Tactile sensations

From the fashion centers of Paris and New York, textile designer Louda Larrain now calls Kauai home, and she’s counting her blessings.

"I think finally I can breathe a little. I can still reach out to the world, and the world can reach out to me. It’s true Hawaii is one of the most isolated places in the world, but believe me, I grew up in Siberia, and I felt like I was living on Mars. If I could do things there, I can do things here."

Larrain’s "Emporium of Cuteness" soft sculptures are on view through Dec. 30 at Fishcake Gallery in Kakaako, and she’ll also be presenting a workshop Sunday. Her workshop will offer a history of fashion illustration, demonstration of techniques and drawing sessions with a live model.

"Before the invention of photography, it was always the illustration that transmitted the idea of fashion all over the world so provincial ladies could keep up with the latest styles. In early issues of Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar, all the covers were drawings. Photography put drawing on a back burner, except in the cases of Rene Graue, who worked with Dior, and Antonio Lopez.

"Not many people draw anymore. I think it’s a kind of illiteracy. People have taught monkeys and elephants to draw, so on a basic level, anyone can draw, but to develop your own style and identity is difficult."

Larrain, who got her start in fashion teaching fashion illustration in her home country, said, "I thought it would be nice if I could transfer this knowledge to anyone who wants to learn here."

Although Larrain grew up with the idea of pursuing a career as a painter, she said Russia offered few opportunities to receive a diploma in the arts. "Fashion was one of them, so I thought I could get my diploma, then do painting."

From Siberia, Larrain made her way to Moscow at a fortuitous time, following the 1991 fall of the symbolic Iron Curtain that separated the Soviet Union from the rest of the world.

As markets opened, "suddenly there were people with money who wanted special things," Larrain said. Drawing on her fashion education and artistic impulses, she said, "I started to experiment with different fabrics and accidentally found a technique that was so special. Twenty-five years later it’s still kind of special."

She said that after marrying and having a child, she was fortunate to have had plenty of time to experiment.

"I work on the floor, bringing all my materials, and I kind of throw it around, and mix and match, like (Jackson) Pollock. It’s like art, but this is so much better because I can wear it out and look like a million bucks.

"People don’t believe it when I tell them this, but in Russia there’s a low density of people because no one wants to have children because of the cost of raising a child. So if you do have a child, you can stay home for three years and the government will pay your full salary. So I was able to take care of my child and take time to experiment with fabric without worrying about the time I invested."

She moved to Paris in 1996 and immediately drew attention for her textured, quilted coats, constructed from layers of fabric. She was directed to the renowned house of Lesage, the embroidery atelier purchased by Chanel in 2002.

"They asked if I could leave a few sample swatches. At that time I only had about six or eight swatches. Now I have more than 500.

"The next day, Francois Lesage called me. He said, ‘Darling, sit down. I have news for you, and you will fall out of your seat. Someone went crazy for your fabrics.’ And that was (Chanel designer) Karl Lagerfeld.

"After that my life was like a fairy tale. I still had to work very hard, but after I produced this fabric for Chanel, every door opened. I could call and everyone wanted to know what I was doing. Sometimes they would say, ‘This is too Chanel,’ because they had their own identity, so I would continue experimenting, but I didn’t have much time for my own work."

Her next move in 2005 brought her to New York, where coats she made from her fabric sold in galleries. "I would produce very little, two or five pieces a month, but I would go in, they would tell me to sit down for some coffee, and by the time I finished they would already sell two coats at $4,000 each. It was so easy at the time. But all the work was done by hand, and it was time-consuming, very labor-intensive.

"Then, in 2008, boom, everything stopped." A stock market crash quashed spending, but Larrain said it was a blessing.

"Instead of running after orders, or stores putting pressure on you, I could contemplate which direction I wanted to go. Even though everything I was creating was one of a kind, it was not revolutionary."

At a midpoint in her career, she was also thinking about legacy, and she found people suddenly interested in her archive of swatches, each like one of her children, a part of each of the textiles she created.

"I had accumulated more than 500 swatches, and all of a sudden, people wanted to see it and show it."

Her textiles went on view in the Steven Kasher Gallery in 2011, and the Rhode Island School of Design expressed interest in acquiring part of her archive, but before any agreement was reached, she moved to Kauai with her photographer husband, Gilles Larrain.

The two spent eight months clearing a junkyard to build their home, and Louda is looking forward to more creativity and building on her legacy.

"On this land you’re so attuned with your spirit. There is less noise that prevents you from feeling things, seeing things. Many people I’ve talked to said that if this land doesn’t want you, it kicks you out. When we arrived I felt it was telling me, ‘You’re here, where have you been?’ Now I’m just discovering how do I relate to this land and what is expected from me."

LOUDA LARRAIN EMPORIUM OF CUTENESS

>> Place: Fishcake, 307 Kamani St.

>> When: Opening 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday, on view through Dec. 30

>> Admission: Free

FASHION ILLUSTRATION HFX WORKHOP

>> Place: Fishcake

>> When: Noon to 4 p.m. Sunday

>> Tickets: $70, $35 for Hawai‘i Fashion Exchange members

>> Register: Online at bit.ly/1tW55YE