P e r f e c t j o b !

For the last decade, many new modern professions have appeared in the beauty industry. Today, such specialties as stylist and image-maker no longer sound to us like exotic music. These services are more and more demanded by women and men, who realize the price of individuality. After all, presentable appearance, and as a consequence, self-confidence is the guarantee of life success.

But even with all the variety of opportunities, provided for residents of large European countries, when it comes to choice of style, many are in perplexity, not knowing what to choose. This is understandable: to understand the current trends and nuances of fashion without a specialist is becoming increasingly difficult.
Finding a personal and even corporate style requires special knowledge. The question arises: whom should I contact to develop the individual style, so everything, from shoes to hair and demeanor, would be working for creation of your or your company’s image?
For over

10 years the Latvian educational center Atelier & Bogomolov Image School has successfully prepared professional stylists and image designers. The Baltic Times sat down with Elga Homicka, image-designer and project manager of Atelier & Bogomolov’ Image School to talk about this and other aspects of the school.

- Elga, let’s start with a few words about the leader, teacher and school founder Konstantin Bogomolov?
- Konstantin Bogomolov is a Doctor of Science, image designer and fashion analyst, the author of a series of seminars and educational works on the theory and practice of image design. In his professional account there are articles and photo shoots in fashion magazines in Latvia and abroad, cooperation with Latvian television channels in producing programs about style and fashion, working as an image consultant in beauty salons, cooperation with modeling agencies, fashion training, creating a style for individual clients, politicians and pop stars. Konstantin Bogomolov is deservedly considered the number one stylist in Latvia.

- What experts are currently working in the educational center?
- Any school program requires the participation of a large number of different specialists. Therefore, we employ image designers, hair stylists, makeup artists, cosmetologists, etiquette and color-analysis consultants, psychologists. All teachers at Atelier & Bogomolov Image School have an international level status. Thanks to them, new fashion trends are constantly introduced in the education course. The quality of education shows that many graduates have become well-known stylists in Riga, for example, Maria Rudakova, Iveta Ozerova, Ilona Pocallo, Evita Ormane. I also graduated from Atelier & Bogomolov Image School and I can surely say that the school does not forget its students. The best students become teachers; many are receiving commercial orders from our own school. For example, we often receive phone calls, when people are asking for stylists’ phones numbers, so we, in our turn, recommend the best professionals out of our teachers and students.

- What educational programs are developed in the Atelier & Bogomolov Image School?
 - The school operates in three areas:
* professional education
* development of corporate style
* development of personal style.

Professional education programs include “Image Design” and “Make-up Artist.”
Image designer’s services  are  required in many areas: in advertising, show business, fashion and, of course, work with private clients. To become an image designer it is necessary to have an all-round education: to learn the basics of psychology of image, to get trained on the track suit and on the skills of associative design, to learn the professional technology of image design in various specific areas. The Konstantin Bogomolov’s educational program “Image Design” is meant to achieve these goals. 

The unique course “Make-up Artist” is for makeup stylists. The course includes all kinds of makeup from the classical (aesthetic makeup, evening, wedding) to face art, body-art, makeup and styles. The uniqueness of this course is that it is held by many times champions of the Baltic, Russian and European competitions and that the practice is in magazines, on TV, in movies and in the fashion industry. As part of this course, there is an annual opportunity to practice and enhance skills in three world fashion capitals (Paris, Milan and London). Next practice and training for our students will be held this fall in Milan at the backstage of the D&G fashion show, but in February at the carnival in Rio de Janeiro. And, finally, one will be graduated with Make-Up Atelier diploma (like any other program, it is licensed by the Department of Education of Riga City Council), as well as with an international ITEC (UK) diploma, which allows one to work in more than 35 countries worldwide.

Programs of corporate style development are one of the most interesting and promising areas of our school. To begin with, each program is compiled individually for a specific company. The course can last from several days to several weeks. An individual company’s image is a very important point, which takes into account everything: from hair, makeup, clothing and footwear to manners. Make-up artists of Atelier & Bogomolov Image School are developing a special corporate makeup, taking into account specifics of the exterior of each employee, the dress code and the philosophy of the company and then teach all the rules and subtleties of applying makeup. A stylist-hairdresser tells how to do a variety of hairstyles, taking into account the corporate style and how to use various means and tools for hair styling. If there are any particular conditions of hair care products, as, for example, for flight attendants during the flight, experts give some special advice.  

Stylists in this program have the most difficult and important task. They not only develop the style, taking into account the specifics of the company, but they also give practical advice on visual correction of the body shape, color scheme and the selection of accessories. If the company’s dress code allows, then a creative style with the involvement of tailors studio ‘Kossmoss’ is developed. However, if it is a bank with a strict dress code, then stylists need to use cunning image design (texture and shades of fabrics, accessories) and then it is important to find a ‘flavor’ for each employee. Even the scarf around the neck can either decorate and refresh, or to make a person look ‘gray’ and expressionless. For example, for one of our clients the color of the handkerchief was very important (since it was the color of the company), but the shade did not suit 80% of employees. But, as you know, there are many shades of any color, and there is warm and there is cold among them. Proceeding from this, our stylists have offered to use different shades of the main color of the company for each employee, in accordance with their ‘color-type.’ And it turned out very well.

A certain number of stylists’ lectures are devoted to clothing etiquette. For example, when you see an invitation with a note “cocktail. white tie,” a legitimate question arises: what to wear? For business people it is very important. Here we need to know particularly the clothing etiquette. At the client’s request we also offer lectures on cosmetics, etiquette, behavior and psychology of the image.

And finally, programs for personal style development. These include “Perfect Lady” and an individual course in make-up.
In Atelier & Bogomolov Image School there are specialists who have fine taste, unerring instinct, and, of course, professional knowledge in the field of image design. Thus, for example, within “Perfect Lady” program with a particular woman will work a whole group of professionals: psychologist, makeup artist, hairdresser, stylist, cosmetologist and etiquette expert. The woman will receive knowledge, which she can immediately apply to herself! The course provides practical guidance by an image-designer in selection of style, guidelines for visual correction of body shape, color range, selection of accessories and hairstyle. This course will let one to learn how to correctly highlight the advantages in appearance, but also how to hide flaws. The program includes not only theoretical training, but also individual shopping with the image designer. These programs are very popular. After all, modern fashion does not target a specific shape or color, but a person with a certain character, individual manners and way of life. Today, to be fashionable means to be the sole and unique, vivid and individual.

- Is it possible at Atelier & Bogomolov Image School to consult on special occasions, such as preparation for an anniversary or wedding?
- Of course it is. A person can get a three-hour consultation on style or color analysis, to do makeup for a wedding, corporate party or retro makeup, get personal shopper service in the selection of clothes in stores. Also in our center you can buy professional cosmetics “Make-up Atelier.”

But in general, more detailed information on the activities of Atelier & Bogomolov Image School can be found on the Web-sites www.atelier.lv and www.bogomolov.lv