Many little girls grow up dressing their dolls, creating garments adorned with frills and lace, living in a world of fantasy and make-believe. But fantasy became reality for designers Natalie Vorontsoff and Ludmila Toon, creators of the D'Voshion fashion line. They went from dressing dolls to designing for divas, and are now two of the hottest designers in Hollywood.
Both members of the designing duo grew up in Russia, and each discovered a great passion for fashion and design when they were very young. As a little girl, Toon designed clothing for her dolls, sewing each outfit by hand.
"I used to sew by hand when I was a kid because, of course, I didn't have a sewing machine," recalls Toon. "I started designing clothes for my own dolls, and eventually I was dressing all the dolls in the neighborhood!"
When Toon was 12, she finally got her first sewing machine and began making clothes for herself and for her friends.
Vorontsoff grew up in a completely different part of Russia, where she also developed a great love for sewing and design at a young age. As Toon loves to say, "When Natalie was a little girl and her mom would upset her, she would pick up and leave (like most kids have done to their parents at some point), but she would pack only her sewing machine, and walk out the door — no clothes, no suitcase, nothing other than her sewing machine!"
Vorontsoff and Toon attended separate schools in Russia - Vorontsoff studied fashion design, while Toon studied fashion technology. After completing their studies, each woman landed a job and began working in the industry of their dreams, all the while never crossing paths. It wasn't until a few years ago, through mutual friends, that the designers met.
Vorontsoff recalls, "We met through a mutual friend who knew my work, and she recommended that the two of us work together. I began helping Ludmila with her business, and from this, D'Voshion was born."
Early on, industry professionals across the board recognized Vorontsoff and Toon's unique talents and skills. They began working with famous designers such as Tommy Hilfiger, lending design support and doing pattern work.
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