INTERVIEW #98 MARTA TURANI-JESSEN

Name: Marta Turani-Jessen

Occupation: Stylist, fashion advisor and personal shopper

Based in: Copenhagen but from Ukraine

Website: https://martaturanijessen.com/

Instagram: @martajessen

Dear Marta, we are happy to do this in-depth interview with you after you shared with us about the situation in Ukraine and how our readers can support. Can you please tell us about yourself and what work you do in fashion?

At the moment I am working as a freelance stylist, providing services like styling advice, shopping assistance (from full shopping for a season to finding specific item, usually bags from high end brands ), wardrobe check, creating capsule wardrobes for different occasions. If you would like an example of capsule please let me know. My target audience are women and men, who like to look good, but keep their wardrobes functional and efficient, that's why I developed my services that really help clients to save their time, energy and resources on shopping and planning the outfits. I am also trying to share more inspirational content on my social media and website. Unfortunately due to the latest events in Ukraine my activity on social media was not so consistent, but I am planning to get back on track.

When did you interest for fashion start and did you always knew you was going to become a stylist?

I started in fashion not so long ago, two to three years maybe, but I have always had an interest in it, I just didn't know where to start. As a child I dreamt of becoming a designer, but it didn’t happened so I graduated and worked in an absolutely different field for a couple of years. After moving to Denmark I got a chance to a fresh start and start researching more about the stylist profession. I always enjoyed working with people, personalities and of course clothing, so I thought a stylist would be the right choice for me.

Since a few years back you're based in Copenhagen, how would you describe the fashion scene there compared to where you come from? What has been the major differences?

Well, I must say I really enjoy the Scandi style. Scandinavian, Danish women in particular, seem to be so free in their choices. They are so good at combining floral dresses, New balance sneakers, trench coats and expensive bags in one outfit. That is something that you would not be able to see in Ukraine a few years back. The first thing that I noticed was different is the ability to combine different styles in one outfit. Looks are so great and seem so effortless. And I was always wondering how they are not cold in trench coats in early spring or late autumn, cause it is so windy in Copenhagen most of the time. I also noticed an attention to details, Scandinavian women like more expensive accessories and combine them with more budget clothing. Of course, I couldn't help but notice their love for sustainability, recycling, they are very good at supporting and proudly wearing local brands. To Ukrainian fashion love for sustainability and recycling are coming now, so it is relevantly new, but in Denmark it has been already for a long time. We also didn't tend to mix different styles in one outfit before and were a little more conservative in our choices, before social media developments. When it became available to watch streetstyle from Europe, shop more online, the style of Ukrainian women began to change.

How would you describe your and how often do you buy new clothes?

Well, I love clothing and experiments with my styles. I can say I try to invest in good quality basics, but can’t ignore trends. I buy a few new pieces during a season to bring up some fresh changes to my wardrobe. I love coats, because I think in Denmark it is a must to have many coats since it is cold most of the year. I would describe my style as mostly casual, with a touch of grunge and great attention to details. I love to play with complimentary color combinations, to add one catchy detail, but keep everything else simple.

What are you best tips and advice for someone who are tired of their outfit and want to change their style? 

If you are tired of the outfits, then the first solution is to do a wardrobe check, of course. Sometimes, you just need a fresh look from the side to create new outfits from your existing pieces or add new ones. People are usually tired of their looks, because there are too many trends and one season pieces or vice versa wardrobe hasn't been updated for a long time and people have a tendency to wear the same types of jeans, sweaters for instance. Typical wardrobe mistakes are: buying all over again the same usual types of clothing, because a person might be afraid to experiment, buying too often, trying to repeat influencers outfits (usually mistake of girls in their 20s), not knowing your body type buying the wrong fits, and as result items do not sit good and people stop wearing them very fast and returning to something usual and the same over again, not correcting or updating the wardrobe with coming lifestyle changes (for ex. new job, maternity leave, moving to a new country). Your need of clothing differs for example when being a full time mom, going to playgrounds, etc. or when working as a manager in a big company that requires certain looks.

What is a sustainable closet for you and how can one style in a more sustainable way?

Sustainable closet for me is to build up your wardrobe from the slow fashion basic pieces that can move from season to season and still make you happy. To resell clothes that you don't want to use anymore on reselling platforms, like Vestiare or Trendsales.

After the pandemic the fashion scene has changed a lot, how do you see the future of fashion and cloth consumption?

Yes definitely, post pandemic fashion is much more bright, people got tired of sweat pants and want to dress up. But we entered another phase with war in Ukraine, that affects the global fashion scene as well. I think there will be much more recognition and attention to Ukrainian brands, to local brands. People will support smaller, local brands rather than big conglomerates. Will also be more attention to vintage items, especially for high end brands, because after the pandemics brands as Chanel for ex. raised their prices, but quality is not better than before. People will search for more unique items, instead of mass production. And I hope that post war there will come a big development for the Ukrainian fashion industry and bigger recognition in the world.

And finally, please tell us about your favorite Ukrainan brands and why do you love them?

Andre Tan, because he is so talented and really makes unique pieces. Ksenia Schhnaider the Ukrainian denim queen. Bevza- very simple, elegant but with unforgettable details. Katimo, also very interesting and unique pieces.