Elizaveta Yurusheva was seven months pregnant when she fled the conflict in Ukraine together with her two kids in tow, finally settling in Milan. Whereas placing down roots within the Italian style capital, Yurusheva started pursuing her life-long dream to change into a designer — which she’d sidelined to comply with in her household’s luxurious hospitality footsteps. She pursued a grasp’s diploma at Istituto Marangoni, however wavered on the prospect of opening her personal label because of the inevitable operational hurdles. Lastly, she determined: “‘Oh, no matter. I’ll strive it,'” Yurusheva remembers. In 2024, Ely Ely — a luxurious womenswear model grounded in tailor-made knitwear — was born.
Ely Ely derives its title from Yurusheva’s Italianized nickname “Ely” (previously “Lisa” in Ukraine), symbolically representing her period of change. “I am going out of my consolation zone, however I am rising,” she says. “I am doing one thing for a dream.”
Picture: Courtesy of Ely Ely
Consistent with her background in hospitality, which included main establishments just like the InterContinental and Vogue Café, Yurusheva prioritizes the consumer’s expertise above all else. She noticed a practical disconnect between males’s and ladies’s clothes: the previous outlined by snug, tactile textures and the latter by restrictive, stiff silhouettes and shaping supplies. It is a story as previous as time (see: corsets, girdles, Spanx and so forth), however Ely Ely’s designs pose a contemporary answer. “I would like my consumer to be snug, breathable… freed from motion, however nonetheless to embrace her magnificence,” Yurusheva says.
Her creations are decidedly uncomplicated, anchored in day-to-night transitional items like smooth maxi clothes, tailor-made blazers, sheer midi skirts and wide-leg trousers. In any case, the Ely Ely buyer “is a lady who does not have lots of time,” so a capsule wardrobe-friendly assortment is vital. This girl, one who expertly balances a profession and a fruitful personal life, stays on the forefront of Ely Ely’s deliberately timeless choices, which vary in value from $240 for a cashmere bralette, to $2,800 for a hand-crafted cape. Add a belt or swap out flats for heels, and the garment is remodeled.
Yurusheva additionally adheres to a predominantly impartial shade palette for cohesive coordination, with uncommon — but calculated — pops of coral, lime inexperienced and vibrant blue sprinkled all through collections.
Picture: Courtesy of Ely Ely
The label’s newest assortment for Spring 2027 takes inspiration from Como, a northern Italian metropolis dwelling to the well-known Lake Como. “It combines a metropolis, a touristic vacation spot and the quietness round,” Yurusheva says. She feels it displays a lady “who needed to relax, not be every little thing without delay, however nonetheless really feel their femininity, however the energy as effectively.” By way of organza, light-weight cashmere (she turns to heavier knits for fall and winter) and silk fabrications, Ely Ely’s assortment spotlights an outsized fringe scarf, a cropped polo shirt and sleeveless maxi clothes. “I am concerning the clear look, however with one thing further,” Yurusheva provides.
Coming from the hospitality trade, the place most of her work consisted of back-office operations, Yurusheva describes the inventive design course of as “a breath of contemporary air.” However what she loves most concerning the style trade is “the honesty.” As a designer, Yurusheva receives suggestions from all sides: customers, stockists, press, PR (in addition to anybody with an web connection).
“I do know lots of people say that it is actually harsh, the enterprise,” she continues. “I find it irresistible as a result of any suggestions, if it is optimistic or adverse, it is serving to a lot as a result of, in my different job and profession, I [didn ‘t] get it in any respect.”
Ely Ely Spring 2027 Picture: Courtesy of Ely Ely
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In Milan, Ely Ely is stocked at luxurious multi-brand boutique Antonia. It is also been picked up by Modes (St. Moritz, Switzerland), Clementines (Toronto, Canada), L’Appartement (Tokyo, Japan) and Deuxieme Classe (Tokyo), amongst others. Because the 2-year-old label prepares itself for additional development, Yurusheva hopes to increase to 100 wholesale purchasers. After conquering wholesale? “I’ve a dream to have a monobrand retailer in Paris,” she shares, although she additionally has her eye on New York Metropolis, as she feels Ely Ely is effectively suited to its ever-changing climate.
Though one-brand wardrobes could also be a style fable largely perpetuated by The Row fanatics, Yurusheva envisions a future the place Ely Ely strains the closets of its personal religious followers: “My dream is admittedly to have purchasers who’ve a wardrobe which is 80% [Ely Ely].” However in terms of scaling, delivering high quality merchandise all the time eclipses fast enlargement as Yurusheva’s foremost precedence. She makes use of top-tier supplies (the newest assortment contains “the Ferrari in yarns”, for instance), insisting the Ely Ely girl “ought to have one of the best.”
Whereas wholesale development and an entrance into brick-and-mortar retail could also be on the horizon for Ely Ely, Yurusheva is not wanting too far forward. “I am very targeted on the current,” she says. “If I focus an excessive amount of on the longer term or on the previous, you lose the second.”
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