PARIS — Amid a spate of major brand milestones this year — Yohji Yamamoto is celebrating 50 years in business, while Akris turns 100 — one small independent label is proudly ringing in its 10th anniversary.
Victoria/Tomas, the brand founded by Victoria Feldman and Tomas Berzins, first caught the industry’s attention when they became the youngest finalists at the Hyères International Festival of Fashion and Photography in 2013 with an edgy collection made of black leather.
The duo, who met at Paris fashion school Esmod, are known for their masculine-feminine aesthetic. While shirts, featuring details like cutout shoulders, were long considered their signature item, the coronavirus pandemic saw them pivot to a new concept: reversible clothes.
“Our revenues fell by more than 70 percent during the pandemic. Instead of getting depressed and deciding to call it quits, we were motivated to take things to the next level with the collections and also with production,” Feldman explained in their design studio and workshop in the north of Paris.
With major factories shuttered and their collection in limbo, they decided to bring manufacturing in-house and now produce their ready-to-wear collections themselves. This allows them to reduce the carbon impact of their clothing and minimize waste, since all outfits are made to order using mainly stock fabrics.
Victoria/Tomas has been worn by performers including Ellie Goulding, DJ Snake and Saweetie, and is carried in more than 50 points of sale worldwide, ranging from concept stores like Adblock in Hangzhou, China and Joan Shepp in Philadelphia, to larger players in the Middle East, including Harvey Nichols in Kuwait and luxury e-commerce site Ounass.
Feldman thinks the label can grow much bigger, even with a David versus Goliath setup.
“I think there are only advantages. We were very, very scared [initially] because we had never done the production,” she said. “But it’s given us incredible freedom. We’re much calmer because when we did production in Italy or in Portugal, it was always late because they place bigger orders ahead of young designers, and the quality wasn’t always great.”
The designer, who is Russian, and Berzins, who is Latvian, form a tight unit, and the married couple last March celebrated the arrival of their first child, a boy named Rain. “Our strongest point, I think, is that there are two of us and we’re always together,” Feldman said.
The brand is built on this duality. Berzins, who briefly worked for Alexander Wang in New York City, brings an affinity for skater culture and hip-hop, while Feldman has an avant-garde sensibility inspired by art.
“Reversible clothes felt like a logical evolution of our vision, because we’re still talking about a dialogue between masculine and feminine,” Feldman said. “The idea is that there is one side that is more masculine, more workwear, and then the other side is always more feminine.”
Getting buyers to understand the concept, especially during the digital-only days of COVID-19, was another story. Viewing the collection through a computer screen, they would ask to order two separate items, not realizing they were looking at two sides of the same garment.
“People didn’t get it at first, but we had quite a few new clients this season because they were curious about it,” Feldman said. “We always say, our aim is not to sell you twice as many pieces, but to sell you one piece that can be worn two ways.”
For the 10th anniversary, Victoria/Tomas is introducing a heart logo symbolizing their “Decade of Love” which appears on tops, minidresses and cargo pants with a Y2K sensibility. New accessories include a crescent-shaped bag called the Gyoza, after the Japanese dumpling.
Going forward, the label wants to expand its handbag assortment and its homewares line, which includes cushions made of fabric offcuts. Their son has inspired a fledgling line of childrenswear. “It’s really hard to find children’s clothes in black. I think black really suits him,” Feldman mused.
While it may seem that the brand has shifted shape several times, the anniversary has given its designers perspective on their journey so far. The pair sifted through 60,000 behind-the-scenes photos to put together a 400-page commemorative book, which will be published in a limited edition of 100 copies.
“When you look at that many images, you see the common thread emerge,” Berzins remarked. “In our spring collection, you see a lot of things we’ve done in the past bubbling through, and that was really spontaneous.”
They hope their story will resonate at a time when young designers are struggling to operate amid rising inflation and supply chain woes.
“With this book, we want to inspire people so that they see that anything is possible,” said Feldman. “We came to this industry with no contacts and no resources, just the passion and the desire to do it.”