As you walk down Aghmashenebeli Avenue in one of Tbilisi’s most vibrant districts home to many historic, cultural and artistic establishments, you inevitably realize why this neighborhood fits Situationist’s workshop best. The young fashion label finds inspiration in Georgia’s rich historic heritage and mixes it with avant-garde style and collaborations with new wave artists. International fashion connoisseurs were able to appreciate the latest Fall/Winter 2021-22 collection released by Situationist on the digital platform of Paris Fashion Week (PFW) on 2 March.
Situationist is a member of the newly established Georgian Fashion and Apparel Association (GAFA) – a business cluster created with support from GIZ’s Clusters4Development project funded by the European Union under its EU4Business Initiative and the German Government. The project has been supporting Situationist’s participation in the official part of PFW since last year contributing to the development of visual materials for digital presentation of the label’s collections.
Clothes made to suit character
Situationist started in 2015 as a collaboration of Irakli Rusadze and Davit Giorgadze. Irakli, a self-taught designer, is now the creative director behind the label, while Davit, an artist and photographer, contributes to the visual aspects. The concept of the brand is based on the notion of creating clothing that fits the character, has universal appeal and could be worn anywhere. For Situationist being trendy is not enough, there should be a meaning to what the brand creates.
One unique characteristic of Situationist’s clothing lies in the production process itself – each garment is cut and sewn by one seamstress. This is Irakli’s way of encouraging the craftsmanship of his team members.
“Only one name cannot define the brand. Our clothes are products of a team work. Designer can do nothing without a skilful team. It is important that each piece of clothing is made by same person. This enables our team members to develop multiple skills and make clothing in its entirety from cutting to sewing.” – he says.
As a wonderful nod to the work of seamstresses their signatures are placed on a special label for each item they produce.
Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Tbilisi 2016 catapulted Situationist into the international fashion limelight and since then it has been the first Georgian fashion label to show collection at Camera Moda in Milan and in the official part of Paris Fashion Week with its third appearance this year. The brand has been covered in leading international fashion media dubbing it as Georgia’s most cutting-edge young brands. Its collections have been described by international reviewers as minimalist, sophisticated, and edgy.
