Maxim Sharov is Russian bags and leather accessories designer. He owns a workshop and showroom in Moscow for more than 10 years.
Maxim was born in 1975 in a small city near Moscow. In high school he took a great interest in creating leather cuffs, wristbands, bags and other small accessories. In 2000 he got a degree in Applying arts at Moscow State Textile University. He worked together with popuar Russian designer Denis Simachev, and had an experience as a production superviser on the Chinese leather factory .
Then he started an independent deisgner career. He's been creating, sewing and selling his leather bags for 10 years. Maxim took a part as an accessories designer in the InShade brand fashion-shows on the Russian Fashion Week and sold things in a few multibrand concept-stores in Moscow.
Maxim used to work with the leather coming from the local Russian manufactures, carefully saving and accentuating natural imperfections and original texture. Additional treatments - washing, forming, dyeing, crumpling of leather give bag a touch of aging. It looks like it has been worn and loved for the long time.
Leather accessories made by Maxim Sharov get on in years beautifully and get a vintage charm and impress of the owner's personality.
" Once I had seen old leather bag. It was all in lube, carburettors were hold inside for a long time. Leather was streched out and takes the form of that spares. I like military bags and belts from the First and Second World Wars. I'd like to make my leather things look worn and fryed. I take raw unpolished leather from manufacturer. There are a lot of scratches, small holes and blemishes, leaved tby twigs and horseflies. I really love to use them for good effect, so the texture looks lively".
Maxim Sharov
Earth subdued colours and shades:black, brown, green, blue, orange used in basic collection. Bags are roomy, durable and useful for everyday life in a big city. Bags follow simple forms: round, square, rectangle and remind of simple things. Maxim made ball-bag, envelop-clatch, bag looked like a plastic bag from а supermarket, map-case, layered briefcase and many others. Every bag was specially finished: dyed, aged, crumpled, washed and formed. Forms and textures are the strong accent in every item. There is only neccessary minimum of decoration and every element is absolutely functional: handmade stitching on handles, sometimes looking like one piece with the bag , coarse, brutal and solid rivets, clasps, bolts and sliders .