Haute Athleisure: VAARA Founder Tatiana Korsakova On Crafting Her Own Category

Fusing together a ready-to-wear aesthetic with activewear dressing, the model-turned-entrepreneur sits down with Bazaar Arabia to discuss the comfort-meets-chic niche she’s pioneering; the challenges of building a sustainable brand and what’s in store for the future

Tatiana Korsakova is truly in a league of her own; after all, it takes a certain level of moxie as a founder to carve out a completely new niche market – and be it one in an industry that thrives off the cyclical structure of fashion seasons and consumerism. The former model defined a gap in the market for women like herself – busy mothers and career women who wanted quality yet comfortable attire to take them from the school run to work meetings, then a Pilates class and lunch with friends – and, ever since, has been filling it with her beautifully made collections that are as sustainable and practical as they are stylish – haute athleisure, if you will.

For Tatiana it was all about creating a uniform of sorts to go with her lifestyle. “I wear VAARA when I travel, because our leggings are super comfortable. But the detail is also in the fabric. You want something breathable, not sheer; stretchy, but at the same time very supportive,” she tells Bazaar Arabia over a cup of tea, taking a break in between appointments at her showroom in Dubai, as she prepares to launch the brand to the UAE. “I want VAARA to be the go-to perfect black legging for any woman.”

The collections are created at the brand’s design studio in Chelsea – London by a carefully assembled team from the world’s finest fashion houses. Whilst everything is then made exclusively in Europe, using materials that are both luxurious and considered – (something Tatiana is particularly passionate about). Collaborations are only done with partners that make sense, and whose values align with VAARA’s. It’s quite a feat, what Tatiana has accomplished in the span of just a few short years, but she’s just getting started.      

Poised to take the region by storm, the Russian-born UK-based founder and mother-of-three sits down with Bazaar Arabia to talk about the importance of sustainability; creating comfy-chic collections and what it’s really like pioneering her path in fashion.

Harper’s Bazaar Arabia (HBA): What’s the story behind the brand’s name, VAARA?

Tatiana Korsakova (TK): At the time I launched VAARA I had only one child, Varvara. This brand was going to be my other baby, so my team and I started thinking of names that were similar to my eldest daughter’s name. We started out with Varvara and then from that came VAARA – a word I find beautiful as it means new opportunities and new blessings.

I also wanted my brand to be associated with Varvara. She’s a young woman, who I envision will be the image of the future woman who multitasks and balances a lot on her plate. I want my collections to support her through that and give her the confidence she needs to go through life. She is very proud of her connection to the name.

HBA: Who is The VAARA woman? And who is she when she comes to Dubai?

TK: She’s a multitasker and a perfectionist, very educated and a fashionista – beautiful, chic and refined. She’s someone who travels a lot and needs pieces that can go from the aeroplane to the beach with the kids.

HBA: What makes VAARA different from other brands trying to break into its niche?

TK: When we first launched the brand — two years before Covid — and started having meetings with potential buyers, many of them were confused as to where VAARA would sit. I often got asked if we are an active brand or a woman’s apparel brand, because we offer lots of products from leggings to dresses. My response always was that VAARA is the future, and I want to redefine athleisure.

Like I said, women now are extremely busy. They’re multitasking between work, meetings, school runs, and other errands, and they need pieces that are both comfortable but also elegant. Even with remote work that came with Covid… if the typical VAARA woman is working from home she needs to be in something comfortable but chic in case she has to hop on a Zoom call after a school pickup. I couldn’t find a brand that allowed me to achieve this look effortlessly – which is why I ultimately launched VAARA.  

While other brands are trying to enter a wider space and launch more pieces, they are too deep in their niche to do what VAARA decided to do from the beginning. We’re the only brand that creates a considered wardrobe in this category, designed with precision and careful consideration from our London design studio.

HBA: You take care to avoid unnecessary waste when creating collections and pieces. How important is sustainability to VAARA?

TK: It’s an important responsibility we carry. These days brands like to talk about sustainability, using it as a marketing strategy at times; but for us, it was always a given.

We have been sustainable from Day One. For me, it’s a principle we want to share with our clients. I chose to produce everything in Europe, because I can be confident about the quality as the team is able to check any production stage through development and production. We work with a tight structure of like-minded ateliers and suppliers to realise our creations, which leads to the perfect result in the end.

Brands often choose their manufacturers driven by cost, but as an entrepreneur and foremost a mother of three, I don’t want to compromise on this – I want my children to be proud of what I do. I strive to be honest with them, letting them know that I’m trying to care for the Earth they will inherit.

There is a lot of focus on sustainability in fashion. But the truth is, there is a lot of greenwashing and it is immensely disappointing. With fast fashion, there is so much consumption, with the need for endless ‘newness’. The waste becomes crazy. For myself it was always important to translate words into action.

VAARA invests in quality, using the best technical fabrics, working with the finest ateliers, and striving to craft clever designs and collections that can cross seasons and create a timeless wardrobe.

HBA: What’s One Thing That Surprised You On Your Journey With VAARA?

TK: We found that the industry wasn’t ready for VAARA. It’s a very slow-moving machine, with the seasons, a certain system, and defined categories. We’ve realised that is not what our customer wants and I’m still asked to compare VAARA with other brands, having to explain that we are different. I launched the brand because I found a gap in the market – we have more than one category but we’re still expected to be placed in a box.

Customers are also changing the industry. As I mentioned they care more about their shopping habits; they care about knowing where their clothes are coming from, if they are sustainable or not. Today’s consumers are much smarter than the industry thinks they are.

HBA: What’s next?

TK: While VAARA is my baby, I think my next project will revolve around supplements and a SPA. I want my projects to be educational and inspiring.

I would also love to share my experience and knowledge with women in any form in the future, using my background as a businesswoman, mother, and model to educate and support women because I think their future is even more incredible than it is these days. I have a son and two daughters, and I want my girls to grow up in a world where community is vital and women stand by one another. I want to change the way women shop, wear clothes and consume with responsibility. Let’s just say we’re just getting started!

For more information, visit vaara.com