What should be your ideal bag? Probably outwardly attractive. Convenient, of course. And, most likely, durable, capable of serving you for many years.

The ideal option would be a custom-made bag. Especially for you. With all the compartments, pockets and fasteners you need. At the same time, leather remains the best material for bags, durable and high quality.

You will hardly find such a bag in the store. But you can order it from a designer. Let's not deny that designer things are never cheap, but believe me, a bag is exactly the thing in your wardrobe that is worth spending money on.

After all, it is the bag, as well as shoes and gloves, that must be of good quality and have a presentable appearance. That being said, the rest of your clothes may well be much cheaper. And this simple rule will be confirmed by any stylist. It is this trio (bag, shoes and gloves) that create your image. They are iconic things that can tell a lot about a person.

For example, a bag. Any bag can tell a lot about its owner or hostess. Backpack or a traveler's suitcase, a small clutch bag of a theater lover, a schoolboy's briefcase, a minister's briefcase, an old woman's string bag going to the store. And you don't even need to consider the contents of the bag, just pay attention to the appearance.

Nothing is more important than a bag. Without a bag, we are unlikely to leave the house, go to work or to the store. And we will certainly never go on a journey.

About how to create your own brand, where to get inspiration from and where you can buy handmade things, we talked with the designer of bags Nikolai Maistrenko (the designer's works can be found on the website maystudio.by).

Why did you decide to start creating designer bags?

I decided to do this out of my own motives, as a result of the lack of interesting models of bags for me everywhere.

Are you continuing to study now?

If new experimental approaches to design can be called learning, then yes.

As an aspiring brand designer, share the secret of how to get the courage to start your own business? What or who inspires you? Are there any difficulties and creative crises and how do you deal with them?
You need to start your own business if you are really tired of stereotypical career ladders, boring bosses and their desire to squeeze all the juice out of you.
I am inspired by urban geometry, unusual structures with a "look" for futurism and, perhaps, travel, thanks to which this is best contemplated. I do not want to see a creative crisis, Pythagoras would not appreciate it.



What materials do you make bags from? Tell us a little about the stages of work on creating a model?

The main material is only premium genuine leather, which can be of different textures and even thicknesses, you can cope with any. Lining materials can be synthetic or cotton. There are many stages up to sewing, from the creation of patterns on paper to packaging. One thing I can say, manual work in almost everything, right down to every hole for the firmware, punched with special punch-forks.

What clients would you like to work with (for example, bags for men and / or women, creative people and / or office workers)?

There are no boundaries in this, everyone has their own approach.

And who can afford to buy designer bags today?

All those many people who prefer leather in their wardrobe. Knowing the cost of individual tailoring, I adhere to an affordable price level

Where in Belarus can novice designers sell their products (Vkontakte, Fashion Markets or elsewhere)?

Social networks allow many to advertise and trade well online (we also have our own website maystudio.by), but for the most part it is the Big Fashion Market, the Central Fashion Market FSP, and so on. My style also allows me to exhibit at tattoo conventions.



Tell us about the most unusual client's wish or order, or about the most interesting bag for you (interesting from the point of view of sewing it, or in connection with any history)?

One of such cases was when sewing a suitcase bag for a clergyman, with a complete set of a special mobile compartment for a bowl for holy water. In reality, all projects are interesting to me, since their uniqueness and exclusivity remains so.