Browse all

More Than - Nadya Karpova

A day in a life

More Than - Nadya Karpova A day in a life

Nadya
Karpova

A day in a life

 
More Than - Nadya Karpova A day in a life | Image 438966
More Than - Nadya Karpova A day in a life | Image 438965

Barcelona is not only the city of Gaudi or the Ramblas invaded by tourists. Hidden in the folds of the Catalan capital are small refuges, little oases known only to locals who want to get away from the bustle. In a port city facing the Mediterranean sea which, during its thousand-year history, has drawn people from all over to it, it is not difficult to find places that speak different languages and live in different cultures. Nadya Karpova arrived in Spain when she was only 22 years old, after playing the 2017 European Championship with her national team's jersey, first in Seville and then in Valencia. She finally found herself in Barcelona, on the Espanyol side, where she was able to express herself freely and explore a personal side never shown before, becoming the new star of this edition of More Than. Indeed, Nadya Karpova has been able to combine her career as a football player with a series of interests and passions that have made her a person to follow beyond the green rectangle. From her campaigns as an adidas testimonial at her presence at Balenciaga fashion shows, to her coming out during an interview she gave to the BBC, to her tough stance against the Russian invasion of Ukraine that effectively ousted her from the national team, Karpova represents a new model for female athletes: one who is not afraid to voice her opinions, regardless of the consequences. She herself tells us how she has always felt different, and not only because of her great passion for football.

"I never liked to dress like all the other girls in my class, even as a child the teachers scolded me for going to school in jeans and not being feminine enough. Even in kindergarten these gender divisions always upset me and so on, I don't find them necessary. For this reason, the clothes I wear are always a way to express myself and my feelings. I only wear what I like because what's important is that I always feel comfortable," she tells us as we walk around an unseen Barcelona, among rotisseries and Russian food stores. And even the looks chosen for Karpova don't exactly trace a tourist-core style; rather, her Balenciaga dresses break with the traditions of the places where we shoot. The Russian football player perfectly interprets Demna's aesthetic and philosophy, so much so that she was invited to the Paris Fashion Week show last October, inside the mud arena created by Balenciaga's creative director. "When I attended Demna's last fashion show, I realized that fashion can do anything, and I had not delved much into fashion before then. I realized that the designer, inspired by people, can help and even save. Reading the show notes before the fashion show, I was shocked, because they were very close to me, some simple things that were present in the language, about barriers in life, prejudice and how society puts labels on people."

Wearing clothes like armor, to defend oneself from outside attacks but at the same time to finally feel comfortable in a world that is no longer binary. "Demna destroys these boundaries by digging much deeper than just dressing people in fashion. He creates clothes for everyone, does not attribute clothes to a certain gender, and always delves into important themes," Karpova says. And her story suggests how vital it has been for her to constantly fight stereotypes, from the beginning of her career in Russia until her coming out that happened through social media and in an interview she gave to the BBC when she was already in Spain. "During my childhood, subcultures and heavy metal were extremely popular where I grew up. Back then I was constantly hanging out at the skatepark, dressing up in the clothes I bought at skate stores and at rock concerts. I still love the merch of metal bands from my childhood. I have a lot of T-shirts and never aspired to be in fashion. I would see the styles and energies around me and dress how I wanted." Karpova thus shares with Demna a spiritual affinity, also dictated by cultural and geographical proximity. An aesthetic very similar to that which has revolutionized contemporary fashion, where fashion shows have become raves and models are imperfect bodies that translate insecurities, difficulties and desires for normality into oversize silhouettes.



Sitting at wood veneer tables or leaning against faux marble counters, the Espanyol football player is far removed from the aesthetics usually applied to athletes. She herself confirms how her own style off the field is very different from that while playing. "On the pitch, it is important for me that everything is as comfortable as possible, because I am focused on the result, I don't like to be distracted by anything other than football. The only thing I probably like to choose is the color of my boots, I like white or some bright boots and white socks." Instead, today she is in total black, amid decomposed volumes and technical fabrics, combat boots and fetish gloves. The only concession to the football’s world is a pair of Nike Mercurials and her game jersey, the blue and white number 9 of Espanyol.

"Demna destroys these boundaries by digging much deeper than just dressing people in fashion. He creates clothes for everyone, does not attribute clothes to a certain gender, and always delves into important themes,"
More Than - Nadya Karpova A day in a life | Image 438964
"Demna destroys these boundaries by digging much deeper than just dressing people in fashion. He creates clothes for everyone, does not attribute clothes to a certain gender, and always delves into important themes,"
More Than - Nadya Karpova A day in a life | Image 438967

Although football and fashion are in fact constantly influencing each other, Karpova is keen to keep a clear distance between the two, despite the fact that she believes such an encounter can make football more accessible. "It's good that there are more and more connections between fashion and soccer as this makes the culture of sports more multifaceted, sports inspires fashion, fashion inspires sports, I think it's nice." And it's a way to open new doors, making the world's most watched sport an instrument of change, despite the opposite happening too often. "Football should be able to help everyone, it is a sport that should give positive emotions and distract from the daily hustle and bustle. There is no place for homophobia, racism, and other types of discrimination. Because football is a sport that everyone should have the opportunity to play," Karpova continues as we move from one location to another. "I am very inspired by various female football players, like Megan Rapinoe, who stands up for her rights, for the rights of other people, for the rights of the LGBTQ+ community. But the most important thing is that women's football is more open and free than men's football."

But at this historic moment Karpova's gaze is turned to another injustice, if possible even more serious and dramatic. Despite being silenced at home and ostracized by her own national team, the football player is keen to raise her voice and be heard in defense of Ukraine. "First of all, as human beings with empathy and solidarity, we must condemn military aggression. This includes athletes, because they are followed by a huge audience, because this is a crime against humanity. We came into this life to enjoy it, to love, to raise children and so on, and it makes me sick when I see that Putin has gone mad with power, invaded foreign territories and started a war." Karpova is one of the very few Russian female athletes to openly speak out against the invasion carried out by her home country, putting more than just her career at risk. "We live in a different era, Putin wants to stop time, but he will not succeed. People should not die because of his aggression. Therefore, I will always be on Ukraine's side, although I love Russia very much, but loving one's country does not mean loving a crazy government and an old dictator. I believe that in the Russia of the future, after the war, we will revive our sports, revive the country, and everything will be fine," Karpova says. "Ukraine and Russia will be free. Now, all I want is for all people to unite against the war, this is much more important."

Photographer: Raphael Chatelain
Stylist: Marco Venè
Photographer Assistant: Franco de la Puente
Stylist Assistant: Guillem Chanzà
Editorial Coordinator: Edoardo Lasala
Interview: Lorenzo Bottini
Production: nss factory

More Than - Nadya Karpova A day in a life | Image 438887
Full Look BALENCIAGA.