Katya Leonovich

Artist’s Statement:

Biography:

Katya Leonovich, a womenswear designer and artist from Moscow, Russia, graduated from the Fashion Academy of Fine Arts in Moscow in 1995. The following year, Katya went on to study at Studio Bercot in Paris. From there, she continued her studies at the Instituto de Europeo Design in Italy from 1998-1999. Katya was able to further extend her craft by studying at the Saga Furs Institute of Design in Denmark in 2000. Katya has become a renowned European designer having been the past winner of such awards as the 1995 Nadezda Lamanova Prize of the Russian Federation, the 1996 Smirnoff International Competition, the 1997 Mittelmodal Prize, and Supima’s Inaugural Competition for Emerging Designers in both 2007 and 2008. Katya debuted her first Haute Couture collection during Fall/Winter Paris Fashion Week in 2001 at Hotel Albani and Rue de Rivoli. Since then, Katya has shown her collections on runways in Paris as well as Rome, Milan, Moscow and New York City. The debut of her namesake bridal collection was held during New York’s Spring/Summer 2011 Fashion Week. The introduction of Katya’s couture bridal collection allows for her edgy and dynamic forms to be joined with the traditional concept of bridal wear. All the while expressing her signature ‘Beautiful Garbage’ concept that consists of embedding fabrics such as gauzes, chiffons and silks with an assortment of materials including torn paper, bits of fur, pieces of aluminum, strands of cotton, feathers and fringes. In September 2011, Katya made her Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week debut in which she presented her Spring/Summer 2012 Collection in The Box at Lincoln Center. This collection featured not only a variety of women’s ready-to-wear items, but she also experimented with menswear pieces as well.