Yulia: You have started a jewelry brand called Oubliette, what’s the origin of the name?
Oubliette is inspired by the idea of forgotten spaces and hidden beauty. It’s a term for a dungeon with an opening only at the top, where things often overlooked and left to linger. I wanted to create pieces that evoke that sense of mystery and allure, celebrating what’s hidden away but still valuable.

Aziz: Do you remember or write down your dreams, and what are the reoccurring themes?
I used to write them down because the same themes kept coming up. But after a while, my dreams became a part of my thoughts and life, so l stopped. Death, rebirth, three figures that follow me around, so I turn into one of them to chase myself in a language I don’t understand, light, and suicide- those are the ones that keep returning.

Charlotte: What’s your favorite weapon, and why?
I really like the gun that can shoot around corners, because it’s super Looney Tunes despite its villainous pedigree. In WWII they used exploding rats, and in the Cold War we invented a lipstick pistol disguised in a tube of lipstick. Also really love the visual of Carthaginian War Elephants and their badass armor, despite having just found out they were more for show than function, because the poor creatures would get frightened easily and turn around and trample their own ranks.

Yulia: Have you ever done witchcraft, and what’s your favorite spell?
I’ve flirted with witchcraft. I like to add a sprinkle of darkness here and there. Sometimes, it takes a little chaos to truly see the beauty of the light between the shadows.

Aziz: What are the most challenging materials you’ve worked with?
Fucking Chiffon.. I hate it.

Charlotte: Tell us some facts about composers.
Thought you’d never ask! Eric Satie had an amusing form of OCD where he only ate only white foods. I’d love to do that with black foods, black natto and squid ink on everything. Schoenberg (he invented 12-tone music) had a condition called Triskaidekaphobia where he was terrified of the number 13, even misspelling the name of his operas to not have 13 letters, then ironically died on July 13th. Another fun story is how Mozart hated one particular diva soprano singer and noticed how she would bob her head to hit high notes, so he composed a song for her that kept her constantly bobbing her head like a pigeon for an inside laugh.

Yulia: Has your geographical heritage inspired your eye for dark spooky aesthetics? What is your earliest memory?
I have vivid memories of characters from my culture, especially Baba Yaga – living in a chicken-legged house surrounded by a skull fence, conjuring spells in the woods. But I feel like my six years in Japan had a huge impact on my aesthetic. I fell in love with Yokai, the Japanese mythology intricately tied to Shintoism. There are over a hundred unique characters, like one with a mouth on the back of its head, a tree with human heads growing from it, and a young girl who transforms into a fox with seven tails. What fascinates me are their dark backstories, which reveal where their nature comes from – not always sinister, it’s just they way they are. This balance of light and darkness, like yin and yang, truly resonates with me.