Store ZDDZ

Product range. Hoodies and surreally printed sweatshirts, bomber jackets, chunky patchwork shirts, jeans, no-frills parkas, and ginormous kanji-knit rainbow coloured scarves. The label favours voluminous silhouettes. Most of the pieces when stripped of all kinds of patches and printed utterances by disappointed teenagers could be best described as very basic. Perhaps, this is a key to ZDDZ's commercial appeal: cutting edge elements alongside most unassuming silhouettes.

Originality. ZDDZ blend workwear and post-Soviet graphic design with a subcultural twist. The latter reflects more than occasional nods to hip hop fashion. The inspiration for Dasha Selyanova, the brand's founder, comes from ordinary teen lives. This has more to do with youth as a social construct rather than with adolescent outfits per se. Dasha Selyanova is explicit about being captivated by the worldview, life experiences, and perceptions of the teens. In one of her interviews, she remarks, "When you're 17-20 year old, you're often not even aware what's happening to you, but you have to cope with it. This speaks to my own experience. When I feel bad, I also teeter on the edge of sanity and indulge myself in promiscuous sex and compulsive spending on Amazon as my painkillers. Even though we all strive for harmony, love, and happiness."

Chic. ZDDZ make clothes along the lines of Vetements, Hyein Seo, and numerous other more obscure VFiles brands. Non-conformism and charming teenage rebellion are most relevant today.

Pricing. T-shirts are £50; sweatshirts, hoodies, and bomber jackets are about £170; outerwear costs £420 or so.

Corporate history highlights. Even though the brand positions itself as London-based, Russia remains one of its key target markets. Dasha Selyanova was born in Saint Petersburg. After studying for some time at Moscow Art Industrial Institute and British Higher School of Design she moved to the UK, where she graduated from the University of Hertfordshire. Her maiden collection was made on a shoe string, in a more than modest batch. The lookbook got good reviews in social media, however, and then the label was approached by the Rita Ora's stylist who requested a ZDDZ design for the singer to wear for the New Year's Eve Top of the Pops performance in December, 2014. VFiles 2015 show in New York proved a great impetus in rising the brand's awareness: eventually, the audience has expanded and buyers are now showing their interest in the project. M.I.A., a British rapper, is also known to perform ZDDZ-clad.

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