There is an exuberant amount of creativity in today’s world of fashion, making the details matter more than ever before. It takes more than aesthetic to create a timeless piece – it has to be a perfect cross between detailed and utilitarian in order to stand the test of time. That’s something Gabrielle Chanel perfected in her jacket designs, in 1954. The buttons, the trim, the tweed – it’s what catches the eye, but the usefulness of the piece is what kept the design popular enough to continue adapting it into current designs still seen from the house today.
Roberta Mishchenko is restoring her collection of vintage Chanel jackets and making them available to the label’s most loyal fans at her boutique, Rarchive. It’s a luxurious sustainable shopping experience that takes you back in time, and reaffirms the real reasons for loving the Chanel jacket – it truly is timeless.
Hi Roberta! Thank you for taking the time to chat with us. I first discovered Rarchive on Instagram and fell in love immediately. Can you tell us about the backstory? What led you to the start of your boutique? Thank you for your interest! I have been collecting Chanel jackets for several years and curated a collection I felt I needed to share. It’s not a very healthy way of living to buy and store, so I decided to launch Rarchive.
There is something completely dreamy about a Chanel jacket, old or new. What specifically do you love about them? When Gabrielle Chanel created her famous cardigan jacket she changed the way women dress, giving us freedom of movement. Once you experience the comfort, the craftsmanship, the attention to detail, all the little innovations like the chain at the hem – it is hard to stop at just one Chanel jacket. I love how timeless the Chanel jacket is.
Is it possible for you to pinpoint 1-2 collections Chanel released that are your favorites? Is there a vintage year you love the most when it comes to their jacket designs? I can’t pinpoint one or two particular collections, but I can say that my main area of interest is in the late 1980’s and early 1990’s. And of course, haute couture collections, especially those before 1971 when Gabrielle Chanel was creating new designs herself. I believe once you get to experience a Chanel Haute Couture piece, it changes your mindset. It’s like flying first class for the first time – it raises the bar, it elevates your standards.
What does the process look like to bring an old jacket back to life? Are there specific steps you take that make your vintage shop different from others? The time a jacket takes from arriving at our studio to launching it in the online store may take weeks or even months. With vintage pieces, our goal is not quantity but quality and to present jackets that are in their best possible shape. Not all pieces we offer need a “facelift” but, when required, we work on carefully removing any stains and odors, if the shell fabric has pulls or holes we repair them by reintegrating the threads of the weave by hand. It is a delicate and elaborate process that takes time and patience.
We have also started offering restoration services to some of our customers and will start offering this service on our website this year, which is going to be an exciting new chapter for us. I believe in taking care of your pieces rather than buying new ones.
Can you tell us about a proud moment you have had while running Rarchive? Restoring over 100 jackets in the first year is a milestone, finding new homes for those pieces and building a community of people who appreciate what we do is something I am very proud of. And of course, offering some of the rarest pieces in our online store, like the haute-couture jackets and iconic pieces designed by Karl Lagerfeld.
What has been the most challenging part of running your own business? On top of sourcing new pieces, which gets harder and harder every day, staying safe during the pandemic has been challenging, especially here in Texas.
How much does sustainability inspire the process behind your products? It is at the core of Rarchive. By definition, sustainable means something that can continue over a period of time. And this is exactly the case with Chanel jackets. We source timeless pieces that are meant to last a lifetime. One of my favorite features of Chanel jackets is a little bit of extra fabric on each side panel. A thoughtful detail that allows for the jacket to be sized up because our bodies change throughout our lifetime. Producing less, restoring, and prolonging the lifetime of your favorite items rather than replacing them is something I deeply care about.
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