My Mother’s Influence on My Creative Journey

DariyaRepina
Feb 7, 2025
3 min read

Updated: May 30

I was raised in a home where creativity was always present. I watched my mom make everything around us more beautiful — from the way she decorated our home to the stylish garments she designed and made for me and our family. She had a strong sense of style even before I was born, and her creativity naturally inspired my love for fashion, art, and interior design.

Creativity in a Time of Limited Fashion

Fashion sketches by Lana Repina from the 1980s

Fashion wasn’t always easy to access during the Soviet era, especially Western-inspired trends.

Because of this, many people like my mom found creative ways to express their personal style. Instead of relying only on what was available in stores, she created her own style through sewing, altering clothes, and using whatever fabrics and materials she could find. She always found a way to make beautiful, stylish garments for our whole family.

Even though Western fashion was not easily accessible, inspiration still reached the USSR through magazines, movies, music, and images of global trends. For my mom, those glimpses became a source of inspiration and new ideas.

In 1987, BURDA, the German sewing and fashion magazine, became available in the Soviet Union and had a major influence on women who loved fashion. For many, it opened a new window into Western style, offering fashion inspiration as well as sewing patterns that made it possible to recreate those looks at home.

I remember growing up with these magazines. They were full of inspiration and featured designs that helped bring new styles to life.

BURDA magazines

Peru as a New Source of Inspiration

My father is from Peru, and living there for a few years introduced my mom to a different culture. Peru became another important source of inspiration. My mom would buy fabrics, leather, and accessories there, then turn them into new garments and pieces, blending her own style with influences from a different place.

Gems From The Past: Fashion

The following photos show my mom and me wearing garments she made herself. Looking back, I can see how much her style and creativity were part of my childhood.

Family memories in garments made by Lana Repina

In these photos of me as a child, you can see how much I looked up to my mom’s creativity. I was already trying to make my own garments from curtains and loved wearing her clothes, like many little girls do.

Childhood Moments

Gems From the Past: Art

While creating beautiful, stylish garments for our family, my mom also worked as an engineer in a design department and studied art at Moscow’s Art University in the 1980s. These experiences later helped her create detailed drawings of city architecture, including works inspired by Sosúa, which she later exhibited in the Dominican Republic.

Here, I’m sharing some of her early artworks from the 1980s and 1990s that have been kept over the years. Each piece has its own memory and reminds me of the artistic world I grew up around. I’m also sharing some of my own early artworks that have been preserved over time.

Early oil paintings from the 1980s and 1990s by Lana Repina

Drawings by Lana Repina, early 1980s

Personal sketches by Lana Repina: a self-portrait, me as a child, and my great-grandfather, 1980s–1990s

Early artworks by Dariya Repina

Following in Her Creative Footsteps

I can confidently say that my mother’s artistic influence, combined with the unique cultures of my childhood in Russia, Peru, and Sweden, gave me a rich blend of inspiration. Growing up in her artistic world was the beginning of my own desire to follow in her creative footsteps.

Since I was a child, my mom taught me how to draw, how to notice small details, and most of all, how to enjoy the creative process. I began exploring my own creative world as a child, and arts and crafts were always my favorite activities both at home and at school. Sewing was also something I naturally gravitated toward. Together, they gave me confidence in my ability to create.

In addition to my mom, my aunt, Mila Repina, has also been an influence in my creative life. She is incredibly talented and has created, and continues to create, many beautiful garments and accessories that reflect her skill and imagination.

Looking back, it was clear early on that creativity was my language.

For more about Lana Repina's creative journey, her artwork, and the story behind her name, read: Lana Repina and a Name Connected to Art History (Ilya Repin).

You can also visit her website: lanarepina.com