Drugaya

Brand Founder: Evgenia Kravchenko

Brand DNA

Natural, high-quality, tactilely pleasing fabrics, complex natural shades and complementary prints, current models with a vintage touch, elegant relaxation, and moderate oversized fit.

Concept

The essence of Drugaya is to foster harmonious self-relationships and enable women to see themselves differently. Drugaya outfits allow a woman to comfortably and effortlessly switch roles (business owner, mother, wife, friend), always looking distinct yet feeling feminine, relaxed, elegant, and cultivating personal style.

The brand's calling card has always been dresses: everyday comfortable, tea-printed, cocktail, yet all versatile. The assortment also includes perfectly tailored suits, romantic blouses, relaxed pajama suits, and fashionable accessories that add character to the looks.

Brand History

Evgenia Kravchenko worked as a personal stylist for several years before a friend and colleague suggested she create her own clothing brand. With an investment of 50,000 rubles each, they produced their first seven models. They focused on dresses, knowing how much they were needed in modern women’s wardrobes. Over seven years, the brand greatly expanded its assortment while maintaining a focus on femininity and refinement, and also opened its production and two cozy stores in Yekaterinburg and Moscow.

Blitz

Best time for creativity?

As soon as the brand began to grow rapidly, we started scheduling creative processes during working hours. We get creative as a team during meetings, planning sessions, and concept creation

Ideal place for creativity?

Our main office and our pattern maker’s office. Vintage Vogue covers hang there, inspiring pictures and mood boards; we conduct work fittings and get wrapped up in fabric swatches while examining photographs

Music track that often plays when you want to create?

We often choose Italian or French music for reels and our branding—very melodic and often in a retro sound. Personally, for me, the best music track is the white noise of a busy team, the rustle of papers and fabrics, and the hum of sewing machines

Item from the brand you would wear non-stop?

Previously, I would have said our dresses. One of them I would even pass on to my grandchildren, as dresses are at the core of our brand's DNA. But recently, blouses—silky, flowing, printed—have been added to the collection

Least/most favorite part of the fashion process?

Least favorite—work devoid of creativity. There's more of it as time goes on, but I have a great team that understands how to take the load off me so I can continue to create. Yet, those "boring" processes like financial calculations and matrix development are super important, and I always see their results, so I try to find a creative spark in them too. My favorite is our product management: from creating sketches and selecting fabrics to fittings and photoshoots. And the pinnacle of it all—seeing girls on the street wearing our clothes

Historical or literary character you would make the face of the brand?

Possibly Brigitte Bardot, both as a personality and as a movie heroine. She’s light, feminine, yet very strong

Ideal location in the Urals for a collection shoot?

Definitely somewhere with historical context. For example, we recently discussed a women's monastery area. We always choose beautiful vintage "ruins."

Hardest part of creating a collection?

It’s always harder to deal with things unrelated to creativity. In the early years, it was even difficult to approach new collections, but now they seem to flow organically from one to another. It’s important to listen to our "Drugaya girl": what she likes, what works best. There are items that we and the team don’t want to repeat because we're tired of them, but the girls ask for them: "No, we need this!"

Advice you would give yourself at the start of your journey?

Don’t doubt! In the first years, the thought often came: "Forget it. Maybe it’s not worth it?" So, confidence is everything

What will change fashion soon?

The attitude towards it. More and more people are realizing that they cannot exist outside of fashion. It seeps into wardrobes, interiors, everyday life, and even food… Also, there is an understanding that fashion is a long game. We’re educating our clients not to choose clothes for one-off occasions but to build a wardrobe that lasts years, maybe even decades