Vilshenko imbues timeless, feminine design with a modern aesthetic. Launched in 2011 the brand draws inspiration from founder Olga Vilshenko’s Russian heritage and reimagines traditional influences in contemporary, sophisticated silhouettes and luxurious fabrics.
Born in Soviet Russia, Olga fell in love with fashion and design as a young girl. With the selection of clothing stores limited at the time, her mother would make clothes for friends and family as both a hobby and supplement to her wages. Through helping her mother Olga learnt the skills of dressmaking and discovered a passion that would become the focus of her career.
Originally training as an accountant she took a different path after graduating and enrolled to study fashion at the Chelyabinsk Humanities Institute. The course opened the door for Olga to follow her dream of creating her own label, and after moving to the UK she went on to complete her studies at the London branch of the renowned Italian fashion school Istituto Marangoni.
Shortly afterwards, Olga founded Vishenko and quickly caught the attention of press and buyers with her modern vision of heritage Russian designs. “Russian folklore and traditions have always inspired me and I really enjoy taking those stories and elements of history and bringing them to the modern age. Vilshenko clothing always features traditional Russian clothing styles and patterns, such as khokhloma or gzhel, which I think are incredibly beautiful and lend themselves perfectly to modern fashion,” she says.
