Natasha Kerimova
As the fortunate leather crafter and artisan behind this brand, I am thrilled to share my journey with you.
My childhood love for fashion, a university degree in engineering , years of work in branding and marketing agencies, unplanned relocation to London, MA in fashion business management from Westminster University, all while raising two children, have given me a unique and mysterious mix of creative inspirations!
Ten cloudy started to take shape the day I attended a master class in bag making. It was very inspirational! Everything that happened afterwards was a natural continuation of this journey. Leather bag making courses at the London School of Fashion, months and months of tutoring and collaboration with the well-known luxury bag maker and technologist Stephanie Freude, piles of bags and leathers at my home studio and all around the house and ultimately, the creation of Ten cloudy.
What drives me personally is the joy of creating beautiful objects using leather, textiles, and various other materials. I find inspiration in the intersection of fashion, design, and art, catering to individuals who crave a distinct artistic flair in their accessories. Much like curating a collection of fine art, our products appeal to those who appreciate the creative process and seek out unique, expressive pieces.
Ten Cloudy
So when I needed a name for the brand, the idea was to find something which was not directly related to my designs but paid tribute to this city and this country, where I’ve been given a chance to bring my dream to life!
For a long time, I have been looking for words and symbols which would confer a certain degree of an elegant Englishness and failed spectacularly. All the options I came up with were either too banal or already taken. Then one day, my daughter, dressing for school, shouted to me from her room: “Mom! What is the weather like today?” I looked up the BBC weather app on my phone. It read “10° Cloudy”. And I suddenly realized that I saw exactly the same notification just yesterday, and, probably, the day before, and perhaps many, many times a year. So “10° Cloudy” has become for me not just the symbol of London weather but of my understanding of Britishness!
Sustainability
I work by demand, by pre-order, which helps me to produce less waste. To minimise production waste further, I make wearable art pieces using leather offcuts from my primary collection. This project demonstrates that seemingly useless small leather pieces, in combination with other materials, can be creatively transformed into powerful statement jewellery. The resulting costume and fashion accessories represent the synergy of my artistic inspiration, craftsmanship and environmental sustainability concerns