The Phoenix is a magnificent and immortal bird, embodying the cycle of life, death, and rebirth. It is a creature of fire and ash, renowned for its ability to regenerate or be reborn from its ashes. Symbolizing resurrection, immortality, and transformation, the Phoenix serves as a powerful metaphor for hope, renewal, and the enduring nature of life itself. With its brilliant scarlet and gold plumage and melodious cry, the Phoenix is unique and awe-inspiring, representing not just the physical phenomena of rebirth but also spiritual and personal renewal. Across cultures, it stands as a symbol of majesty, libration, and the perpetual cycle of time, embodying the essence of life’s perpetual motion towards regeneration and enlightenment. A KALTBLUT exclusive.
This project reflects the collaboration of two women, Milena Kravetz and Natalia Dmitrieva, merging their distinct creative realms.
Milena Kravetz, an international photographer based in Lisbon, infuses her work with a deep artistic sensibility, drawn from her background in Fine Art and Sculpture and a decade of teaching experience. Founder of the Katastrofffe brand, sustainable fashion project “What A Waste!”, her photography spans artistic fashion, showcasing her ability to capture the essence of her subjects and her dedication to conceptual storytelling.
Natalia Dmitrieva distinguishes herself in jewellery and fashion design, particularly through her brand TATA. Her extensive experience as a production designer in theatres and organizing city festivals showcases her creative flair. Dmitrieva’s innovative use of materials—cutting, folding, heating, and shaping—echoes the phoenix’s mythical cycle of rebirth, signifying a transformation that challenges the overlooked potential in what we discard.
The Phoenix project stands at the crossroads of environmental advocacy and a critique of fast fashion’s unsustainable pace, advocating for a reevaluation of consumer habits through the lens of high fashion’s enduring artisanship versus fast fashion’s ephemeral nature. Natalia Dmitrieva’s use of plastic film as a medium not only underscores the issue of consumer waste but also transforms it into a symbol of hope and renewal.
Under Milena Kravetz’s direction, the Phoenix project’s photoshoot brings together a diverse cast to engage with the project’s garments, exploring the relationship between identity and clothing beyond mere fashion. This exploration underscores a symbiotic relationship between high and fast fashion, advocating for a cycle of inspiration, reinvention, and the coexistence of exclusivity with accessibility.
Through Phoenix, Kravetz and Dmitrieva invite us to witness a remarkable journey of transformation, where the temporary and the timeless intersect, fostering a dialogue on creativity, rebirth, and the evolution of fashion.
Photography and the creative direction by Milena Kravetz /
www.milenakravetz.com / Instagram: @milena_kravetz
Models: Sofia Marie Madeira Martins / Instagram: @sofiavmarie
Lou Matznetter / Instagram: @yzarcfairy
Igor Khabin
Saro Farias / Instagram: @__salf__
Xena Xandra Petronella Waterval / Instagram: @model.ingxena
Natali Ferreira / Instagram: @nxtfb__
Fashion designer: Natalia Dmitrieva @tata.jewelry.design
