Desislava Tosheva – a star at 26
The Bulgarian lady who sewed dresses for Elon Musk's mother and the stars in Cannes talks about the challenges and dreams in the world of haute couture and the Golden Martenitsa Award.
Please briefly introduce yourself and the Caviar Couture brand?
I am 26 years old, owner and founder of Caviar Couture Fashion House. I launched the brand when I was 18 as a result of a failed attempt to find a dress for my prom. I found a "hole" in the formal wear market in Bulgaria.
The dresses offered were at both extremes: on the one hand, extremely expensive (5,000-7,000 BGN, and in my opinion the prices did not match their designs); and on the other – old-fashioned cuts, plain fabrics and low-quality workmanship.
My search for a dress for my prom allowed me to combine my interest in entrepreneurship with my love of haute couture. Driven by the idea of creating a golden environment in the market, I decided to create a fashion house that would incorporate the principles of making Haute Couture dresses but at prices affordable for the Bulgarian market.
Започнах с два манекена и едно огледало в складово помещение. През годините успях да развивам бизнеса заедно с образованието ми – бакалавър по Международен бизнес мениджмънт и магистратура по Маркетинг със специализация “Икономика за развитие на нациите” в университета Сейнт Андрюс.
Всички знания, които получавах, прилагах в изграждането на бранда. Днес CAVIAR се продава в шоуруми в Кан, Париж и Холивуд, присъства в най-значимите световни модни списания като Vogue, Elle, L’Officiel, Harper’s Bazaar и др. И е най-носеният български моден бранд на филмовия фестивал в Кан.
What is the biggest challenge you have encountered so far in your work as a designer?
Най-голямо ми предизвикателство е да систематизирам идеите си в основна концепция при създаването на нова колекция. Често се губя в различни материи с безграничен хоризонт от идеи за всевъзможни приказни дизайни.
Второто предизвикателство е да се съобразявам с двата пазара, на които продавам. Западното търсене е различно от това в България и е трудно да създавам колекции, които са подходящи и за двата пазара. Въпреки това се радвам, че за момента успявам.
Which is the dress you are most proud of?
The first dress I would say I'm proud of is Lilith - for May Musk. We had to sew it with technical precision down to the millimetre in its measurements, without having the option of phased try-ons as we didn't have time.
That meant the dress had to fit her the first time she put it on without having the option of corrections. Well, we did great and her dress fit great.
The workmanship itself was incredible - with tens of thousands of hand-stitched details that shined against the magnificent backdrop of Santorini. Thus the cover of InStyle magazine was born with May Musk wearing Caviar Couture.
Another dress I'm proud of is Aurelia. It is made of Italian liquid organza reflecting light and changing shades with every movement. The dress caused a real furore on social media, generating over 15 million views and leading to a crash on our website, which was not prepared for the number of users and orders received within a few days.
This design was also part of a special photo shoot for Elle magazine that took place at the historic architectural monument Les Invalides in Paris – the first fashion photo shoot ever shot there. Aurelia also made her red-carpet debut at the Cannes Film Festival, dressed by Kate Alexeeva – Miss Universe Latvia. Her look was featured in US Weekly Magazine's Best Red-Carpet Fashion of the 2024 Cannes Film Festival.
What is for you the Golden Martenitsa Award, which you received in March 2024 and how do you explain your success?
The Golden Martenitsa Award is one of the most significant events in my career so far. It is a recognition of the hard work I put in and a testimonial for the successful establishment of the brand on the market.
The award sets an example to young people that it is possible to do business in Bulgaria that is competitive enough to stand on an international level.
Discipline, hard work, diligent learning and risk-taking. I am proud that I owe my success to myself.
Who do you dream of sewing a dress for?
One of the most important women I wanted to make a dress is my great-grandmother, who turned 101 this year. For her birthday I made her a formal dress
that took her back to her youth when she sewed and wore the most beautiful and exquisite dresses that came through her old Singer that I used to play on when I was a little girl.
What are your sources of inspiration?
I created my four last collections in my "second home" – Positano. There I find peace and get recharged with creative inspiration. From June to October, I live on the Amalfi Coast,
where between delicious spritzes of limoncello, fresh pasta, the songs of Lucio Dalla and partial immersion in Dolce far niente the work, albeit sometimes 18 hours, becomes a real pleasure.
