Fleet Ilya is headed by Ilya Fleet and Resha Sharma, the former, Russian-born with training in traditional saddle-making and Resha Sharma a Central Saint Martins Graphic Design graduate from London.Fleet Ilya can be traced back to a small bedroom in South London where Ilya Fleet began taking his traditional leather training and combining it with a knowledge of 3 dimensional design learned from his late father, a renowned Russian sculptor. The constructive tendencies evident in his rigorous pursuit of functionality and a sublimity of form.Ilya soon developed what is widely regarded as the signature line, Restraint – a collection of hand-crafted luxury accessories for the sexually playful. Resha became his creative partner and wife shortly afterwards, applying her knowledge of fashion, image making and art direction to blur the line between leather bondage and fashion accessories.The couple’s rich cultural heritage spans 5 continents. This, combined with their trend-hopping London sensibilities, has proved catalyst to a design ethos without boundaries and produced dynamic work across fashion, bondage and interiors.Although still a young brand, the labels appetite for experimentation and expansion has seen them branch out into large-scale sculpture and interior works. ‘Horse’ created as part of one of London’s most reputable concept stores window display, saw a 2 meter tall horse armored with leather in an imposing ode to Fleet Ilya’s equestrian origins, while their recent pop-up boutique and exhibition showcased a series of grandiose leather chandeliers.This guerrilla attitude to design and refusal to be pigeon-holed has seen Fleet Ilya’s accessories in the pages of international publications including L’Officiel, Vogue and V magazine amongst many others and the labels fashion and bondage lines can be found in top boutiques and concept stores world wide.Working alongside some of the industry’s most respected names Fleet Ilya have most recently collaborated on a new limited edition piece for ‘Cabinet de Curiosities’ by Thomas Erber, an exhibition at Collette, and shot their new ‘Restraint’ campaign with world-famous photographer Rankin.Under the influence of two creative minds and with a spirit of true independence, the label has grown into one of the most celebrated accessories brands created in London.
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