Globetrotting husband and wife duo Murad and Nataly Osmann, co-creators of the Instagram phenomenon #FollowMeTo, are best known for their world travels–and Nataly’s amazing clothes and jewelry, sourced from small designers across the world. From their native Moscow to the tropics of Bali, the streets of London to the Dead Sea and beyond, this couple has captured the most authentic and well-curated looks from designers and locations around the globe. BAZAAR.com joined the couple in Delhi, Agra and Jaipur on their second trip through India to find out what local brand names (and Russian designers from their hometown) Nataly loves wearing on and off the job.
Describe your style in three words.
Elegant, Feminine, Trend-Driven.
How did #FollowMeTo get started?
Murad on Nataly: “It all started in Barcelona, in October 2011, during our first trip together. Nataly wanted to see everything– the mountain of Tibidabo, the cathedral of Sagrada de Familia and all the Tapas bars of Barcelona. I kept on taking photos, since that is always my favorite part of traveling. At one point, I wanted to take a photo of Nataly, but she got shy and turned away, grabbed my arm and dragged me forward. It didn’t stop me from taking her photo; we made the first #followmeto shot accidentally, but really liked it when we were going over our photos from the trip. It started from there; I posted it on Instagram, created a hashtag, started shooting and posting more and the project began.”
What is your favorite piece in your closet right now?
A Haute Couture dress by Yanina–I’m going to wear it to the annual Tatler ball in Moscow.
Murad on Nataly: “Dresses–lots of dresses!”
What is one thing you’re dying to buy at the moment?
Rochas shoes!
Who are your three favorite designers?
It’s hard to choose only three! I love vintage pieces from Christian Dior, Chanel and Yves Saint-Laurent. For new pieces, I love anything by Karl Lagerfeld, Stella McCartney, Demna Gvasalia–the list is endless.
Where did you two meet?
Nataly on Murad: We met through a mutual friend who was a photographer. I would go to his photoshoots, and Murad was there. Then, he found me online and we had a lot of friendly chats–but I didn’t give him my phone number for a long time. It turned out that we lived near each other, so we started going for walks together, having lunch, visiting museums–the rest is history.
What is your favorite #followmeto shot that you have ever taken?
Murad: Thinking about our recent work, our new #followmeto shot at the Taj Mahal.
How did you find the perfect engagement ring for the woman who has such an incredible collection of jewelry and clothes?
Murad: When I was planning to propose, I decided to look for some alternative options and I discovered lab-grown diamonds. I learned that it was possible to replicate the natural process that creates diamonds over millions of years in a matter of weeks. These diamonds are identical and equal in brilliance to natural stones and are quality and beautiful–but without the question marks related to conflict, child labor or damage to the environment. It was the perfect gift to express my love to Nataly, one that would not compromise our values or her spiritual connection to nature. We didn’t want a tainted diamond to symbolize our relationship. After creating Nataly’s ring, we launched Follow Your Love, a line of conflict-free diamonds.
Who are your style icons, past or present?
I am not sure if I have them… I think it’s important to stay yourself and feel freedom and confidence in your own style.
What is one thing you would never wear?
I’m always open to experiments, fashion and trends are unpredictable.
What are your three favorite destinations you have traveled to?
Murad: India, Jordan and Baikal lake in Russia. It’s hard to choose only three destinations, any place is amazing and unique, but India means a lot to us.
Nataly: Cambodia, Japan and Kamchatka!! Kamchatka is a volcanic landscape in Russia–there are bears, geysers and surfing on the coast of the Pacific ocean.
Where would you like to travel to that you have not visited yet?
Murad: Iceland, Peru, Australia, the South Pole…
Nataly: The more you travel, the more you feel like you haven’t seen anything yet.
Murad, what’s your favorite thing about Nataly’s style?
Nataly has her own unusual vision, she is confident and very touching at the same time.
From: Harper’s BAZAAR US
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