In conversation with the creative director of Anoeses about the brand’s journey, its fusion of eroticism and high fashion, the importance of open communication and consent, and its commitment to supporting Ukraine.
For those unfamiliar with Anoeses’ work and mission, could you please share what inspired your interest in creating a fetishwear brand, and how has that journey unfolded?
What drove us to create Anoeses was our passion for eroticism – the aesthetic of sexual desire – intertwined with our intimate journey as lovers and creatives. At first, we opened a small kinky showroom in Kyiv, but soon there were not enough suppliers with premium-quality products that would make you feel like they were made by someone who really understands and shares your passion. So, in 2018 we decided to launch our brand and gather a community of like-minded people around it. Originally, we had been creating designs by ourselves, but with time Anoeses has grown into a much bigger fashion and kink space with more than 40 professionals in our team. Russia’s full-scale invasion in Ukraine has presented us with challenges, but thanks to the people who work with us, we have managed to stay flexible and strong enough to keep going and supporting Ukraine.
The brand’s name is a clever play on the psychological concept of “anoesis” – the experience of pure sensory impressions without cognitive context. What was the significance behind choosing this term as the brand’s name, and how does it reflect the underlying philosophy and essence of your work?
Since the very beginning, we have considered customers to be a community of people whom we can share our passion with and actively engage in the journey of our brand. This is why when it came to the name, we decided to ask our followers. ‘Anoesis’ won, but we changed one letter in the final version. This name resonated with our mission because it is about the inner feeling of being free, sexy, and true to yourself – without judgments.
Could you provide insights on how the personal relationship between Kostya and Katya Savvopulo, marked by interdependency, secure attachment, and co-creation, has influenced the development and core principles of the Anoeses brand? Furthermore, how do these relational dynamics persist in shaping the brand’s evolution and creative direction?
Our relationship was built on honest and open communication with each other. This allowed us to understand our feelings, values and, most importantly, our desires. Having this experience and realizing how much closer it made us, we aspired to create products that would ignite intimate and frank conversations between others. Plus, of course, we love different kinky and sexy items, so it only made sense for us to channel that mission through erotic wear.
Your garments possess a unique quality – they are designed to serve a specific sexual purpose, yet they exude an undeniable high-fashion aesthetic. How crucial was it for you to tap into that aesthetic? Was that a deliberate consideration?
Combining sexual purpose with a high-fashion aesthetic is the core goal of our brand. Both of us are highly visual people who savor the pleasure of owning and creating items that are not only kinky or explicit but also embody a sophisticated sense of style. It is also worth noting that being into kinks and sexual exploration very often means having a specific lifestyle. So while you might not always want or can wear revealing clothes, you still might want to include this aesthetic in your daily outfits. And we’re so here for it.
When you first started out as a lingerie and leather brand in 2018, did you ever expect to receive this kind of overwhelming positive response?
To be honest, we believe that one crucial tip to managing a successful business is actually working so hard and planning so well that you do not get surprised when the response is big and positive. But of course, we get genuinely happy and stay forever grateful to our team when we look back and realise how much we’ve been through and how much we have achieved. Such milestones as Madonna, Sevdaliza, Tinashe, and Julia Fox wearing our item will forever stay iconic to us, as these artists are legendary, we’re honoured to be worn by them and hope to have more milestones like these.
BDSM-inspired garments and toned-down erotic looks have gained significant prominence among celebrities, mainstream media, and red carpet events. What do you believe has propelled the rise of this phenomenon? And what are your thoughts on it?
Well, firstly, we believe it’s great that eroticism is getting into places people usually would not expect it to be. Pop culture has always been trying to impress, and what better way to do it than through the revealing mesh, latex gloss, and leather boldness? From our POV, this signals about sexual freedom and curiosity being normalised in fashion and society in general. The hard work of numerous female artists and public figures who have been advocating for every woman’s right to own her body and express her sexuality has paved the way for this tendency as well.
Do you often collaborate with clients who have little to no experience with kinky clothing or BDSM? If so, what is that dynamic like?
We love staying close to our clients, no matter if they’re more into our edgy fashionable aesthetic or the kinky functionality of it. We collaborate with customers from time to time, depending on the ideas and content focus at the moment. What’s interesting is that very often when we are reaching out to the models and creators to engage them for promo, they turn out to be our customers. And we honestly are very happy and proud of it.
How essential is it to promote love and unapologetic sexual expression during these disheartening and divisive times?
It is not more important than supporting our army and people who suffer through terrible events, but it is still crucial. The war our home country is going through is, in particular, the war for values and freedoms. And those also include being able to express your love and sexuality freely. Plus, love is one of a few things that help us to stay sane in times of the most painful losses.
As one of the few brands actively engaged in the conversation surrounding inclusivity, consent, and aftercare in BDSM, how important is it for you to spotlight these and other pertinent issues as a company?
Communicating these things has been a priority from the very beginning of our work. It would be unacceptable and even dangerous to sell and promote BDSM and kinky gear without spreading the knowledge on inclusivity, principles of consent and sanity etc. Despite sex still being a taboo topic, BDSM has been spreading in pop culture, unfortunately, for all but the wrong reasons. Our mission to ignite trustful conversations between lovers also includes destroying stereotypes about BDSM and sexuality overall. Put it this way, sexual freedom is impossible without sex education.
In addition to selling luxury latex, lingerie, and fetishwear, you have also launched Anoeses Education – an educational platform aimed at liberating BDSM and sexuality from the intellectual obscurity that has plagued them for centuries. What has the response to this project been like?
Yes, we launched Anoeses Education in July 2021, and the response has been great so far. We try to make our content as practical and accurate as possible, collaborating with experts and using trustworthy sources. We also love our educational Instagram page because of the co-creation part, where our community shares questions, concerns and experiences on different topics helping us and each other on this journey through a romantic and sexual rollercoaster.
Your consistent determination to support the Ukrainian army is truly admirable. Has this public display of compassion helped to mend the more conservative Ukrainians’ perception of your brand, which is considered progressive and insurgent?
Thank you for noting this, we are forever grateful to the Ukrainian army for making it possible to continue working under the current circumstances and making donations is our way to show this. We can see that the percentage of the Ukrainian audience is growing across our channels, including the educational platform. So we might presume that our values resonate with them, and supporting the Ukrainian army is an important part of it.
Your most recent collection, titled DETERMINED, is a true homage to the art of BDSM. What can your loyal community and customer base anticipate next from this captivating collection and the future ones?
We are trying to switch it up with every new drop. As our goal is to motivate people to try something new, the novelty persists in our designs too. Since DETERMINED, we have launched the first-ever Anoeses street-style items and new lingerie. As for our plans, we will aim to turn our designs into a blueprint for combining functionality with fashion.
Tell us a secret.
We have not announced it anywhere yet, but soon you’ll be able to compliment Anoeses eroticwear with our first board game for lovers.
Credits:
Brand: Anoeses / @anoeses.brand
Interview: Sedef Nihat / @sedefnihat
Editor: Anca Macavei / @ancamacavei
Soundscapes vol.157 / Atalanta