Sarah Sulzberger Perpich: What is your name? Age?

daraGOY: I prefer to keep my name anonymous. As I consider daraGOY to be a creative outlet, I would like to remain true to my vision and inspirations without being bothered by any reinforcement—whether it be positive, or negative. However, I am 23.

Sarah: What is your family background? Did it influence your choice of career?

daraGOY: My family background has a small hint of German but is mainly Russian. And yes, my background is one of the influences in choosing to create daraGOY. I am influenced by exploration into my background and heritage as well as my culture and my best friend, who comes from Vladivostok.

Sarah: What is your educational background?

daraGOY: I have a bachelor’s in Marketing.

Sarah: Did you pursue other careers before fashion?

daraGOY: Before fashion, I was living, eating, sleeping, breathing, dreaming and teaching dance.

Sarah: Who is the most influential person in your life?

daraGOY: The most influential people in my life are my parents. I hope to live a life as rich as theirs and be as knowledgeable, loving, silly and giving as they are.

Sarah: Do art, fashion, music spark ideas for you?

daraGOY: Art, fashion, and music all inspire and spark ideas. Specifically for art, Kandinsky as well as Georgia O’Keefe. In fashion, there are a number of people who inspire: Denis Simachev, Daul Kim, Kate Moss, Karl Lagerfeld, all of the Belgian designers, A.F. Vandevorst, Veronique Branquinho, Ann Demeulemeester, Bruno Pieters…the list goes on. As for music, I’m constantly listening to and inspired by Fever Ray as well as The Knife. However, I’m a sucker for Tori Amos and Madonna.

Sarah: How did you come up with the title Daragoy? What does it mean?

daraGOY: daraGOY has two literal translations. The first meaning is expensive. The second meaning is dear, as you would call a boyfriend, because daraGOY is a masculine word. For a girl/girlfriend, you would say “daragoya”.

Sarah: How did it come about?

daraGOY: It came to me while researching names that would be easy for an American market to pronounce. The Russian language is rather hard for Americans.

Sarah: Explain the mission of of daraGOY?

daraGOY: The mission of daraGOY is to interpret Russian as well as Russo-American cultures, as well as personifying the muse of the line, the “fifa”.

Sarah: What materials do you use?

daraGOY: I use a razor blade, a thick print to cut out, some brushes, some fabric paints….

Sarah: How do you come up with the images?

daraGOY: I come up with the images by de-saturating them of color and looking more closely at the lines, shapes, and shadows that comprise the image.

Sarah: What inspires your collections?

daraGOY: Russian and American cultures are what inspire my collections. And it can be anything within the cultures, whether it be pop culture, historical references and figures, or cultural shapes and silhouettes.

Sarah: Does each collection have similar vibe?

daraGOY: Each collection has a similar vibe, as it consists of handpainted shirts with semi-abstract prints in my favorite colors: black and white as well as hints of red.

Sarah: Are your t-shirts one-of-a-kind?

daraGOY: I consider my shirts to be one-of-a-kind, as they are hand-painted, so there are different slight flaws in each shirt. For now, I only make a certain amount of each. So the prints are limited…order yours now!!!

Sarah: Do you name collections?

daraGOY: As of right now, the collections are just named by seasons. However, I’m debating whether or not to just start calling them line 1, line 2…

Sarah: What do you think excites people about your line?

daraGOY: I think a couple of things can be exciting. The fact is there are so many t-shirt lines and so many brands that present something rather trite. The fact that each t-shirt is unique sparks an interest in quality. The prints and the ideas behind the brand spark interest, as not many people are familiar with the Russian culture—Russia and America have never had a great bond. American culture is bombarded by so many other cultures. If you look around, you’ll see that Asian and European influences surround us. The fact that the brand has a Russo-American influence presents something fresh, and interesting.

Sarah: Where are you sold?

daraGOY: daraGOY is sold at the Rogan store on Bowery, as well as through Nouveau-PR.

Sarah: If you could only wear one of you t-shirts for the rest of your life, which would it be?

daraGOY: That’s not fair. I can’t just pick one. It’s like asking your mom or dad to tell you who their favorite child is.