Established in London in 2021, ANASIM seeks to combine high fashion with loungewear. Initially inspired by the idea that being in your own home can be luxurious too, we began with the concept of using high quality silk, as both material and concept due to its tactile elegance.
Evolving from simply a loungewear brand, our timeless pieces seamlessly shift from your most intimate moments to those shared outside the home. The core philosophy of ANASIM is to inspire self-appreciation and self-care in every setting. Whether worn by themselves or styled with heels and a blazer, our garments aim to be adaptable for the everyday woman.
”Through the high standards of both the designs and materials, our mission is to elevate the self image of the ANASIM woman. We aim to provide our customers with high quality fashion garments as well as a feeling of empowerment.”
https://anasimapparel.com
THE DESIGNER
Immersed in international community, Anna Simonowa is inspired by her surroundings. During her studies at IED Milan for Interior Design, she quickly became intrigued by the fashion world. Milan as a fashion hub allowed her to get a new perception on fashion: that it is about both the physical clothing as well as the feeling derived from discovering your own personal style. She then moved to London to continue her studies at Chelsea College of Arts UAL, where she is currently based. Driven by the development of her own style, the designer strives to create a movement predicated on elegance and simplicity. For Anna, dressing up in her everyday life elevates her mood and she hopes to encourage the same in her customers. Her own desire to feel confident, glamorous, and empowered in any environment has transpired in ANASIM.
INTERVIEW WITH ANNA SIMONOWA
How did your passion for design start and how does your creative process work?
While I was at university in Milan, I started really getting into dressing up for my every day. I didn’t have a concrete fashion style but I spent a lot of time putting looks together and building on my personal taste. What was consistent in my wardrobe, however, were pieces that really made me feel great, confident and the best version of myself. It was really apparent in Milan, that people really made that effort each morning. It was a visually interactive experience walking down the street, analyzing other individual’s curated looks and clearly seeing that what people were wearing was giving them that confidence. It’s something that really stood out to me at the time and led to spending more time getting dressed myself. After a while, it became an automatic thing that I paid attention to every day and I noticed that the time I’d spent putting together a look in the morning really surmounted in a lot more engagement with others. I’d receive more and more compliments on my outfits and it made me feel great. I’ve always been one to compliment strangers on their outfits or ask where they got something and receiving it back felt amazing. I think that’s another important thing for women, to really communicate and engage with one another, the boost it gives someone is unreal and it’s such a nice exchange to have with a total stranger.
How do you think fashion industry is helping independent designers?
It is, of course, much harder as a new independent label for consumers to trust you, particularly as an online business, where they can’t see and touch your product in real life. The communication industry is so important though to combat this and build brand reputation and awareness in the fashion industry. Seeing your pieces on people ultimately builds that trust for people and connects them to your label.
Publicity, of course, is also great at spreading awareness because people also massively put their trust in press and their recommendations. It helps to sell the concept of your brand and give independent designers a platform and opportunity to speak about the motive behind the brand. There are also some great platforms in the fashion industry that really promote small and independent designers. For example, we have joined up with Wolf & Badger who are a platform that showcase sustainable independent designers. Selling through big online platforms or department stores really helps develop and fast forward people’s trust in your brand because it’s already been vetted by the bigger names, so to say.
Can you tell us a little bit about your references and inspirations for your garments?
The first part of sketching comes directly from our inspiration mood boards. These all start with a theme; what do you want to feel when you wear the garment, what’s the character of the person who’s going to be wearing it, etc. Art is, of course, a big part of it. Silhouettes, textures, shapes of the collection are all inspired by art, photography, nature, and when all those mood board images are brought together, it helps us to develop our vision for the collection. Our debut collection juxtaposes romantic flowing silhouettes with more contemporary and expressionistic undertones which all come from visual references that we have culminated to reflect our mission.
Can you describe your client’s personality in few words?
Confident, contemporary, social yet delicate.
What do you think it’s your best-selling piece?
Our signature silk slip dress, the Ariadna Dress, has been incredibly popular because people are so comfortable wearing it as a staple in their wardrobe. It’s also so easy to style and the way it looks can really be transformed with its styling so a very versatile piece. We have also had a great reception to our Anna Dress too though because its design is a little more fun, unique and special.
What do you think about the opportunity of selling your products on online platforms, you think it might be a good showcase for your work and your future?
Absolutely, I think it’s a great idea and we already do so with an online platform called Wolf & Badger, as mentioned above. It’s a great opportunity for raising awareness of a brand and building trust with your clients: https://www.wolfandbadger.com/us/designers/anasim/
What does fashion industry need more to grow up and what can be done better for this?
Socially conscious companies that care about their consumer and consciously advertise, rather than just profit. ANASIM is built on the blocks of feeling your ultimate best and most confident that you can be so we aim to advertise in a way that builds confidence in our audience rather than comparison and doubt. Social media gives all brands a huge opportunity to do better and influence better. The fashion industry needs to heighten advertising that encourages individuals to be their whole hearted self unashamedly.
What is the long term goal for you as a designer and what is the main mission?
The main mission for us as a label is to get people to understand that loving yourself and taking care of yourself is the best thing you can do, it really is all that matters. It’s not even about what you wear, but rather how you feel when wearing it. That’s the mission of ANASIM, to promote self-love and self-care and that’s what we want to promote with the wearing of our collections. Being also able to sell what I believe in and having the freedom to do so has always been my goal in the creation of ANASIM. It’s about selling pieces that help people feel that way about themselves.
What are the most interesting social platforms that can help your label?
Instagram is evidently a fantastic platform to be able to connect with customers directly and also see our customers in their pieces but we’ve also found Pinterest a great avenue as a lot of people don’t want to put time into thinking how to style things, and Pinterest gives a great space to showcase that, and help generate ideas for people, it takes that time off their shoulders.
Can you tell us what is the next project?
We are currently working on a new collection which will be released in the new year. We’re still working within the concept of self-care and self-love but, with it, we’re giving ourselves a bit more freedom with the designs so, what I will say is that, there certainly is a bit more diversity with this collection.
KREEP. 