"Contrasts are a vital part of everything that happens around us"

Milan Fashion Week is upon us, filling the streets with beautiful people and exciting brands. It fuels, rather than slows down, our desire to discover women-founded and led brands, both in beauty and fashion. On our journey, we come across Mach & Mach, a brand specializing in shoes, accessories, and ready-to-wear, founded in 2012 in Tbilisi by Nina and Gvantsa Macharashvili, which made its debut in Paris in 2018. Before chatting with them, we read their manifesto—an ode to creative play, contrasts, and duality. And how could it be any different, coming from two sisters.

Mach & Mach: Interview with designers Nina and Gvantsa Macharashvili

How do you approach designing shoes and accessories as a duo? Is it easy?

Our approach to design is very balanced, we are sisters, we are complementary. Our taste differs from each other but we always find common ground. Conversation and the exchange of opinions is fundamental, it is the most important stage in creating something new and we consider it the main ingredient of our process. A creative boost happens everywhere duality and multiplicity linger. It is not always easy, but it is our strength and we are proud of it. When we design our creations, we always imagine that we are making something we have never seen before, something we dream of and cannot find anywhere else. The creative process naturally leads us to different styles with a bold and special look that stands out when worn, calibrated with harmony and balance, like the combination of our personalities. Mach & Mach is dual from the inception. It plays with it, tying it all in a double bow.

Are there moments when your artistic visions differ? What happens then?

When there are different opinions between us, whether it is about important decisions or details, we find through dialogue the most balanced solution that reflects both of us: it is a very enjoyable part of our work. There is no way to define who one is as an individual other than accepting the other, dialoguing with the opposite, embracing what's different. We often find ourselves at a distance, Nina in the headquarters in Georgia and Gvantsa in the style office and showroom in Italy, so we have learnt to divide our work and work together for our common goal, constantly improving what we are focusing on. Contrasts are a vital part of everything that happens around us.

The brand was founded in Tbilisi, now we are in Milan. Have these cities inspired you creatively? How so?

Georgia, our home, is a very unique country, culturally vibrant, being halfway between East and West, and Tbilisi is a city with a youthful and energetic spirit. Milan, on the other hand, the fashion capital, is a place of new trends and inspirations, of classic and modern intertwining. We are very inspired by both realities: we greatly value their peculiarities and incorporate them into our work. To be global, one needs to nurture local roots, constantly exploring new paths.

What are your other sources of inspiration?

Our sources of inspiration are very diverse; we are very attracted by the style of people near us and around the world, we like to imagine what new things they might desire to wear. Nature is also a great source of inspiration, starting with light and its effects, when it reflects or refracts on surfaces creating a magical atmosphere. We take inspiration from city life, from its habits, from the places we are lucky to visit in the world, and we always take home an element that sooner or later gets incorporated into the collections. We also take inspiration from the world of art, design and architecture, as well as music, always looking for new talents in the different fields who do things differently than their predecessors and are disruptive - a playful attitude is way more effective. As creatives, we feel that there is no real moment when you start and finish taking inspiration; it is a never ending process.

Besides clothing and accessories, how else do you express yourselves and your creative sides?

The world of fashion has always been our very own canvas for self-expression, even as children at home in Georgia we were looking for magazines and clothes to play with and create our own alternative reality. We try, with our work, to convey joy and emotions, through bold oppositions: micro and macro, feminine and masculine, full hues and sparkle, everyday and out of the ordinary, endlessly celebrating uniqueness and individuality, following the energy that comes with being oneself. Today we started with clothing and accessories, but in reality it is already an all-round creation, beyond fashion, because the brand has its own soul and expresses its personality through its whole being and activities.

What is fashion, for you, today?

For us, fashion, today more than ever, speaks of our time, how we are living it, experiencing it and projecting how we would like to live it. It is therefore a tool for exploring new sides of oneself, challenging norms, celebrating the transformative capacity of an individual and shedding light on the infinite stories of self. We love to make creations that are visually strong, yet powerful and deeply personal, to resonate with women who want to tell their stories through the way they look. Fashion for us is a story, like ours, where each collection is a chapter in an ongoing tale that women can take in a million different directions.

Who is the ideal Mach&Mach client? What kind of person do you imagine when you design shoes?

We have in mind a modern woman with spirit and attitude: youthful, energetic, with a sense of fun and joy. She is eclectic, it is always on the lookout to capture the diversities that make everything special, whimsical, unique. She cherishes special moments to be lived with intensity and emotions that empower: lightness, love, spontaneity, trueness, irony. If multiplicity is an expression of femininity and today's woman has many facets, then Mach & Mach is an invitation to explore them all. We are celebrating the many personalities of the women of today, and their infinite shades.

What's next for the brand?

Our ambitions are very high and we have the desire to grow more and more, improve and create a unique reality. We are making many steps ahead in our journey, in different aspects and fronts of the business, and there will be several new developments in the coming months that we look forward to unveiling. We are always in the quest for newness, in the sense of renewal as a seamless flow of vitality. As life.