Multi-Hyphenate Masterminds: Anna Kameneva and Kristina Kretova

(L) Kristina Kretova and (R) Anna Kameneva

I’ll start with a brief run-down: Anna is a songwriter and pop singer. Kristina is a scriptwriter and the author of multiple children’s books. Together, they make up the director duo behind A&K Production, whose documentary films, Women and roads. The way to yourself, are multi-award-winning road movies following a group of women as they discover the tremendous and majestic landscapes, culture, and people of different countries… as well as discovering themselves. Oh, and did I mention they are also the founders of artisanal handcrafted brand, EAST&WEST?

‘We are creators, really, not designers’, shares Anna. This statement encompasses their entire way of living; theirs is a free-wheeling spirit that takes inspiration from all corners of the globe. Once moved by a story, a place, or a feeling, they’re able to channel it into an art form – whichever one is the best vehicle for that idea.

Anna and Kristina wearing clothes from their latest EAST&WEST collection

This is easily illustrated with their brand. Whilst filming in Uzbekistan they came across master craftsmen and textile weavers who were single-handedly preserving the techniques handed down from the days of the Great Silk Road. Some were seventh-generation makers, with whom Anna and Kristina now collaborate to create flowing pieces blending traditional fabrics with distinctly contemporary cuts. Their current collection, ‘Freedom to be Different’ is an ode to their philosophy of life.

If there is a lesson to be learnt, it is surely that we can achieve whatever we want.

The muti-hyphenate mindset has been talked about a lot recently, as many have found the constricted approach to careers no longer relevant in our increasingly fluid and open society. We’ve begun to see what Anna and Kristina have always understood intuitively: whatever catches your eye can be turned into a story that touches people, whether that be through clothes or through content. It just takes confidence.

Women have always been considered more in tune with their instincts, but at times we have trouble trusting ourselves. If there is a lesson to be learnt, it is surely that we can achieve whatever we want if we follow our gut – criss-crossing all the creative boundaries whilst doing it – just like Anna and Kristina have.

*This is a sponsored article.