginning of a new adventure…
What are your three must-have items in the SS15 collections?
I love the collection because it lets the clients mix and match and play around with various combinations of the garments. But, if I were to choose 3 items, I would go with: 1) Jazmine set ñ the lace coat and taffeta dress for special occasions. By the way, the lace coat also looks absolutely gorgeous with pants and a simple top. 2) Fleurette jacket and Charlotte pants set in rose print, I absolutely adore the print! 3) The baby animal print raincoat, this is one of the sweetest prints I’ve seen, kids love it so much!
How does it feel when you see a child in one of your designs?
I always feel very honored and happy; it always brings a smile on my face.
Do you like children to be mini-mes?
I would say that we rather focus on other aspects when creating a collection. With our collections we create a new chapter in our fairy tale and the items that make up the collection help kids live inside this story. Our little clients can become roses, baby animals, magic birds, princesses, diamonds and a lot more, if they wish to. For example, the Magic Bird collection even has a silk dress with decorative feather print wings. We always keep in mind that the clothing we create needs to be pleasant to wear.
The ready-to-wear children’s wear fashion industry is booming, with more and more luxury collections being launched. Why? How do you think?
We do want to give our kids the best even from the very early days of their childhood. We, as parents create the basic conception of what is good - good taste, manners and life as whole. Quality food, clothing, music and other factors just teaches our kids the understanding of what is good. Then, when they grown up, they always have a choice whether to accept it or not but they will have a very good base. More and more people are starting to pay attention to the quality of the product, to details and to the overall value of the product. Clients are starting to think more long term, that is very smart and we love it because those are our clients, those who have the need for true value.
You are a designer, and a mother of two little girls. Do your children take an interest in fashion?
I have 2 girls. Alexandra is almost 8 and Elisabeth is almost 3 years old. Both of them love dressing up. Alexandra especially takes interest in what I do and loves to be a model in photo shoots and especially enjoys catwalks, although I have never asked her to do it. Elisabeth, even though she is barely 3 years old, adores dresses and dressing up for special occasions.
If you could dress any celebrity’s child who would it be?
Let this remain a little secret, let‘ s just see how dreams transform to reality.
Can you describe a typical 24 hours in the life of Dace Zvirbule?
I sat at this question for more than 30 minutes, trying to put down a typical day and suddenly realized that there is no typical day, it is a journey with a number of planned pit stops leaving the rest up for that day because I have learned that the harder I try to plan, the harder I have to fall because my day is full of surprises.
I have learned to be very flexible. I think it is some magical capability that comes with being a mother ñ being used to the unexpected and always finding ways how to manage these situations. It is a great quality to have at work as well.
What are your design signatures and How would you describe your own personal style?
I love long lasting designs, I love color, love pleasant, high quality materials and I like fairy tales so when combining all these qualities in one, you get a signature design by Aristocrat Kids.
What do you love the most about your job?
I don’t see boundaries to it, it keeps me thinking and moving on, it is endless! My job lets me be the person I like to be, it gives me loads of positive kick back and motivation. It lets me experiment, meet fantastic people and see wonderful places. It is my passion.
What’s your greatest strength?
I never give up, I see every obstacle as a new challenge that has to be won, I believe in happiness and know that impossible is nothing. I love life.
What’s your greatest weakness?
I think I am quite lazy actually but I never let myself come to it, I like to challenge myself. I am much better off with a personal assistant to keep me on track of little every day activities, meetings, birthdays, just to keep me on schedule.
What is the one trait that makes a child attractive?
Love for life, happiness and just being a kid.
What is today‘s goal?
To finalize the structure for the new collection, decide on a cake to bake and activities to do for Alexandra’s 8th birthday party.
What advice do you give young people who have a big dream like you had?
Just go for it! Even though you might not end up with the idea you first had, you will see that it may lead you to an even greater result because you can only get somewhere by doing and not by thinking.
What sparked your interest in fashion?
I guess it must be my passion for colors and beauty. Here I must also mention my two lovely daughters who have been my main inspiration. I love paying attention to details in life and in things that surround us and they all just seem to come together in a fairy tale - A Royal Tale, which is then told by Aristocrat Kids with each collection.
How did you develop your skills as a fashion designer?
For some reason, when you are in the right place doing what you are passionate about, the right information and right people seem to find you. I have had a very rich 5 years that have given me the opportunity to become introduced to this great field of FASHION. I still feel that there is so much to be discovered and learned. But the bottom line is that no matter how bad or tough a day might turn out, I am still happy to be exactly where I am.
At what age did you first notice fashion around you?
I guess those are my teen memories that brightly come to my mind - I loved experimenting with fashion.
What sort of clothes did you enjoy wearing as a child and what did you hate wearing?
Just as any little girl, I found that the best fashion pieces are always the ones hidden in your mom’s closet. :) The most disliked item must be the winter tights we had to wear during the cold and snowy winters, they always seemed to itch.
Why did you decide to create Aristocrat Kids? And where did the name of your brand come from?
It was just the right time and place to turn my long lived dreams into reality and that is when one thing led to another, another... and so it happened. The name Aristocrat Kids - because it sums up all the little details that mean beauty for me, adds a little bit of fairy tale and altogether comes to being A Royal Tale. What I wanted to create was something more than just high quality clothing, it needed to have a heart - a story that could make it possible for the kids to become part of it. Something that would bring a smile, let you forget about the everyday rush, at least for a moment. We are creating a little Wonderland, we try to remind people of the basic values that have been somewhat forgotten in this very fast century. We focus on long term relationships and put quality on the very top of our priority list.
Do you have a particular muse for your children‘s collection?
I think the biggest muse is life itself. Just think of the colors and emotions it brings to us, it is only then a challenge to select the right ones to be brought together and made into a story ñ a collection.
Can you tell us a little about the new Aristocrat Kids collection for girls?
The new collection FW2015-2016 opens a new chapter of Royal Tale and yet another magical place – Winter Wonderland. Deep royal colors, soft velvets, exquisite silks, cashmere and lace - all come together to tell the story about the extraordinary union of a little girl and her gracious, sincere companion – the chestnut colored stallion.
The collection introduces three new signature prints – wild rose, cashmere knit and gracious horses. Every piece in the collection is hand-made, including the beautiful accessories - footwear,
hats, bags, knitwear and embroidery. Each garment is hand made by a single tailor from the very beginning to the final product and comes with a special tag individually signed by this royal tailor.
“ARISTOCRATA” introduces a special new friendship with the luxurious House of Dormeuil, making their finest cashmeres, wool/silk mixes and the very limited edition Royal Qiviuk* part of this collection!
Each Royal Qiviuk garment is specially tailored and comes with a unique, individually
addressed certificate, hand signed by Monsieur Dormeuil himself.
It is the beginning of a new adventure…
I love the collection because it lets the clients mix and match and play around with various combinations of the garments. But, if I were to choose 3 items, I would go with: 1) Jazmine set ñ the lace coat and taffeta dress for special occasions. By the way, the lace coat also looks absolutely gorgeous with pants and a simple top. 2) Fleurette jacket and Charlotte pants set in rose print, I absolutely adore the print! 3) The baby animal print raincoat, this is one of the sweetest prints I’ve seen, kids love it so much!
How does it feel when you see a child in one of your designs?
I always feel very honored and happy; it always brings a smile on my face.
Do you like children to be mini-mes?
I would say that we rather focus on other aspects when creating a collection. With our collections we create a new chapter in our fairy tale and the items that make up the collection help kids live inside this story. Our little clients can become roses, baby animals, magic birds, princesses, diamonds and a lot more, if they wish to. For example, the Magic Bird collection even has a silk dress with decorative feather print wings. We always keep in mind that the clothing we create needs to be pleasant to wear.
The ready-to-wear children’s wear fashion industry is booming, with more and more luxury collections being launched. Why? How do you think?
We do want to give our kids the best even from the very early days of their childhood. We, as parents create the basic conception of what is good - good taste, manners and life as whole. Quality food, clothing, music and other factors just teaches our kids the understanding of what is good. Then, when they grown up, they always have a choice whether to accept it or not but they will have a very good base. More and more people are starting to pay attention to the quality of the product, to details and to the overall value of the product. Clients are starting to think more long term, that is very smart and we love it because those are our clients, those who have the need for true value.
You are a designer, and a mother of two little girls. Do your children take an interest in fashion?
I have 2 girls. Alexandra is almost 8 and Elisabeth is almost 3 years old. Both of them love dressing up. Alexandra especially takes interest in what I do and loves to be a model in photo shoots and especially enjoys catwalks, although I have never asked her to do it. Elisabeth, even though she is barely 3 years old, adores dresses and dressing up for special occasions.
If you could dress any celebrity’s child who would it be?
Let this remain a little secret, let‘ s just see how dreams transform to reality.
Can you describe a typical 24 hours in the life of Dace Zvirbule?
I sat at this question for more than 30 minutes, trying to put down a typical day and suddenly realized that there is no typical day, it is a journey with a number of planned pit stops leaving the rest up for that day because I have learned that the harder I try to plan, the harder I have to fall because my day is full of surprises.
I have learned to be very flexible. I think it is some magical capability that comes with being a mother ñ being used to the unexpected and always finding ways how to manage these situations. It is a great quality to have at work as well.
What are your design signatures and How would you describe your own personal style?
I love long lasting designs, I love color, love pleasant, high quality materials and I like fairy tales so when combining all these qualities in one, you get a signature design by Aristocrat Kids.
What do you love the most about your job?
I don’t see boundaries to it, it keeps me thinking and moving on, it is endless! My job lets me be the person I like to be, it gives me loads of positive kick back and motivation. It lets me experiment, meet fantastic people and see wonderful places. It is my passion.
What’s your greatest strength?
I never give up, I see every obstacle as a new challenge that has to be won, I believe in happiness and know that impossible is nothing. I love life.
What’s your greatest weakness?
I think I am quite lazy actually but I never let myself come to it, I like to challenge myself. I am much better off with a personal assistant to keep me on track of little every day activities, meetings, birthdays, just to keep me on schedule.
What is the one trait that makes a child attractive?
Love for life, happiness and just being a kid.
What is today‘s goal?
To finalize the structure for the new collection, decide on a cake to bake and activities to do for Alexandra’s 8th birthday party.
What advice do you give young people who have a big dream like you had?
Just go for it! Even though you might not end up with the idea you first had, you will see that it may lead you to an even greater result because you can only get somewhere by doing and not by thinking.
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