Her bright sci-fi inspired streetwear was available as a limited pre-order collection and she says that she got swamped by orders, even allowing her to get a small studio space to work at independently. She credits Instagram for her success, saying that for young designers it offers an economical way of presenting your work to a large audience. “Instagram started putting my images in the Explore page and people would just find it accidentally. That really helped. It puts everyone on the same level because you can communicate with the world. I know it sounds a bit cheesy, but especially during the pandemic, you realize how important the image is. When everyone had to do a show, it cost so much that it put all of the young designers who could not afford it at a disadvantage. Instagram just did the job of what a catwalk was supposed to do before.”
“I am literally only just now realizing what I could have done in school.”
Without the traditional catwalk at the end of the year and a shut-down on resources and access to research materials, Masha has realized how important the university is to students who would not have the chance to access them without it. “Honestly, I need to be back at CSM right now. From the library to having friends around where we can just chat and having all the equipment – it was just an amazing place to be. It makes things so much harder to not be able to go there. I wish I had been more daring in the first and second year. At the time, having the library and access to all these technical things was actually kind of overwhelming. If I could, I would advise myself to go work harder, because you miss these things when you can no longer go back. I am literally only just now realizing what I could have done in school.”
Her patchwork nylon heels and reverse-screen printed double lapel coat have become standouts to her name. With the launch of her online store in the summer and pieces being worn by musicians and artists, the switch to digital as a result of the pandemic has been a blessing in disguise. “For now, when things are working out for me, and I can support myself from what I am making, I don’t have to have another job. I’d like to keep it this way.”