Liza Koifman was born 1982 in Petrapavlovsk—a city that sits high on a hill, surrounded by numerous volcanoes and located in the far eastern region of Russia’s Pacific coast.A year after her birth, Liza's family relocated to Leningrad, modern-day Saint Petersburg, where she was raised until the age of 9. Eventually Liza had lost contact with her father, a Soviet Jew, who decided to make aliyah, migrating to Israel in escape of repression.
Soon after the collapse of the Soviet Union, Liza and her mother moved to the Netherlands, where she has lived since since 1991, studying Costume Design at the National Film Academy in Amsterdam. Although Liza began designing costumes for film and video productions after graduation, she could not contain the urge for individual creative expression, which was erupting within her.
Meanwhile in 2005, DJ and entrepreneur Tomas Overtoom was making local tremors with his own ground-shaking creativity, hosting a masked hip hop event called OntFront—Don’t Put up a Front!—which aimed at promoting fresh talent like artists, musicians, and fashion designers. Liza wasted no time in signing up!
Together, Tomas and Liza's passion for style triggered an earthquake: a new line of menswear that would express the stylishness and self-rule of their generation’s intelligent but slightly rebellious men.
Reflecting the demographic nature and multi-cultural allure of Amsterdam, Tomas and Liza have shaken the city with the finest men from all ethnic backgrounds who model their collections: Russians, Indonesians, Chinese, Africans, Italians, and more.What inspires Liza's creations is strength of character; namely, real icons—men who impact their generation! She deviates from the modern trends of aesthetic arguments that search for beauty in unpleasant objects and result in misshaped designs.
Rather, Liza’s canvas is the male human body: “Men are interesting creatures,” she remarks. “Making clothes for them gives me an opportunity to study these creatures and find out their interests. Every day I try to crack the secret code. I think I'm getting there!”
Liza’s designs for men with the aim of empowering them to feel sharp and confident enough to stand out in the crowd. Liza insists that modern men are ready for innovation. “As a woman, I feel spoiled by having so many choices when I'm shopping. Men deserve the same treatment.”
When Liza and Tomas sent the two posted photos, he wrote, They have "never been published, so you are the first to see them."What an honor for Men's Fashions by Francesco and our readers!
Dank u, Tomas! Kомплименты, Liza!
Photos 2009 a/w collection copyright OntFront.
Photography: Marnix Postma
Model: Yukee @ TRCP
Hair and Makeup: Chantal Garden @ Tommy'z Toko
(Top right Liza Koifman photo by Dennis.)
