Meet Aleksandra Baranova | Creative director, Fashion designer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Aleksandra Baranova and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Aleksandra, why did you decide to pursue a creative path?
Funny enough, I have never aspired to a creative career. It has found me, through every little daring step I have taken. From the beginning, I aspired to a career as a lawyer, but my first drift away happened when I was first scouted as a model in my teenage years. I grew from a rock band, ripped jeans teen into an international model – living off my carry-on luggage for 7 years. This bit of my life has shaped my whole perception and inspired me to keep experimenting, instead of hiding under the rock.
I was lucky enough to work with great talents and big names, learned responsibility and resilience, independence and discipline. What all of these people have in common – is a dreamer’s, “Yes Man” approach to life, combined with full-on dedication and hard work.
To my mind, a creative career is not a willing choice, it is a way of being, something you can’t ignore. Up to this day, I could not imagine my life being any other way.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I have had a long way to reach the point where I collected the bravery to start my own business. I am in the very initial stage of it, however, I am very proud of the steps I am taking, nevertheless its size.
I have 3 higher degrees in Art and Fashion, experimenting through practice and theory. Working experience with numerous brands in different fields, Ready-to-wear fashion brands and couture houses. From a model to a designer and a creative director. I have taken on some additional challenges lately, that are the influence to my artistic career as well.
To my mind, an artist is responsible for his or her work to have meaning and communicate with the audience. We must raise awareness and raise questions to the surface. That does apply to a Fashion designer role as well. Fashion is the most spoken language in the world, touching physically every living soul, whether they acknowledge this or not. Fashion is a deep field with an enormous spectrum of opportunities to generate income and bring prosperity to regions and vulnerable social groups.
Too bad modern Fashion is led towards the superficial 2D image and a human being is drifting away from being the center of attention to the industry. Artificial persona, artificial clothing, online fast-fashion. Worn today – dissolved from a wardrobe tomorrow. Spoiled quality and endless waste. We have to shift the focus back to the human being inside the clothes.
My last completed degree in London Met was dedicated directly to this matter. I have experimented with the theory, that the human body is a process instead of an object and clothes in this equation became the environment that the body interacts with first thing in this world. Clothing shapes our movement and through the movement – our perception of the world and what we think of ourselves and others.
This theory daily is in the middle of my creative approach. Working on the borderline between an art object and a practical piece – I try to challenge my abilities to communicate the message behind the collection.
in October 2023 I launched my clothing brand QAMAR by Aleksandra Baranova, my first collection was inspired by the porcelain and Japanese technique Kintsugi (repair of pottery with gold). It translated my transformation and recovery from motherhood, through retaking the power of self and one’s body in your hands. I guess a big part of women can relate to the feeling of total loss of control of one’s self and could relate to the fight that is going on to bounce right back.
Artificial positivity is toxic, we need to keep a close eye on things not to get diverted from their original meaning. That goes for every aspect of our life, including clothing and style.
What is important in the industry and there is a lack of is the work ethic and attitude. I do meet a lot of ego and entitlement while working. We need to remember – a creative project is no place for ego, fashion is a teamwork, where magic gets to live through everyone’s contribution. There’s no such thing as a one-man show, credit goes all the way from a fabric producer to the model and a photographer catching her in action. All processes are connected and the richer the interaction, the better the project will turn out.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
There is an incredible number of interesting places in Latvia. As a history nerd, I would suggest starting with the Riga Historical Museum, right in the heart of the Old Town. Based in a Dome cathedral, the first building to mark the foundation of Riga as the city. Then nearby there is one of the most romantic cafeterias in town Parunāsim – which is also a part of a city cathedral. The interior of the cafeteria still keeps original writings from the 14th century.
If the visit takes time in the summer – definitely Saint Peters church tower visit, to see an incredible birdfly view of the town and the river.
Jūrmala is filled with festivities and beach bars in the summer – a great way to spend your evening on a bench party or over a drink, watching the sunset.
Wintertime – ski resorts out of town. There are little wonderlands, with eclectic styles, and visit castles and forts (there are plenty from the 12 century onwards, pick a century and style).
I would recommend walking trails in the National Park on Gauja River, with incredible acoustic and natural caves.
Riga is a vibrant town, where always something new is coming, especially food places, by far being a local – I haven’t visited them all.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
There are quite a few people I would like to mention:
IFFC – International Fashion for Cause, an NGO organisation, a platform for Fashion creatives to maintain a working network and support ethnical diversity in the industry. Based in Canada, Toronto. The recent great work of the IFFC team is Brampton Fashion Festival – that has created a magical atmosphere binding Fashion and Culture, through costume and cast.
Omar Qamar is the power source behind this project.
IFF Show project – International Fashion Festival, an event that originated in Toronto about 12 years ago, now has international recognition and expanding its base to Europe.
There is a great team behind these events powered by Omar Qamar, myself, Osama Usmani and Guzal Shafaq Quareshi. We aspire to use all of our industry experience to help newcomers and settled businesses find their authentic way.
I had a honour to work with amazing creatives like Andrea Balaoiu, a great human being and a model, that has brought a new perspective for me in Fashion. Always keeping me on my toes.
Martin J Sylvester – a photographer who helped me to capture the movement, study it and expand my understanding of what can be done in front of the camera. Besides being a great friend and support in the project we worked on.
Marina Medvedeva – an artist-philosopher, with a deep life narrative, which is communicated through her paintings using the power of the word, the master’s brush and color.
I could keep the list flowing more and more, since I count myself extremely lucky to be working and discovering more and more amazing people.

Website: https://theiffshow.com/

Instagram: @a.aqamar @qamar.byab @medial_planet @iffshow

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aleksandra-baranova-74bb90111/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61553818522071

Image Credits
Martin Sylvester
Aleksandra Baranova
IFF Show 2023
IFFP 2020
Osama Usmani
Omar Qamar