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Sandra Juočepytė, who has lived in Paris for ten years, worked with the famous fashion brands “Michael Kors” and “Kenzo” for almost a year, in Lithuania. “I have rediscovered my homeland, it is a country of great opportunities,” says the image stylist, a clothing designer who managed to create an elegant workwear line at Sandée here and is finishing creating a new casual wear collection.
Priceless experience
It is good to hear Sandra say that she is a true Kaunas woman, because the world has been open to her since the age of sixteen. If you could find time to sit on the abrasive world map and the currency would erase the visited countries, the gold layer would be little …
But above all, about the beginning with which many girls dream. While still studying at the Saulės Gymnasium, Sandra caught the attention of Pure Star’s selection specialists for models and dancers. After eight years of mastering ballet at the choreography school, an international career was easily accomplished for a Lithuanian who was left behind. Concerts, events, photo shoots, tours of Europe – all this for a disciplined, demanding and refined Sandra quickly became commonplace.
I spoke very well in English and nothing in French. I was determined to learn, I attended courses for eight months.
“I worked not only in Paris. In the summer, the agency organized tours throughout southern France, to various European countries,” recalls the intense first year, when it stayed less and less in Lithuania.
Three years later, at the age of nineteen, he moved to Paris. “This city does not leave anyone indifferent, neither do I. I decided to live in it permanently, and the fact that a French friend appeared in my life at that time contributed a lot to that decision,” the girl opens.
I trusted the stylist’s work.
A fortune smiled at the new Parisian. In 2011, preparations were made for the opening of the Michael Kors flagship store in France. Clothing, shoes, bags, watches, perfumes, cosmetics in the spotlight of the American fashion giant are all a woman’s needs. So in the fashion capital Paris, ambitions were high: it was supposed to be the biggest shopping mall for this fashion brand.
“They chose the seller very carefully. They not only needed a representative appearance, but also excellent knowledge of English and French. He spoke English very well and not at all. I decided to learn, I attended courses for eight months,” says Barrier. .
Starting with sales at the Michael Kors Center, Sandra quickly climbed the career ladder. After a year and a half, she became a creator of personal style. “I had to meet my client or client in our showroom and create an image: choose not only clothes, but also accessories, shoes from the latest Michael Kors collections”, Sandra shares the peculiarities of the work.
Papirko sincerity
Lithuania, which has created an image for many stars in the world of film, music and entertainment, has not only earned the trust of customers, but also gained experience and skills.
“Fashion has always been close to my heart,” Sandra responds when asked how she managed to create such a successful story. “But the world of fashion is constantly changing: what is elegant and modern today may not be so tomorrow. Therefore, the most important thing is not to blindly follow the latest trends.” and to highlight human individuality. “
Once I sit in one of those luxury hotels and think: what am I doing here? After all, I love my job, I can’t leave it at that.
The interlocutor did not hide, sometimes simply discouraging his clients from buying clothes that did not fit them, but such openness and sincerity only increased his professional prestige.
“My job has been to sell, but I have always told the truth,” he says and reveals another success factor. “Honest communication with customers is very important. After all, many of those women who buy luxury clothing are single. Rich men are generally busy, they don’t give them enough.” They don’t need those new clothes so much as to talk and be heard. “
A warm relationship was established with many clients, who called their image stylist Sandra to enjoy the compliments she heard.
I wanted more challenges
According to Sandra, there is a great lack of friendship and a sincere relationship with the client for people who work in the commercial field in Lithuania.
“You also go into the store and feel that something has offended you. Sometimes you don’t even say goodbye, but saying” good morning “is above all the duty of the seller. In such cases, I come to greet you first,” says the educator.
“Working at Michael Kors was a very good school for me. Our boss supervised us very strictly, organizing both morning meetings, before work and afternoons after the store closed. We had to be constantly clean, have a clean hairstyle and makeup Moderate. We all wore clothes from the latest collections, which led many customers to buy. I like and ask for the same, “recalls the peculiarities of previous work.
But with Michael Kors, Sandra said goodbye, she wanted bigger challenges.
“I was offered a job at Kenzo. Fashion weeks were held where customers, not individuals, but retailers, came to choose collections that could be sold at least 70% in their own country. My job was to create those collections, choose products according to budget, the details of that country. I worked with Poles, Russians, representatives of Arab countries “, – reveals the details of the new job.
And professionalism, reliability, sincerity helped here. “Once my Polish clients, on a budget of 10 thousand euros, bought a collection for 60 thousand. My managers were not surprised by how it was, and I think it was all because we communicated openly and warmly,” says Sandra.
After two years of working with the Kenzo brand, the Lithuanian began organizing presentations of other collections of the brand. And he listened more and more closely to the calls of those around him to try to make clothes. After collaborating with accessory designer Xenia Biegler, she presented a joint collection.
I needed a house
“The courage to create my own clothing line was also inspired by the fact that I was creative when working with other designers’ collections: I added or changed details to make the beauty of the designer’s model more evident,” recalls Sandra.
“Once I presented the collection in Paris, I decided it was time to travel around the world,” she recalls easily, as a friend, a professional poker player, often flew to tournaments. “And I put it together to present my collection.”
The trips lasted two years, with an average of sixteen countries per year. “Monaco, Israel, Great Britain, the United States, the United Arab Emirates – just a few lists from a Lithuanian who has made his successful debut as a designer. – The first year was very good, but the second year he began to feel tired. It was very difficult to organize work. ” and in Lithuania, where the models in my collection were sewn, at night at that time … Also, I had to fly to Lithuania all the time to choose fabrics, to take care of the quality of work. “
Fatigue began to build up menacingly. “I once sat in one of those luxury hotels and thought, ‘What am I doing here? After all, I love my job, I can’t leave everything like that. I didn’t feel happy. I missed my family, friends, perseverance.’ “Sandra realized she had to take a break.
A friend stayed in Las Vegas, she returned to Paris. But the desired peace did not come here either. “I flew to Lithuania to rest. It was August. I thought I would rest for a few months, fall asleep and everything would be as before,” I naively hoped.
I really fell asleep. “I slept for two months,” laughs Sandra. “I was so tired of that boiling life, events, meetings, communication, flying, living in hotels, much less the most luxurious but strange.”
Sandra needed a home. And Lithuania, to which she returned this time not to do any urgent work or run into someone in a hurry, but with all her heart surprised her.
In the past, it seemed to me, well, that Lithuania would be small, what would you do here … Now I see so many niches here where mountains can be toppled. Everything is already in the world and there is still something new to offer.
A time of new opportunities.
“I really liked Lithuania,” he says, surprised. “Perhaps the fact that I am 30 years old in the fall, I would like to have my own house, my family, also helped me.”
However, without concern, Sandra was very surprised by the conviction that Lithuania was a country of great opportunities. “Much of my childhood, friends and acquaintances of school age returned to Lithuania to implement their projects and ideas here. In the past, it seemed to me, well, a bit of Lithuania, what you will do here … Now I see so many niches where mountains can be toppled. ” Everything is already in the world, and there is still something new to offer, “summarizes the discoveries that led to the project itself.
The niche discovered by a longtime Lithuanian in the fashion world is, of course, related to clothing. The look of an experienced stylist this time was directed at women working in the beauty field.
“My best friend has a beauty salon and she asked me to create clothes for the employees. This is how the first five models and my brand” Sandée “were born. I did not expect such popularity. They encouraged me to sew more, because it is impossible to get clothes elegant work in Lithuania. ” quality, style “, – shares the opinions heard.
Sandée’s quality and style are also valued abroad: this beauty professional apparel is sold in several foreign countries. “And we sew in Lithuania, here the best value for money,” says the designer.
Guided by stereotypes
The search for the material required the greatest effort. “After all, it was necessary to find a fabric that was of high quality: daily use, durable, beauty specialists also work with paint, permeable, sweaty all day, good and aesthetic, because the appearance of the beauty specialist is before quite a message for customers. “
They were combined with the highest quality cotton fabric with nylon and elastane, breathable and non-restrictive. Well, the popularity of the models is understandable: a jacket-like dress, a belted jacket with skinny pants, a kimono-style dress, a blouse with baggy pants, a dress with big pockets, would even embellish a woman who went outside. .
We discussed with Sandra why Lithuanians understand work clothes in such a stereotypical way: it is important to be practical, where did it come from?
“Lithuania has a Soviet heritage in this regard. The uniform is understood as a simple and comfortable garment that does not emphasize or emphasize femininity. However, it is very important, especially for women working in the field of beauty. It will not change the first impression later, and can give customers an impression of After all, a clean-looking salon clerk will definitely not cause a desire to return, “says my designer, who also intends to create designer clothes. I work for medical staff.
Fall intrigue
However, you won’t see much unintentional with us. Sandra, who has long lived in Paris as a fashion mecca, congratulates the Lithuanians.
“In the field of beauty, they are much more advanced than women in other countries. Even the French women, whom everyone loves, are more messy and less affectionate than Lithuanians. I have not seen girls with messy nails in Lithuania! And how beautiful, elegant, fashionable!, Many seem to be walking on the podium, “says a connoisseur of good style.
Lithuanian men are not less valued by Sandra: they are enterprising, well versed in their profession and ambitious.
“We have been stifling our creativity, our free nature, for so long that after escaping from the Soviets, we attacked everything with such force, with such enthusiasm!” – Rediscover the cause in the historical past.
But we no longer navigate the traumatic past, we look to the future. What else will we see with the Sandée brand? And does this name have any meaning other than association with the name?
“In French, the word means cut diamond, it’s synonymous with a job well finished,” Laura explains, revealing another side of it. “I am such a perfectionist … My seamstresses laugh that magnifying glasses have been put in place of my eyes, I see every wrong thread.”
Sandra knows what to demand. Five years ago, she completed her sewing studies remotely in Lithuania. Practical skills and talent – such an explosive charge! What to expect next?
“Currently, preparations for the new leisure clothing collection are underway. We are developing it together with the artist Vidmantas Vaitkevičius. I cannot say more than that we will present it in Dubai in the fall. It will be a very interesting event and a very beautiful collection “
One wants to believe because the main creative principle of Sandra is very close to many women: elegance is more important than fashion.
Personal file photo
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