Fancies is a Grapevine series where we highlight an individual with supreme style. Our latest subject is Natalia Sushcenko (29), who is a fashion designer, member of band Pale Moon, and the owner of Kvartýra №49.

today’s look

Natalia Sushcenko is wearing:

• The jacket was made for our band Pale Moon. It’s my design but it’s not branded.
• Sushchenko top, prototype from my collection.
• Vintage pants from Spúútnik.
• Phillip Lim shoes.
• Anel Rinat x Sushchenko necklace.
• The glasses were bought in a market in Barcelona.

style q&a

Describe your style in 5 words: Colours. 70s. DIY. Conscious. Designer.

Favourite stores in Reykjavík: Well, of course, Kvartýra №49, where I highlight the brands that I love. I also like vintage stores. Spúútnik is one of my favourites, since their selection is well thought out. Another vintage store I am curious about is Wasteland. I prefer design and vintage clothing—it’s a more conscious choice of consuming. There must be more great stores around, but I am always too busy to explore.

Favourite piece: There’s one chunky sweater that my mom knitted for me recently that is amazing. She never uses patterns, she just creates on the go. She is a designer who never got a chance to shine. Her works have more value than the things you can buy. That’s probably where I get my design intuition.

Something I would never wear: Fashion changes all the time and it’s tricky to say, but, at this point, I’ve stopped consuming cheap mass-market clothing. After studying fashion design and doing your own line, your perspective changes on the industry and you don’t want to buy clothing that will make you feel guilty. With mass-market, you never know where it came from and how this piece of clothing could cost so little. There must be some suffering behind a $5 t-shirt. I don’t want to be part of it anymore.

Lusting after: There are a couple of designers that I’ve always been inspired by. One is Alexander Wang, but I kind of grew out of his style. He uses black a lot and I really like colours at the moment. The other brand is Acne Studios. They have knitted polo shirts right now that are really well made and look gorgeous. There’s also young brands I love, for example TTSWTRS from Ukraine. I want pretty much every piece from their collection—it will be available in Kvartýra very soon.

Know someone with incredible aesthetics like Natalia Sushchenko? E-mail us at grapevine@grapevine.is.