Artist statement

Alena Lavdovskaya

Starting my career in fashion retail, working with the likes of Naomi Campbell, Cindy Crawford, Eva Herzigova, Lara Stone and Małgosia Bela, I always had a passion for drawing. I sketched away during runway shows and thrived on the vibe of the backstage. Working with major magazines like Vogue, Elle, Harper's Bazaar, Esquire & Tatler for the last 2 decades gave me a deep understanding of the world of fashion from the inside.

Throughout my career I aim to popularize the fashion artistry by creating workshops on fashion illustration all over the world with 3000+ students under my belt.

Currently I am focused on art and run my agency, focused on commercial fashion illustration & production.

I was always surrounded by beautiful and unique people. Übermenschen. Top models, Olympic athletes, ballet dancers. My passion is body language: I started learning it through exquisite clothes and external beauty. Then came the incredible bodies, power, and commitment of Olympians. Now I am fascinated by the intricate plasticity of ballet dancers. My pencil stroke runs alongside my desire to capture the moment. I love watching someone in their peak performance, taking the leap of faith with them. During the sessions I often talk to my models about their pains and fears, or moments of crystal clarity.

I have two preferred mediums. The most perfect and polished are digital sketches, which I then animate and turn into cartoons. The less restricted and free are pencil and ink croquis. Letting the imagination run wild, I barely control my hand, I go with the flow of emotions.

I was totally fearless as a child. Aged 14, to enter the headmaster’s office and suggest a defile at Russian Fashion Week? Aged 17, to fly away to California and become Head of my uni’s art club? Succeed as a fashion illustrator in the country, which only saw international fashion in the 2000s and where no one has ever heard about fashion illustration before? This is all me. Myself. I. Where did this boldness go? What armor of fears, comparisons and self-doubt is it hiding under? This is what I would love to uncover. This is my journey towards the real me.

"Alena Love - 20 years of fashion illustration" is the start of a new chapter for me. From illustration to Art in its essence.

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Works

Graphics

Graphic works on paper
works / 2

Canvas

Canvas works
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works / 3

Digital

Digital art

Digital works
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Portraits

Portrait works
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works / 5

Interiors

Some interiors with my works
works / 6

Prints

Framed prints
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Collaborations

ME Dubai

ME Dubai, a heaven of architectural marvel nestled in the heart of Dubai welcomes Alena Lavdovskaya as a new Artist in Residence. With mission to foster creativity and innovation in arts and design ME Dubai showcases Alena’s iconic art throughout 20 years of visionary work, encompassing her illustrious career in fashion, advertising and editorial magazines.

As a renowned fashion illustrator and author of unique workshops Alena founded Fashion Illustration Studio, art and illustration-content agency for fashion industry. Alena’s portraits recreate atmosphere of illustrations and real photoshoot of the 20th century featuring live models and celebrities in high-fashion looks. Having worked with esteemed maisons such as Christian Dior, Chanel, Louis Vuitton, Guerlain, Lancome, Tiffany and Roger Vivier  Alena will bring her expansive knowledge and savoir-faire to ME Dubai with an immersive live drawing performance, fashion illustration workshops, and intimate lectures.

Currently Alena is focused on expressive power of illustration and her mission is to draw attention to Fashion Art in it’s essence.

The world of Fashion is changing every season, but it has never been  about just clothing. It’s ephemeral and extremely deep, and this is what Alena captures with her art. These are unique and beautiful people around, top models, Olympic athletes, ballet dancers, icons and heroes of nowadays. Her passion is body language. In the beginning of her designer career it was analyzed through exquisite clothes and external beauty, then fascination by supernatural bodies of Olympic athletes came. Now she is passionate about intricate plasticity of ballet dancers. Her pencil stroke runs alongside with desire to capture the moment.

Alena works in two preferred media. The most perfect and polished are digital sketches, which are animated and turned into cartoons later on. Her ink and pencil croquis are free and have no borders. “When I let my imagination run wild I can barely control my hand, I go with the flow of emotions,” – Alena says.

«Alena Love - 20 years of fashion illustration» is a start of a new chapter of transforming Fashion illustration into Art.

Alena Lavdovskaya’s exhibition will create a symbiotic synthesis with ME Dubai’s fashion-forward architecture, echoing the runways of Milan and Paris and combining the silhouettes of master couturiers, bringing them to life with her masterful strokes and vivid colours. Weaving in the old with the new, ME Dubai summons the world of haute couture and old-world glamour with Alena’s masterful artworks surrounded by Zaha Hadid’s visionary architecture and sublime curves, a juxtaposition where elegance reigns.

Guests, visitors, and patrons of the arts alike are welcome to visit ME Dubai’s designated gallery space and see firsthand Alena’s immersive and glamorous illustrations during her residency from May 15th to June 10th.
ME Dubai, opening May 15, 2023, 18:00-22:00
May 16 - June 13, 2023, 12:00-22:00
You are wellcome!

Events

Art branches

Cafe Pushkin
Palazzo Versace
Group art brances by request

About me

Alena Lavdovskaya photo

Bio / CV

Alena Lavdovskaya
Education
Academy of Art University San Francisco 
NABA Milano
Kosygin MSTU Moscow
Career Summary
2003–2005 – Gucci VM director, Mercury
2005–2016 – TSUM Department Store – deputy creative director, fashion illustrator
2018–2022 – creative director at official Russian Olympic team equipper ZASPORT
2016 – to present – CEO & creative director at agency 'Fashion Illustration Studio'
2016 – to present – author of Fashion illustration online course and international workshops in Dubai, Florence, London, Lisbon in collaboration with Dior, Guerlain, Gucci, Alberta Ferretti
2016 – contemporary artist
Clients
Guerlain, Bulgari, Dior, Chanel, Louis Vuitton, Prada, Gucci, Estee Lauder, Lancome, Tiffany, Montblanc, Tag Heuer, TSUM, Range Rover, Franc Muller, Gemfields, etc.
Publications
Elle Arabia, Vogue, Harper's Bazaar, Numero, Esquire, L'OFFICIEL, Elle, Elle Decoration, Cosmopolitan, SNC etc.
Artistic Experience
2023 – personal exhibition at Opus Tower ME by Melia Dubai "Fashion illustration"
2023 – "Art+Sport" group exhibition featuring Olympic team, Omelchenko Gallery, Russia
2022 – series of illustrations for Origen Festival Kulturel Switzerland
2022 – installation at International Artlife festival, Russia
2022 – Fashion Illustration group exhibition, Russia
2019 – digital art project for "Tales at the Tretyakov Gallery", Tretakov Gallery Museum, Russia
2019 – personal fashion illustration hall at the exposition of the Moscow Fashion Museum
2018 – to date – creation of a series of works in collaboration with ballet dancers from leading Russian theaters: Stanislavsky, Mariinsky and Bolshoi theaters
2018 – immersive art laboratory within the AR­ exhibition "Wives" at the Museum of Russian Impressionism
2013 – representing Russia in Lancome within the '20 Artists 1 Icon' international project 'The Little Black Bottle'
Collaborations: artist in residence
Four Seasons Difc, Waldorf Astoria Difc, Rixos, Mandarin Oriental, Mondrian, Palazzo Parigi Milano, London Hotel Langham etc.
About me/ Press

Publications