A Couture Venture

established 2011

Through the collaboration of the well-established Bulgarian designer Svetoslav Kolchagov and the visionary influence of the Italian marketeer Emilio Barba, KolchagovBarba is set to create a new meaning of luxury.

Creations which see the use of Swarovski, hand woven lace and the most exquisite luxurious fabrics, texture and materials, all combined to create garments crafted exclusively by hand.

KolchagovBarba's collections are classics yet explicit, fusing elegance to seduction in an elaborate and refined way. Sumptuous corsets and lavish skirts leave space to openwork fabric, patterned with open holes and crystals. Inspired by the subtle modelling of forms and the atmospheric illusionism of the woman's body, Kolchagov Barba plays a very enigmatic game with the use of embroideries and fine laces.

KolchagovBarba is a couture label which sees dresses as unique piece of jewellery cast to decorate, enhance and embrace women's bodies, combining classic with modern fashion into glamorous and sophisticated designs. In less than two years Kolchagov Barba has already attracted a number of celebrity followings, with stars like Sophie Ellis-Bextor, Katherine Jenkins, Kylie and Dannii Minogue, Billie Piper and Katie Piper being spotted in their designs.

Svetoslav Kolchagov

DESIGNER

Born in Plovdiv on the 5th August, 1973, to an engineer Emil Kolchagov and Anna Ivanova, Svetoslav grew up in Bansko where under the influence of Luba Kolchagova, his dressmaker grandmother he became fascinated by clothes and design. To follow his father's footsteps he began engineering studies but he continued practicing with his grandmother and refining to it as his hobby which soon became his profession.

The encounter and partnership with fashion designer Mariella Gemisheva represents the evolutionary phase in which Svetoslav's vision and creativity blossomed. In 2003 he moved to London where he flourished working for some of the most famous and influential designers and brands such as Alexander McQueen, Preen, Burberry and Vivienne Westwood. During a presentation in Paris fashion week 2011 “Kolchagov Barba” sees its conceptual birth after he met the Italian marketer Emilio Barba.

Emilio Barba

DESIGNER

Born on the 13th October, 1979 in Gaeta, Italy, to a surveyor Giovanni Barba and a treasury clerk Anna Padula, Emilio is the youngest of three children. He grew up between Salerno and Gaeta where he spent most of his summers with his seamstress grandmother Giulia Arzano, where he started showing passion and interest in fashion design, making dresses for his mother. He moved to the UK in 2000 where he enrolled at Liverpool University and earned a first class degree in Business Studies with a major in Marketing.

While in the UK he worked for global organizations such as Royal Jordanian, US Airways, Qatar Airways and collaborated with some of the leading fashion houses including Dior. In 2010 he designed his first bag collection using expensive materials combined with sustainable and recycled ones. During Paris fashion week Spring/Summer 2011 he met the designer Svetoslav Kolchagov and soon after they began working on their new venture “Kolchagov Barba”.