COMMON Magazine Europe - SPRING 2017

COMMON//SPRING 2017//
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CULTURE + DESIGN = R.CULTURI
MIXING GLOBAL CULTURE AND DESIGN WITH CLASSIC ITALIAN STYLE,
ANTHONY BROVCHENKO IS ON THE RIGHT PATH WITH R. CULTURI
By Azhar Ahmad
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First, tell us a little bit about yourself.
My name is Anthony Brovchenko. I was
born in Kiev, Ukraine, grew up in
Brooklyn, NY, and spent close to four
years living and working in Monaco on
the French Riviera. My background and
the fact that I was exposed to so much
diversity in culture throughout my life
has nurtured and driven my fascination
with different peoples, their language,
their history, their food, and their art and
architecture. Obviously, I also love classic
men’s and womenswear and the
craftsmanship that it stands for. R.
Culturi was born from a fusion of these
two separate but equal interests of mine.
I had a desire to do something new and
interesting in this industry and to create
a truly unique, beautiful product that
would speak for itself. After close to two
years of research and preparation, we
launched our first 10 products in the
summer of 2015. In 2016, I decided that
it was worth giving this passion project
my undivided attention and I left my fulltime
career to pursue building and
growing R. Culturi.
What made you want to be in the
fashion industry, especially in
accessories for men?
I’ve always loved ‘fashion’ and respecting
the way I presented myself by dressing
well. As a teenager, I loved rare, exclusive
sneakers, raw denim, and t-shirts from
streetwear brands. I poured so much
time into learning about and procuring
these items for my wardrobe. As an adult,
my preferences changed to hand-welted
shoes and well-made trousers, shirts,
jackets, and of course neckties and
pocket squares. Living in Europe and
traveling throughout the continent also
really helped shape my personal style
and knowledge of how garments are
made. I was inspired by how well people
dressed in Milan, Paris, and London, to
name a few. All of this culminated in my
wanting to contribute something to this
‘culture’ of fine menswear and classic
dress. I also wanted to challenge myself
to develop something that I had no
background in. Part of it really was an
intellectual project to better educate
myself on design and production.
How do you choose the best pocket
square and necktie combo? What do
you put together first?
Before I choose a pocket square and
necktie combo, I first choose the jacket
and trousers. The accessories need to fit
seamlessly with the rest of the outfit
rather than being the ‘main event’. If a
jacket has a strong pattern, the necktie
needs to be more reserved in order to
ground the outfit. Conversely, a very
classic navy sport jacket can call for a
brighter tie with a robust pattern as it
adds a dynamism to the look. The pocket
square should never match the necktie
but rather complement it. Perhaps
certain non-dominant colors of the
necktie can be better represented in the
pocket square, or the main colors of the
tie and pocket squares can be totally
different but complimentary. For
example, burgundy with dark green. In
general, earth tones can be easily paired
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