An Interview and Supayana

Designer Yana Gorbulsky was born in Moscow, Russia and moved to New York with her family when she was a little girl. She always had a love for sewing and creating, so it was inevitable that she would have her own line of clothing. Strongly influenced by vintage style, this clothing line is both quirky and feminine.

She started Supayana in Brooklyn in 2003, before settling in beautiful Montreal, Canada. The designer makes it a strong point to use recycled or eco-friendly materials for all of her collections. All garments are made ethically and locally.



1. What inspires you to come up with new designs?

I get inspiration from all over the place- my friends, on the internet, old movies, and vintage clothing.



2. How long have you been creating?

I've been selling my clothing since 2003, but I've been creating since I was 12 years old.



3. Where do you do your work? Do you have a dedicated area of your home, or?

I share a 3,000 square foot studio space with four other people (one fashion designer, one leather worker, one vintage seller, and one photographer).




4. Tell us about a goal you have for your business.

Currently I've been working with more wholesale orders to boutiques, in addition to selling directly to the customer on etsy. One of my short term goals is to sell in more boutiques and to be able to do less of the sewing myself.




5. What is your favorite album?

That's a hard one...lately I've been listening to Beach House a lot. For me, favorites come and go...



6. Where do you see yourself in 5 years?

I'd really love to live on a hippie commune with my friends (we've been talking about it a lot lately), grow my own vegetables, and pretty much live using the barter system. That would be soooo dreamy.



7. What is your favorite thing to do on a weekend?

I work most weekends, but when I'm not working....I love going for bikerides or just hanging out at home with the boyfriend and two cats.



8. Tell us about a new skill you'd like to learn.

I am thinking about taking a "Heritage Montreal" home renovations class in the spring. The class teaches you how to renovate your house while preserving the original architectural elements.



9. Where do you source new fabrics?

I have to go to SOOOOOOOooooo many different places to find my fabrics....I try to only use vintage or mill-end fabrics for my collections, so it's really a different place every time. I feel like I'm always on the lookout for available fabrics that fit into those categories.

Visit Supayana.com