This fall, a Kyiv-based brand of women’s clothing opened a store on 68, Sichovykh Striltsiv Street. The space with large windows and high ceilings is furnished with vintage furniture, which was searched for in Ukraine and brought from Europe, and the main feature of the interior is a fitting room with a large silk curtain
About location and space
Bibliothèque Nationale positions the store not as a mono-brand boutique, but as a branded space: the first hall houses the store, and the second hall houses the office, where creative and operational work is carried out.
When they chose the new space, ‘all the stars aligned’: it was large, bright, with high ceilings and access from the street — exactly what the team was looking for.
‘Plus, we love staying a little bit away from the epicenter of events and the concentration of the capital’s crème de la crème (best of the best. — Note from DTF Magazine)’, Nika added.
Previously, the Bibliothèque Nationale store was housed in the Stock Exchange building on Rylsky Lane. It was opened shortly before the full-scale war.Previously, the Bibliothèque Nationale store was housed in the Stock Exchange building on Rylsky Lane. It was opened shortly before the full-scale war.
‘We’ve always dreamed of a bright facade space with large windows, — Nika Malykhina, the brand’s founder, tells DTF Magazine. — That’s why we just realized that our paths with the landlords on Rylskogo are diverging, and we saw it as a sign to give ourselves a time-out and look for something better’.
About interior details
On the outside of the window, Nika wrote what was in her head at the time of creating the store: ‘fragile swan liberty flood castle onyx Art Nouveau volume sword oriel window teardrop’.
The furniture and furnishings in the space are mostly vintage — they brought them from abroad looking for them in Ukraine.
The large silk curtain, which is illuminated from within at dusk, was designed by visual director Sevilia Nariman-qizi.
Sevilia compares this curtain to a cinematic dream: ‘It’s like it gives the feeling of a short afternoon nap by the pool in the gentle evening sun’.
Another key detail of the interior is the steps, which also serve as a coffee counter. This structure was created for utilitarian reasons, so that books and various things could be stacked on it.
The interior of the store was designed by the team and friends of the brand on their own, occasionally engaging craftsmen from outside. The foreman was Nika’s father, Serhiy, who left occupied Enerhodar for Kyiv during the full-scale invasion. Her friend Valeriia Kvitka, wife of military officer Maksym Yalovtsov, acted as the operations supervisor of the process.
About the range of the store and events
The assortment will be updated along with the presentation of new drops — the fall-winter collection Inter Milano 1998 was released at the end of October and is already available in the store. It includes coats, bomber jackets, miniskirts, tops and other items. The laconic cut items are mostly complemented with ironic details: fur inserts and bows.
In addition, there is an option to sew items that may not be in stock. The brand notes that it will deliver the finished item to the store for fitting as soon as possible.
Bibliothèque Nationale recently held a sample sale within breast cancer awareness month to help a patient with this diagnosis. The brand plans to hold charity sample sales and pop-ups in the future.
Bibliothèque Nationale was founded by Nika Malykhina in 2019.
‘The brand celebrates serenity, youth and the romantic search for beauty in all its manifestations’, — this is how Nika describes the concept of the brand. And she adds that its aesthetic is a delicate search for naive sexuality in every curve of a woman’s body, in every small detail.
While creating collections, the Bibliothèque Nationale team is inspired by ballet, the beauty of the female body, Sofia Coppola’s films and friends.
