THE DESIGNER
Olga brings a world of experience to her dream dresses
Olga Koloskova Couture represents over 20 years’ experience in Bridal and Evening design and couture. Her love of design was sparked during her childhood in Russia.
Hailing from the port city of Kamyshin, she attended a kids’ club and learned how to make paper dolls and soft toys, aged six. She still uses a heart-shaped pin cushion she made back then.
“This is how it all began for me,” Olga enthuses. “It was the first time I’d got creative with drawing, sewing and designing patterns.”
She was also inspired by seeing her mama at her sewing machine. “In those days, in the Soviet Union, you couldn’t buy many clothes at the shops. So, she was always making something for herself or for me.”
At age twelve, she moved with her family to Slovakia, and later studied Dressmaking, Fashion Design and Technology at a Designer/Tailor school. After these 3 years of schooling she started working in Slovakia as a dressmaker. She then moved to the Swiss city of Zurich at 22, working for a prestigious bridal atelier which proved to be a formative experience.
“For me, it was wild seeing everything that they did,” Olga says. “It opened me up to focusing on just bridal couture and evening wear. I really understood then that this was my life. The atelier gave me new ideas and techniques, experience working with brides, and the most important I have learnt how to be patient in my profession.
For the last 22 years I have been creating and specializing in Bridal and Evening gowns and love how they are so individualised. There are no rules. The only limit is your imagination.”
At 27, Olga moved to the Austrian capital of Vienna to open her first shop and started her brand Olga Koloskova Couture. Also, in the evenings she completed a Masters of Design and Dressmaking and later Business Management.
Love took in her yet another direction when she met her husband, John, who was working at the Australian Embassy there. In 2007 after 3 years of living together in Vienna, the couple relocated to Australia to his hometown of Adelaide.
It didn’t take Olga long to open her first store in the heart of the city, putting into practice all her years of experience from Europe. She then took some time off to have first child before opening another store in Daw Park where she was working for 5 years during which time, she had her second baby.
Now she designs in her Studio/ Showroom on King William Road, Hyde Park, pouring hours of work into each creation.
Olga says her experiences “meeting different people, in different countries” inspires her work, along with her childhood memories. (She speaks four languages: Russian, Slovakian, German, and English.) “I love putting historical touches in my gowns, and I adore old crystals, bling, and laces. It all stems from my background in Russia.”
Olga’s designs are available both off-the-rack and made-to-measure. “I love to use quality, lightweight silks and beautiful laces,” she says. “The details and appliques are all hand-made. My passions are hand-beading, lace-attaching, colour dyeing and embroidery. These are things I can never tire of.”
She will advise on fabrics to flatter, colours to suit you and will make sure your gown will fit your exact individual measurements.
To Olga, bridal dresses shouldn’t just look amazing but feel it too. “Each bride should feel unique in her gown, as well as comfortable, confident and beautiful.”
“I look forward to meeting you and making your dream creation come to life” Olga
Olga at one of her photo shoots