Photo Credits: Courtesy of Khris K

This exclusive interview is part of a sponsored editorial collaboration with Khrystyna Kurliak

Some creations are not born from fabric but from fire. They emerge from the silent dialogue between destruction and rebirth, from the space where pain becomes vision and vision becomes form. Khris K is such a creation not merely a brand, but a vessel of memory, resilience, and transformation. It’s founder, Khrystyna Kurliak, does not design as others do.

She listens to the whispers of dreams, to the tremors of her homeland, to the unspoken strength carried by women through centuries of endurance.

Her collections are not clothes alone, but fragments of a philosophy: that beauty lives within contradiction, that fragility and power are not opposites but mirrors, and that art is the alchemy of suffering into grace. Khris K is, at its essence, a meditation on duality. It speaks to the shadow that makes light visible, to the silence between musical notes, to the imperfect that reveals the divine. To step into these garments is to carry not only a piece of fabric, but a piece of spirit — a reminder that creation itself is an act of resilience, and that even in the darkest night, there are visions waiting to be born.

Your first collection came to you in dreams. Do you believe that artistic creation emerges from an unseen or spiritual realm? How do you interpret this connection between dreams, art, and destiny?

KK– I believe the spiritual realm lives within every human being, it’s woven into our emotions, and emotions themselves are deeply connected to that unseen space. For me, dreams, art, and destiny are inseparable. I’ve always believed that nothing happens by accident. When my first collection came to me in dreams, I felt it as a sign, a part of my path.

From the beginning, I knew it wasn’t just a hobby or a temporary passion. My intuition, my emotions, and my dreams all told me the same thing: this is my way. People would sometimes say: “Maybe it’s just a phase, maybe you’ll return fully to music” – but I knew with absolute certainty that I wouldn’t let go. If I’m not creating music, I’m creating fashion, and in this art, I found another way to express my soul. It’s something that completes me as a person and as an artist. I never set out to prove anything to anyone; I simply followed what I love. That deep connection between intuition, creation, and destiny – is what keeps me moving forward.

Before fashion, music held a central place in your life. How does your experience as a violinist influence the way you construct a collection today? Does sound still live in your design process?

KK – Music has always been and always will be one of the defining parts of my life. It doesn’t compete with fashion; it completes it. Music pushes me into new ideas, shapes my mood, and influences the entire creative atmosphere in which I work.

The music I choose is never random, I’m deeply connected to timeless sounds: classical, blues, jazz, rock etc. These styles carry a depth, elegance, and emotional power that I want to translate into my designs. In my creative process, music isn’t just background noise, it’s a co-creator. I often sketch with my headphones on, letting melodies guide my imagination, rhythms, and harmonies.

For me, high fashion and high-quality music are kindred spirits, both tell stories without words. In the future, I dream of merging them fully: runway shows accompanied by live quartets, quintets, or even orchestras. Music will always be there, not just as inspiration, but as an integral part of my brand’s soul.

Photo Credits: Courtesy of Khris K

Your brand was born in a time of war, pain, and transformation. How has that reality shaped your vision of beauty, resilience, and the feminine force?

KK– My brand was born in a time when my homeland was facing war, and my people were enduring pain and uncertainty. That reality changed the way I see beauty, it’s no longer only about perfection or appearance, but about the light that survives even in the darkest places. True beauty, for me, is the quiet strength, dignity, and grace that a woman carries through challenges.

Resilience became not just an idea, but a necessity. I saw how women – mothers, daughters, friends – stood unshaken, protecting their loved ones, rebuilding their lives, and still finding moments to smile. This feminine force is powerful, unstoppable, and deeply inspiring.

Khris K was shaped by that spirit. My creations are not only meant to dress women, they are meant to honor them, to give them the freedom to express their individuality, and to remind them of their own strength. Every stitch carries both fragility and power, because I believe the two can coexist and together, they define true elegance.

The name of your first collection, Duodecima, evokes both musical and sacred dimensions. What does this bridge between sound and substance represent for you?

KK – Duodecima comes from the Latin – “duodecimus”, “twelfth” and, in music, marks a compound interval, an octave plus a fifth, an expansion of sound that carries both harmony and distance. For me, it was the only name possible for my debut collection: twelve dresses, like twelve notes, each one holding its own voice yet belonging to the same symphony.

Just as the duodecima in music adds depth and brilliance to a melody, these dresses were composed to create a visual harmony that lingers, like the colors of music – black and white, embodying balance. In many ways, they are my first score as a fashion designer, notes not written on a staff, but sewn into fabric.

You often speak about fashion as a slower, more conscious process. What does time mean in your creative practice? Is there an inner rhythm that guides your hand when you create?

KK -My creative process moves at its own rhythm, like a musical composition, where every note must be placed with intention.

I believe beauty is born when you allow ideas to mature, rather than rush them into existence. Each collection has its own tempo: some pieces arrive in a burst of inspiration, like improvisation, while others take months to mature into their perfect form.

That’s why quality always comes before quantity in my work. I would rather create one piece that carries soul and longevity than many that fade with the season. This slower, conscious process allows me to create designs meant to last, to hold meaning, and to be worn beyond trends, because in my brand, it is never about trends, it is about timeless style.

You work with natural, ancestral materials like linen, silk, and handcrafted macramé. What stories do these textiles carry for you in terms of identity, heritage, and womanhood?

KK– For me, linen, silk, and handcrafted macramé are not just materials, they are carriers of memory. In Ukraine, these natural textiles have been part of our heritage for centuries.

Linen, hemp, and cotton clothed our ancestors in garments that were both practical and poetic, enduring through generations. Silk, treasured for its beauty, was often reserved for moments of celebration, marking life’s most meaningful passages.

Macramé, like embroidery, is part of a long tradition of women’s handcraft in Ukraine, skills passed quietly from mother to daughter, not only as a way to create, but as a way to preserve identity. Working with these materials today is my way of honoring that lineage. They carry the stories of resilience, womanhood, and a deep connection to the earth, while allowing me to create pieces that feel timeless, personal and alive.

Duality seems to be a recurring theme in your work: light and dark, war and creation, strength and delicacy. How do you live this duality within yourself, as a woman and as a creator?

KK – For me, as a woman, the darkest moments, even war have often become a catalyst for something greater, something unstoppable. They awaken a force inside me that refuses to yield.

Photo Credits: Courtesy of Khris K

Through my art, I want to show others, especially women, that resilience is not just an abstract concept, it is a living power we can carry within us. In darkness, strength reveals itself, and light inevitably emerges, because there is always hope. As a creator, I translate this truth into my work, weaving together the dualities of light and shadow, fragility and strength, so that each piece carries both the weight of reality and the promise of beauty.

You’ve spoken of celebrating rather than shaping the female body. How do your designs aim to liberate and empower without falling into traditional codes of seduction or performance?

KK – For me, the female body is not a canvas to be reshaped, but a world to be honored. My designs follow its natural lines, allowing freedom of movement and an authentic sense of self.

I avoid imposing silhouettes that dictate how a woman should appear; instead, I create garments that feel like an extension of her own energy. It’s not about seduction as performance, it’s about presence, confidence, and comfort in one’s own skin. I believe true beauty comes from resilience, from the strength a woman carries through life’s challenges.

Each piece I create is meant to celebrate that strength and individuality, to remind her she does not need to conform to trends or expectations, but to stand in her own light, exactly as she is.

The founding of Khris K feels like an act of rebuilding personal and collective. Do you believe fashion can heal, console, or transform? And if so, how?

KK – Absolutely. Fashion, for me, has always been more than clothing, it’s a language of the soul. When I began Khris K in a time of war and upheaval, creation became my way of rebuilding not only my own sense of self, but also something greater – a reminder that beauty, dignity, and culture can survive even in the darkest moments.

I believe true beauty comes from resilience, from the strength a woman carries through life’s challenges. Each piece I create is meant to celebrate that strength and individuality, to remind her she does not need to conform to trends or expectations, but to stand in her own light, exactly as she is.

What kind of women inspire you? Are they historical figures, members of your family, memories from childhood? How do these feminine forces shape the aesthetic of your collections?

KK – I’m inspired by resilience, the kind of woman who carries hope and belief even in the most difficult moments. I can read and feel the energy of a personality, and when someone radiates authenticity and strength, it stays with me. My mother is a constant presence in that sense – a reminder of quiet power and grace.

But my deepest inspirations often come from beyond human figures. Music, architecture, cinema, paintings, sculpture – every form of art, and above all, nature: forests, trees, flowers – are essential to my inner voice. There’s something grounding and eternal in walking among old trees or observing the textures of the natural world. These elements shape the aesthetic of my collections: organic lines, balanced contrasts, and details that feel alive.

Inspiration can arrive unexpectedly – a person I meet, a melody I hear, a building I pass by, but there is also a steady, timeless current that guides me, rooted in beauty, depth, and truth.

You live between the artistic and the physical between the invisible realm of dreams and the tangible world of creation. Do you see fashion as a spiritual practice? A bridge between dimensions?

KK – Yes, fashion is my way of making the invisible visible – a bridge between dreams and reality. Fashion is where the inner world meets the outer, it’s a translation of spirit into form.

Lastly, what does it mean to create beauty in times of collapse – whether social, political, or environmental? And what do you hope a woman feels when she wears one of your pieces?

KK – In times of collapse, creating beauty becomes a quiet rebellion – a beacon of hope that persists even when the world feels fragile. Each piece I design is meant to honor a woman’s authenticity, allowing her to reveal her inner strength and quiet power. Fashion, for me, is a language through which she can express herself fully, without compromise, showing the world who she truly is while holding onto her grace and essence.

Photo Credits: Courtesy of Khris K

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