1. Can you introduce yourself? Who are you? Where are you from? What do you do? What is your background?
Hi, my name is Yevgeniya, you know me as Yev on instagram.
I am Ukrainian and I lived in France for almost 11 years mainly for my studies. I started in Montpellier to study languages and then went on to a Master’s degree in international project negotiation. Then, I moved to Nice to join my best friend and took the opportunity to finish my studies in translation, writing and subtitling for companies, in English, French, Russian and Portuguese.
I started working as a translator entrepreneur for 2 years. I loved it, but I really missed the artistic and visual side.
Since I was a little girl, I loved to draw. I used to draw a lot of dresses, pants, etc. I used to spend hours and hours drawing. I spent hours and hours imagining, creating and especially getting inspiration from my mother’s magazines, watching movies, imagining myself playing in them. I have a memory of myself at 14, imagining myself with a bob or very short hair and a very Parisian style. It seems I haven’t changed my mind since then *sigh*.
For me, at the time, the Parisian style was defined by Coco Chanel, not necessarily minimalist but, with a lot of tweed, white, black. Sometimes a few touches of color: French chic in a way. I think it was this memory that motivated me to come and live in France at the age of 18.
A few months ago, with my family, we moved to the Netherlands and settled in Amsterdam. Today, I do content creation full time. I am also an influencer and model. I am a mom of a 2 year old son and this role has changed a lot for me. My vision of fashion has evolved: it shouldn’t just be pretty, it should also be comfortable. You have to feel comfortable and be yourself all day long to work or when there is a party, a dinner. Being self-employed has helped me a lot.
Being an auto-entrepreneur is not easy all the time but it is still very motivating and challenging.
To sum up to answer the first question: I am Yev, I am 29 years old, I am married to an extraordinary man called Jorik who supports me a lot in everything I do, both in the creation of content and in my role as a mom. He is always there. I live between Amsterdam and Paris.
Ow, I forgot to tell you: we adopted a Beagle and we are a happy family of 4.
2. What are your daily sources of inspiration?
I would say everyday life, the people I meet in the streets of Paris, Amsterdam or on the French Riviera, which have very particular and very different atmospheres.
There are a lot of very stylish people of all generations and it’s very inspiring. There are also movies, books, music and especially movies from the New Wave era with chic, simple looks but always with a little vintage touch. A little sexy, of course *laugh* but always comfortable.
3. How would you describe your style?
I think I just kind of described my style in the previous answer, but I would say it’s chic, sexy, elegant, vintage, timeless and comfortable.
4. What is your favorite look? What is your must-have?
That’s a tough question because it depends on many factors like the season, the weather if I’m going out by myself or with girlfriends, with my husband or my kid or the dog *laugh*. But for the summer, I would say a linen set because I love wearing this material, it’s great. Either a little white or black outfit: flared pants, crop top, blouse with puffed sleeves or sleeveless in linen, sneakers and especially a basket. I love baskets, I have about ten of them. The essential of my wardrobe, which I wear without limit spring to early fall: the scarf. I wear it in my hair, around my neck, on my bags or as a belt. In fact, I wear it all year round *sigh* because I hate hats, except for the beret. When the temperatures are lower, I wear a lot of thick scarves in the Matroushka style.
The look that I always find out of time, sexy, elegant, comfortable, is a little black dress but not very mini, up to the knee. A thick black dress, long sleeves associated with espadrilles or high patent leather boots with a comfortable heel, a touch of lipstick for the glamorous side and it is done!
To accessorize, I add, of course a little basket and a trench coat. I would say this is my favorite silhouette all year round, no matter the season.
5. What is your favorite piece of clothing and why?
My favorite piece of clothing is a scarf. Like I said, it’s something I wear all year round and I find that it spices up the look and mixes perfectly with all silhouettes. You can really use it anywhere and for anything. You can wear it on your bag, jeans, dress and also in your hair.
For example, having short hair, I often wear it as a headband. Girls with long hair have even more options. There are so many creative possibilities with this accessory,
I love it!
The second thing I never part with is a large or small basket because it’s very chic, very feminine and very vintage but mostly New Wave. On top of that, it’s pretty useful on a daily basis. When I’m with my little boy, I always carry a basket because I have to bring a mountain of stuff and it’s still pretty stylish.
6. Why this collection with FRNCH?
There is a strong and very special bond with FRNCH. This brand has been with me since the beginning of my career as a content creator. The team has always trusted me and we have been collaborating for a very long time. For my first co-creation, I wanted to do it with a brand that understands me and above all that has always supported me. FRNCH seemed like an obvious choice for this project. FRNCH is above all a very representative and inclusive brand, a value that is close to my heart and that I am delighted to share with the brand.
FRNCH has made the choice to create clothes that give self-confidence! It’s a brand that doesn’t just follow trends but dares to propose daring silhouettes for all women, all moments of life, from the most everyday to the most special. The garment must not only be pretty or trendy, it must be comfortable to feel comfortable and confident with your body and your look. This is what is most important in fashion, and I find that sometimes we forget this because of the trends.
7. What were your inspirations for co-creating this collection?
This is a very interesting question and I want to answer it with lots of details but I will try to organize and summarize my ideas *sigh*. I love, love, love vintage style.
In my opinion, fashion is very cyclical. In fact, if you look at what’s trending today, it’s actually exactly what was trending in the 60’s, 70’s and 90’s. Personally, I’m more into the 60s-70s looks. I’m a huge fan of Françoise Hardy, she inspired me to create the little Françoise dress.
I’m very inspired by the New Wave era and I wanted to make a dedication to it in this collection, and it was very much felt when creating the moodboard. I was also very inspired by Jane Birkin, who for me embodies class par excellence. In co-creating, I wanted to bring a touch of color because we tend to darken our looks when fall arrives. I thought a pop print with a seventies vibe would bring a touch of sparkle to this 2022 fall season.
8. Which piece from the capsule makes you fall in love the most?
Without any surprise, the mesh dress. I love it, in addition to being ultra comfortable, it is very elegant, the slit on the side brings a sensual touch.
I completely fell in love with it when I saw it.
Moreover, it can be worn with heels for a very chic look or with little flat derbies for a more casual and working girl side.
9. FRNCH in three words for you, what is it? How would you define the FRNCH woman?
FRNCH for me is a brand that represents a woman, a woman with all morphologies and all origins. She can be very elegant or adopt a casual look. FRNCH pieces can be worn at work or at the beach, but also for a party or homewear.
Conclusion: the FRNCH woman is a woman of the world!
10. A word for the end?
Thank you, thank you very much to the FRNCH team for trusting me to co-create this collection. Thank you to the people who follow me. I hope you will enjoy this collection and feel confident to wear these pieces anywhere throughout the season to color your back to school. I also hope that these pieces will define themselves as strong pieces in your wardrobe because that was my idea. I wanted to create bold pieces that you can wear for a long time and they will become your timeless pieces.
