Designing A Cultural Renaissance: How Katya Kovtunovich's Sadu-Made Designs are Bridging Emirati Culture With the Rest of the World Kovtunovich's enthrallment with the UAE's traditions and an innate love for fashion culminated in the launch of her eponymous clothing line eleven years ago. Today, with multiple celebrities and local government dignitaries having donned her designs, she shares her hopes for the brand to become globally synonymous with the wider Emirati culture.

Katya Kovtunovich has also been featured on Anchored Echoes, a new video series on Entrepreneur Middle East- watch the video HERE.

Even before I get to meet UAE-based fashion designer and entrepreneur Katya Kovtunovich in person, at the Pullman Downtown Hotel in Dubai on a searing summer afternoon, there are enough instances during our prior email and phone conversations to suggest that a lot of her decisions in life are wildly fuelled by two aspects: creativity and inspiration (the most striking one being when she shared that she'd stopped all her sports-related activities two days before the interview to "get back to my deeper creative self" for the main day– a practice she said she'd learnt from professional ballet dancers and MMA fighters). Now, some might conflate the two but, as you will gradually find out, while creativity has been innate to Kovtunovich, it is her sources of inspiration that have channeled where and how she has allowed her imagination to flow. "On my seventh birthday, I got a Barbie doll as a gift," Kovtunovich recalls. "Something about beauty mesmerizes me- she was so perfect and I was like, "Oh, my God, let's design something beautiful to dress her." It just happened completely out of nowhere! I lived in a very simple family. I never went to a restaurant with my parents. We didn't have a luxurious lifestyle. So all we did was go to the forest, take sausages, and grill them on the fire. And we spent weekends not in fancy places but in the garden taking care of carrots and doing very simple things. That was my life. But maybe because I was reading books that were inspired by the Middle Ages, when women wore long dresses with fur…something from these books inspired me so much that I started designing clothes for my Barbie. So that's how it happened. Out of nowhere!"

Many years later, it was precisely that internal concoction of inspiration and creativity that led Kovtunovich to create a unique fashion line using the Sadu fabric- a traditional textile, made up of intricately weaved geometric patterns, that is deeply associated with the UAE's bedouin culture and has historically been used only to make tents, carpets, camel saddlebags, majlis seating, and decorative items. Launched in 2014, the eponymous fashion brand —which offers flowy tunics and dresses— turns eleven this year. Over the past decade and a bit, the brand has been recognized by the UAE government multiple times, with Kovtunovich having been invited to be a part of the official delegation representing the UAE at both Expo 2015 Milano and Expo 2020 Dubai. Kovtunovich's designs –tailored for both women and men– have been worn by global icons such as American singer Lady Gaga, Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli and his wife Veronica, and Hollywood star Lindsay Lohan. In further proof of its allure, the Katya Kovtunovich brand has also been worn by important UAE government officials including H.E. Ohood bint Khalfan Al Roumi, the current Minister of State for Government Development and Future, who sported a jacket by the brand at a United Nations speech she delivered during her tenure as the UAE Minister of Happiness and Wellness; as well as H.E. Reem Bint Ebrahim Al Hashimy, Minister of State for International Cooperation and the CEO of Expo City Dubai Authority.

^{H.E. Ohood bint Khalfan Al Roumi, the current UAE Minister of State for Government Development and Future, sported a jacket by Katya Kovtunovich at a United Nations speech she delivered during her tenure as the UAE Minister of Happiness and Wellness. Images courtesy: Katya Kovtunovich}

"This is my absolute best-selling piece!" Kovtunovich tells me, pointing to the plain black tunic embroidered with the eye-catching red Sadu fabric, gracefully laid out behind us on a mannequin. "We have shipped it to over 70 countries. When I go through the list of countries we've shipped it to, I'm like, 'Oh, my God. People in half of the world's nations have my Sadu tunic!' The pieces that are heavier, they're harder [to design] because they need to be fitted. So you need to create more sizes. But with the tunic, it's a free size, and has a flowing silhouette. It gives you this royal flow when you walk. Women love it! Women of all nationalities; of all faiths. Muslim women wear it as abaya [a traditional outer garment worn by many Muslim women]. Non-Muslim women wear it for informal events or to the beach. And actually a lot of girls who come to Dubai, they want to wear something inspired by the abaya, but they don't necessarily want to wear the abaya itself because it makes them look like they want to be Emiratis. But what I created, it's a piece that shows respect to Emirati culture without trying to emulate it. It's cultural diplomacy, you know? I get goosebumps. This, for me, is so important…to teach people respect because you come to a different world. I myself didn't know anything about this world. It took years to learn, to go to people's homes, to talk, to ask questions, to really understand the UAE culture. So that's what made me so passionate about sharing it [with the world]."

But to understand how Kovtunovich landed upon such an unconventionally innovative idea –i.e. creating a clothing line using furniture fabric– it is necessary to continue the opening story which takes place in Sakhalin, a small town in Russia, where she grew up. A life of frugality meant that Kovtunovich's family couldn't always afford what she wanted growing up– which, in hindsight, allowed her creativity to flourish. "I would walk into a store and always choose the most expensive thing, and my parents couldn't afford it," she recalls. "So I thought, okay, let me try to take a piece of this curtain or a small piece of that carpet and try to design something. I once took my grandmother's old skirt and made it into a jacket. By the age of nine, I started designing for myself! Creativity can sometimes come from lack of resources; not from having all the resources. What I see now in the world…actually, I feel a little sorry for the kids nowadays because there is too much. You go to a creativity shop, there is every single thing you dream of. In my childhood, there was nothing. So I had to come up with things."

Fast-forward to a few years later, and Kovtunovich —who had by then managed to graduate with a degree in Linguistics from the prestigious St. Petersburg State University in Russia— found herself struck by another lightning of inspiration. This time, it was the tale of renowned British fashion designer and couturier Alexander McQueen. "It all started because of a magazine interview, which is why I believe magazines are so important, because you never know who it can inspire," Kovtunovich says. "I read an interview with Alexander McQueen, where he said that he's the son of a taxi driver and that he was poor. His parents couldn't afford a fashion school. And instead of crying and being sad for himself, he went to Savile Row, which is a street where all the tailors are in London, and worked there for free. In return, he was learning. I was like, wow, this is brilliant!"

What that one moment of awe sparked in Kovtunovich was a decision to move to London with a mere US$200 in her pocket. Working multiple jobs at a time to sustain herself in the new city, she set out with a singular goal: to make it to the top of the fashion industry. "That is what I said to myself and then, three months later, I was invited for an interview at British Vogue to do an unpaid work experience internship," Kovtunovich reveals. "When I got that phone call, I remember jumping up and down. My dream had started coming true in so many ways! I used to wake up at 5 a.m. every day back then, because I was doing four jobs. I had a night job at a restaurant because at least there I could get good food once a day. I also used to work at a French bakery on weekends. Then I was working at Vogue itself, so I was writing articles late into the night because I was starting to be a journalist. All these experiences I was gaining…not everyone has done it. So I was really doing everything in my power. And I was so happy!"

It was in the midst of this whirlwind phase of Kovtunovich's life, when she was working as a cashier at a Prada store in London, that she forged a cordial friendship with the store's Director at the time— a bond that eventually opened Kovtunovich's doors to the UAE. You see, when Kovtunovich reconnected with her former manager, long after both their tenures at Prada had come to an end, he was already working for Chalhoub Group, a UAE-based luxury goods retailer and distributor that has a strong presence in the fashion industry. It was then that he introduced Kovtunovich to a marketing assistant job opening at French luxury fashion brand Kenzo. "It was a big decision for me to move to Dubai," Kovtunovich recalls. "Because at the time I had a visa that was leading to a British passport- I knew I had to give up that opportunity. But I decided to come here for 10 days and give myself the time to discover what Dubai is. And when I did, I was so happy for no reason. Out of nowhere, I got so much happiness. So I said, 'No, no, no, I'll choose happiness.' That's how I came here in 2010. I really liked my boss at Chalhoub Group too; I really wanted to learn from her. So it was a great idea for me to learn how to do marketing from a big fashion brand."

It was during those initial days in the Emirates, during a spontaneous visit to the old souqs in Dubai's Satwa area to discover more about local fashion, that Kovtunovich first came across the Sadu fabric. "I saw a roll of it, and I was like, 'Oh my God, this is amazing!' Then I pulled a few meters out, started measuring it, and realized I wanted to make a coat out of it. That's why I brought this coat [points to her outfit]. Because all of this started with a coat! I made the first one by myself that very night using a sewing machine at the house of a friend. I thought to myself that I wanted to wear it back in Russia when it's winter. And when I eventually did when I went back home for a few days, the reactions I got were crazy. There was a special energy, because everybody wanted to talk to me about it. So I thought, 'God is trying to tell me something…!'"

That was in early 2011 (later in the same year, in a fateful turn of affairs, the traditional UAE Sadu was added to the UNESCO list of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity). In the months that followed, Kovtunovich continued making jackets, coats and skirts made up of Sadu , which picked up steam everywhere but in the UAE- including a time where her coats got featured in a two-page spread in fashion magazine Harper Bazaar's Russia edition. "At the time, people ridiculed my idea- they couldn't fathom a furniture fabric being turned into textiles," she adds. "But for me, what kept me going was my goal to make Sadu respected by everyone. At the time, people laughed at me. They said, "Nobody will wear a sofa. Do you know it's a sofa?" I received so much of that. But I actually liked this fabric and I want to make it world famous. I wanted to make it a symbol of UAE culture. That was my moving force, and I achieved it."

With her brand now accompanied with the hashtag #SaduGoesGlobal –validated by the multiple nations the brand ships to, and the myriad of global and regional celebrities who've worn its designs– Kovtunovich certainly has achieved her goal. And the turning point came when, in early 2014, UAE-based architect, designer and fashion entrepreneur May Barber expressed her interest in having Kovtunovich display her pieces at a Ramadan market in Dubai. "It was during that exhibition that May suggested that I pair Sadu with a sheer fabric. But I said, this fabric is furniture fabric; it's heavy! It's not going to go together with the sheer fabric. She persisted and then said, "why don't you try something with chiffon?" I still didn't want to do it. But then I came to my studio, threw a piece of chiffon on a mannequin, and cut a stripe here and there. And this is how the tunic happened! We then made another similar tunic, but with more intricate work, which did well. But you know what? The most simple thing –this black tunic– the thing I expected the least to be a success, became my best-selling piece!"

It was that year that the Katya Kovtunovich brand officially launched in the UAE. Since then, Kovtunovich has had a series of milestones, including the aforementioned Expo 2020 invite where she sold 500 pieces to visitors from across the world. The brand has also been exhibited at the iconic luxury hotel Burj Al Arab. "There was also this time I was offered a kiosk by The Dubai Mall where I got to sell over a 100 tunics in just a week!" she tells me. "They had two free spots at the mall, and wanted to support local designers who bring value to their customer experience- and I was one of the two chosen designers. This was so mindblowing to me because they charged a very small amount from our overall sales. And we ended up selling so many pieces to people from China, Australia, and so many other nations– all with no marketing, no advertisements. Simply because people wanted to buy my designs as a souvenir from the UAE."

^{Images courtesy: Katya Kovtunovich}

Now, it is evident in Kovtunovich's words that it has been her deep affection for the UAE/Emirati culture that has allowed her to stay dedicated to the brand– especially in the face of ridicule early on. It is that respect that has also allowed her to carefully tread the line between cultural appreciation and cultural appropriation. So just how did a Russian who learnt fashion in the heart of London manage to create a design that not only pays tribute to the Emirati culture but has been heartily accepted by its people too? "It's very simple- you just ask!" she says. "Before I design anything, I will always ask my Emirati friends, and I have so many of them. I will reach out to my Emirati male acquaintances and friends if it has something to do with men's fashion. For example, I made sure to ask around if it is okay for men to wear my tunic as a bisht. I always ask questions before I do anything. Even before I write a press release or I write a post, if it concerns the UAE culture, I have to ask at least three to four people to make sure all of them are okay with that. For me, this is so important because I understand that it's not my culture and I cannot know everything. And of course, if the Emiratis support what I do, then why should I listen to somebody else's opinion? There are actually plenty of people from other nationalities who wrote to me using phrases like 'cultural appropriation' or saying that an abaya shouldn't be transparent or worn to the beach. But, you know, the very first comment I got from Dubai Tourism was that it is amazing that my designs can also be worn by men. So for me the support from Emirati people means everything. For me, the fact that UAE government officials wore my pieces on multiple occasions, or that Emiratis say what I do is fantastic, it makes me cry! It really makes me cry because how could, like you say, a girl from Russia create something that wins so much respect from Emiratis when, really, I'm nobody to them. But I have been so lucky to be with the Emirati people from day one- to be asked to observe Ramadan together, and invited to weddings and special occasions. So I want to share that with others. That's why I decided that my work with Sadu will be like a symbol of introducing the UAE to the world."

But beyond the cultural implications, there is also the fact that Kovtunovich has achieved something that few in the fashion world are able to achieve: a timelessness in her designs. In an industry where trends change often and new collections are dropped every season, the Katya Kovtunovich brand has managed to remain appealing and fresh even after a decade in the business with the same trademark designs. When asked how she's managed to pull this off, the designer says she's befuddled by this result too. "I also ask myself this question because honestly sometimes I don't understand," she says. "I've, of course, tried to introduce other designs along the way and while they've done well, the best-selling piece is still the same black, very simple tunic. Maybe it's like a Chanel bag, or like a Diane von Furstenberg wrap dress- you know, like every designer has their signature, maybe this has become a signature of my brand. So, even if I try to introduce something new, people don't necessarily look at it with the same passion. Honestly, I don't know. I feel sometimes simplicity has the most power, because when you try to overcomplicate things, it doesn't have the same energy. But to be honest…I don't know, I wish I knew the answer."

At the heart of the brand's success is perhaps its strategic pricing strategy —the flagship tunics are sold at a modest range of US$250-$350— which have earned it a spot in the "affordable luxury" category. Kovtunovich says this has been an intentional move on her part. "It was an absolute must for me to keep the prices accessible, because my idea was that every woman who works, who has her own salary, should be able to afford my piece," she says. "Maybe not from one salary if she's just a beginner. You know, I knew girls who work at hotel receptions buy my pieces. And to me, that means so much! Because I always teach young girls, please, if you need to save up money for fashion, then don't! Save up for your education. Save up, learn a new language. Save up for your career! Take a course that will enhance your career. And then when $250 is not a problem, you come back and buy it. Because nobody teaches us that. Why is it that for someone like a Mark Zuckerberg, it's okay to wear the same t-shirt every day, but a woman has to invest all her salary in her shoes and outfits. I don't agree with that. If you have other priorities, please, focus on them!"

Kovtunovich's statements here may seem to be at odds with the purpose of running a business. But owing to her own early life experiences –and entirely in line with her previous comments to use Sadu as a means to connect cultures and foster respect for all– the designer is adamant not to position her brand as a financially unattainable one. "For a large portion of my life, I used to buy from vintage stores [a shop that sells secondhand high-quality and fashionable items from a particular era or period]," she tells me. "And, you know, the excitement is the same because you're buying something that's new to you, and you actually feel the same emotions you have while buying in the most expensive store. Look, when the most expensive stores become your norm, then you can absolutely buy from there, of course. But to do that is also a kind of freedom, you know, where you have the privilege to choose. But having this [brand] or that, doesn't define you. Your story defines you. Struggles that you overcome define you."

^{Kovtunovich with H.H. Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum (extreme left), The Crown Prince of Dubai, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence of the UAE, and Chairman of The Executive Council of Dubai, and H.E. Khalfan Belhoul, CEO of Dubai Future Foundation, during the Dubai Future Fellowship program in 2023. Image courtesy: Katya Kovtunovich}

At this point, through tears stinging her eyes, she adds, "We all have a different starting point. If I compare myself to, say, someone born in New York and think about how successful they are? Or ask myself, well, why are they billionaires and I'm not? But we all have so much to overcome, and all of it is different. We cannot compare ourselves with a person who is already born like a plant that is under the land with a certain fertilizer. And then there's you, the plant that's growing through asphalt. I am this plant, you know, that grew up against all odds. And I'm here!"

Despite the hurdles, having achieved much of what she set out to do, Kovtunovich is now committed to her next big goal: for Katya Kovtunovich pieces to become an official souvenir of the UAE. "I want my designs with Sadu to be an official gift from the UAE to the people who come here," Kovtunovich declares. "This is what I envision next, and I'm just waiting for the right moment for this to happen. And things will always happen at the right time; this is something I've learned. When you want it, it will not happen. In 2023, I was invited to meet H.H. Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, The Crown Prince of Dubai, when I was chosen among 26 leading experts, innovators, entrepreneurs from different industries to join the Dubai Future Fellowship program under His Highness' patronage. They chose me from fashion because they wanted somebody successful and visionary, so I was very honored. But it came out of nowhere. So sometimes things happen in their own time. I've already built my name; people already know me. How did a girl from a small Russian town get recognized by dignitaries from the UAE government? This is something you cannot buy. Nowadays you can buy followers. You can buy a lot of things. But you cannot buy respect. For me, that's so important as I forge ahead."

Watch Kovtunovich's Anchored Echoes interview by clicking the link below:

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