α) The first is the phonetic consonance with the word Church. The theme of Christianity as a cultural phenomenon is clearly woven into my work.

β) The word "chur" (TCHUR) is unique to East Slavic languages. It is important for me to emphasize the region of my origin. And the brand itself is closely connected to the history and culture of Russia.

γ) Originally, the word "chur" was used in spells, where the word "chur" means "border", "boundary", "not me." The theme of magic and the mystical is also at the core of my work. My main goal is to create a borderline state between reality and dream.

My garments are some kind of reminiscent of the lost epoch but at the same time they would be seemed odd and alien to dwellers of this part of history. I strive to create an alternative reality where I can highlight and underline characteristic traits of my culture which in the mundane reality stay hidden from the view of the ordinary man.

TCHUR is an artisanal clothing project where I try to understand and articulate the key features of my own culture via aesthetic images.

I believe that the 1890-1920s is the crucial time period that helps understanding the very idea of Russian identity and the very notion of Russian soul.

α) Christianity. The Orthodox Christianity has played the pivotal role in the development of Russian culture. I focus on aesthetic and cultural sides of it. Starting from a peculiar church architecture to a well-known Russian school of icon painting and attires of the clergy.

β) In my work I primarily use patterns based on a real clergy attire of the begging of XXth century. (Not only orthodox ones but catholic’s and protestant’s as well) Some of them have remained almost untouched but some have undergone severe alterations and modifications.

γ) The reconstruction isn’t my goal. My garments are some kind of a reminiscent of the lost epoch but at the same time they would be seemed odd and alien to dwellers of that part of history. I strive to create an alternative reality where I highlight and underline characteristic traits of my culture which in a mundane reality stay hidden from the view of ordinary people

Second source is the Russian visual art and literature. When it comes to painting my main figure of interest is Mikhail Vrubel. The colour palette of my collections as a rule corresponds with the colours of Vrubel’s paintings. His colours always have some transcendental and magical hues. His vivid and exuberant works also include
melancholic and dim touches.

As a bookworm myself I strive to imply literature approach to my work. My first step of creating new clothing is to come up with a character who might wear them. So I always strive to make sets which tell story about its owner. Prototypes of my characters come from Russian literature and history. It might be just a homage to some personage or a collective image.

The third source is photos of that era. By looking at them I study what and how they used to wear. It’s always fascinating to rediscover some peculiar pieces of a wardrobe no longer exist and implement them in my collections.