The fourth U SO NICE collection includes tops with asymmetrical tops and mohair mini-skirts, as well as silhouettes that are new for the brand: wool capris and hoodie, faux fur coat and hooded dresses with a deep side cut. Along with the collection, the team presented a campaign dedicated to the different manifestations of love
About the campaign
The U SO NICE campaign starred couples and individuals who ‘epitomize the brand’s inclusive spirit’.
‘It’s a visual ode to love in its sensuality and connection with a partner, ourselves, a child, or a business — those pillars that help you pull yourself together and give you confidence in yourself and the future’, brand founder Kateryna Stepanenko told DTF Magazine in a comment.
She adds: ‘The silhouettes [in the collection] are comfortable, romantic, partly delicate, partly passionate, sexy, tender and colorful, frank. When you’re enveloped in soft and quality materials, it can feel like you’re in an embrace — it’s about the clothes’.
About the collection
It includes items made of natural materials, such as a viscose top with a drop cut, cotton dresses with asymmetrical hems in red and green colors.
According to Kateryna, she thought that the elastic stripe hooded dress should be worn particularly as a top, ‘where the train is beautifully draped’, with wide-leg jeans. The dress was made from a polyester and wool mix.
They also created wool bonnets, hoodies, and capri pants in three colors: gray, green, and striped print.
Locals: gender-neutral items with symbolic undertones by Kyiv-based brand U SO NICE
‘I love the Y2K aesthetic, both objectively and on a personal level, and I don’t rule out that it could be a nostalgic jolt. I want women to wear capris: it’s comfortable, nice and interesting’, Kateryna explained the choice of silhouettes and added that men, for example, can also wear them with wide-leg pants or an oversize T-shirt with a hoodie.
Another item that Kateryna highlighted from the collection was an oversize-silhouette tracksuit.
‘It’s literally the best composition for this type of garment and density, and also custom-made accessories, because I didn’t like any of the zippers that were on [free] sale’.
About working with artificial materials
In addition to natural materials, U SO NICE also uses artificial ones. For example, the straight-cut pants are made of faux leather and the long coat is made of faux fur.
Kateryna explained that the brand has two operating principles: gender neutrality and cruelty-free production, which ‘will not hurt either humans or animals’. Therefore, natural fur, including vintage fur, is an unacceptable material for them. Initially, the designer wanted to add down and feathers to the items, but did not find an artificial option.
‘It turns out that feathers have actually become the new fur and brands are using that. A study that came out recently showed that some manufacturers are indicating faux feathers in the composition when in fact they are natural’.
Kateryna also wanted to use fur from recycled materials, but doubted the transparency of the process. She notes that recycled material is not always more sustainable than regular polyester.
To create the fur coat, the designer chose a material that visually imitates natural fur.
‘To be honest, I had my doubts about whether to make the fur coat look like a natural one, but I couldn’t resist the beauty of the material and allowed myself to take the risk’.
You can buy clothes from the new collection on the U SO NICE website.
Kyiv-based brand U SO NICE was founded by Kateryna Stepanenko in 2021.
It specializes in creating gender-neutral clothing. For production, the team chooses durable and predominantly natural materials, and does not work with fur and leather.
‘We believe that fashion is not about consumerism and violations against human and natural rights. We prefer to use quality, durable and predominantly natural production materials over commercial profits’.
We told you more about the brand’s work here.
