Around Clothes & Knitwear

Founder: Evgeniya Kuzmina

Brand DNA

Basic wardrobe essentials, sustainability and slow fashion, care for people and processes, uncompromising quality.

Concept

Around creates pieces that will stay in your wardrobe for years, thanks to high-quality materials, timeless design, and customer care. The brand aims to provide not just physical warmth but also emotional warmth. Instead of chasing trends, the team at Around focuses on meaningful products, trust, and the pursuit of happiness over fashion.

Brand History

Around evolved from J.Knits, a knitwear brand named after its founder Evgeniya Kuzmina. The first product was versatile merino wool hats in various shades, which remain key items. In 2017, the company rebranded, carrying over J.Knits' best qualities: a personal touch in processes and close relationships with customers who often become friends.

Blitz

Ideal Place for Creativity?

Let's be clear, I'm not a traditional fashion creator. I don't drape fabric on mannequins or conjure collections from thin air. I analyse the market, study competitors, and review fashion shows. From this research, I develop briefs for our designer, and together we create the collection

A Piece You'd Wear Non-Stop?

A soft jumper and a jacket-coat. This winter, I've been wearing a short-sleeve cashmere T-shirt. But generally, I get tired of the collection we've been developing for a long time

Item you would pass on to your grandchildren with the words: "Let this remind you of me"?

I don't think such a message is meaningful, since modern kids aren't materialistic. They value my attention, time, emotions, and energy more than things. The only material legacy they might appreciate is photos, so we print high-quality photo books

Favorite/Least Favorite Part of the Fashion Process?

I love seeing something beautiful come from yarn and fabric. I dislike answering questions like, "What inspired you to create this piece?" For me, it works differently. I sense a trend in the air and think, "What do I want to do with this? What am I missing?" For example, there's a clear trend for creamy and graphite shades now, and I build the collection around their great combinations. The piece comes from practical market analysis and demand, not inspiration

Who Would You Make the Face of the Brand?

This feels like a question about inspiration. Maybe I'm too demanding of myself and our brand, but I feel we're not yet at a level to think in such terms. Recently, while waiting for a flight, I watched the film New Look about the Dior house and thought, "Wow, I'm not Dior at all!" Delving into this could be overwhelming. This might be something to discuss with my psychologist :)

What Scent Represents the Brand?

Probably a natural one, like the smell that fills the air at the beginning of each season. For example, when you step outside on an August evening, it smells like autumn. Or in February, when there are still snowdrifts and freezing temperatures, but you can sense spring in the air

Ideal Shooting Location in the Urals?

I think we've shot in all possible locations in Yekaterinburg and its surroundings. It's time to think broader—like going to France or Portugal. Our town doesn't have many cool locations, so our creative director always struggles to find new spots. And when you realize how many Ural brands have already shot around "Gads" or the Yeltsin Center, you start looking for options beyond Yekaterinburg

Advice to Your Younger Self?

What would I tell my 18-year-old self? Go study abroad? Party less at "Hysteria" and attend more lectures? It doesn't work like that. I recently listened to a podcast about stoics, and the main idea was: "Be grateful for what you have now." My life turned out the way it did because that's what I needed. Some experiences made me stronger, others more vulnerable. But I am who I am

Brand in One Word?

Knitwear that cares around you