Portfolio of the Week: Pleasemachine

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Portfolio of the Week: Pleasemachine March 16, 2009

When you first hear the name "Pleasemachine," you might think of something slightly naughty, just a bit dirty, and a whole lot of fun. You wouldn't be far off. Anna Zaboeva is the Russian-born, Budapest-based artist behind the brand Pleasemachine, and her creations are colorful, unique, and wearable. That's right, we're not talking about photography or graphic design here, we're talking about shoes. In fact, Anna has the special distinction of being one of the only fashion designers on MINI Space, and we were excited to talk to her about her label, her life, and how on earth she got all the way from Siberia to Budapest in the first place.

MINI Space: How did you come across MINI Space and how have you found it helpful in promoting your work and doing what you do?

Pleasemachine: I first came across MINI Space through another designer profile, and I have found some great work there from other designers to keep me inspired.

MINI Space: Please tell us about the inspiration behind your playful designs.

Pleasemachine: I was missing a lot of color in Russia, ever since my childhood. All the clothes you could find at that time were so boring and grey. Like many other people, I wanted to be different. I normally get inspiration from my journeys, but my latest design I actually saw in a dream when I was sick with a fever. I'm planning on making it this week.

MINI Space: Tell us a little bit about your background.

Pleasemachine: I spent the first fifteen years of my life in a very small town surrounded by forests, far from what was going on politically at the end of the Soviet Union, learning to be a friend to nature and survive in extreme cold. After school in the central Russian city of Novosibirsk, I ran a media studio along with some friends. One day, we were invited to make a movie in Budapest for a Hungarian film festival. It was my first time outside of Russia, and I fell in love with the European atmosphere and decided to move there for good. That was the beginning of 2007, so it was a new year, a new country, and a new life.

Pleasemachine

MINI Space: What is it like being an artist in Budapest right now? What can you tell us about the scene there, and your part in it?

Pleasemachine: The artistic scene here is quite good, with many talented people in different fields. But I'm traveling abroad so much of the time looking for new materials and making contacts, that I would say I'm more of an international artist than a Hungarian or Russian artist.

MINI Space: How can someone who does not live in Budapest get one of your designs? Do you have a store or showroom that people in the area can visit?

Pleasemachine: I don't follow the conservative idea that each brand has to hold down its own shop with an exact address, furniture, etc. Rather, I prefer to make the party wherever I go! So people come and meet me, try on shoes and take photos, dance, have fun and get a positive impression of the brand to take away with them.

MINI Space: Do you collaborate with anyone or do you work alone?

Pleasemachine: I start off alone. I make the shoes myself from my own idea. After I've made a pair, it is produced in limited editions at a factory by experienced shoe-crafters. Then this solo creative process becomes a collaborative effort, with talented professional photographers coming to work with me. Lately, for example, I've been very pleased to work with photographer Attila Boltresz: we understand each other well. I model all my own designs and the woman in the pictures is me.

Click on a picture to launch the image gallery (15 images)

MINI Space: What are your plans for the future? Tell us what's coming up next for you.

Pleasemachine: Keep checking my sites for updates on the spring and summer women's collections. We'll have high heels coming soon, and some designs for men as well. And one little secret: I began a shoe-design project with the art group MAAK, with works in wood and porcelain. I expect to see some sweet fruits of our labor very soon.

by Giulia Pines