Some ideas are born in a single evening. Some need only a few sketches. And then there are ideas that stay with you for a long time, refusing to let go. That is how Orange Private Edition came to be.

It did not begin with a drawing. Or with a choice of leather. It did not even begin with the shape of the future shoe. It began with a single question: Why does this not exist yet?

Whenever I work on a new collection, I never begin by asking, “What is fashionable right now?” I am far more interested in a different question: “What would I want to wear myself, but cannot find?” One day, that question led me to the idea that would eventually become Orange Private Edition.

Try a simple experiment. Open any search engine and type: “Mules with a bright orange sole.” That is exactly how we began. We studied the collections of renowned fashion Houses. We looked through new releases. We searched for inspiration. We revisited Pinterest and explored the work of dozens of footwear makers.

I wanted to understand one thing: did the idea I had in mind already exist? At the time, we could not find that precise combination — elegant mules with an entirely bright orange sole. And then I realised something very simple. Sometimes there is no point in continuing to search. Sometimes you have to create it yourself. That was the beginning of Orange Private Edition.

Why an orange sole? While developing the collection, I kept returning to one question: why does so much contemporary footwear remain confined to the same familiar solutions? A black sole. A white sole. A beige sole. They are beautiful. They are classics. And we ourselves had worked with those colours for many years.

But one day, I wanted to go a little further. Not simply to make the shoes brighter, but to give them character. Fashion already offers examples of colour becoming part of a brand’s identity. It is difficult, for instance, to imagine Christian Louboutin shoes without their famous red soles. It is not merely a colour. It is the detail that made the design instantly recognisable.

I have always been inspired by the way a single detail can shape an entire story. That was when the thought occurred to me: why could the sole not become part of our collection’s character?

Why orange? Our House has a signature shade: Emerald Green. It remains part of our history and our identity. But I have never believed that an artist should live within a single palette. Every collection is born from a particular mood, a particular emotion. Today, it may be a deep emerald. Tomorrow, a rich orange. A few years from now, it may be an entirely different shade. Creativity does not respond well to limits.

That is why Orange Private Edition became what it is. Not because orange happens to be fashionable. Not because we needed to attract attention. But because, at that particular moment, this colour stirred something in me.

I love cars. I love design. I love beautiful interiors. And whenever I sit inside a Rolls-Royce with an orange interior, I catch myself thinking the same thing: this is a colour you cannot help but feel. It is warm. Alive. Energetic. Yet at the same time, deeply refined.

That was when I wanted to translate this sensation into footwear. Not the car. Not the interior. The emotion you experience when everything around you has been created with meticulous attention to detail.

Colour is part of the craft, too. Today, orange has moved far beyond the world of fashion. We see it in product design, architecture, interiors, bespoke automobiles and accessories. It is no longer merely a bright colour. For me, it has become a symbol of freedom: the freedom to create, to experiment and to resist repeating solutions that already exist.

I have never wanted to make things simply because convention says they should be made that way. I am far more interested in creating objects that may one day inspire others to look at something familiar from a slightly different perspective.

That is why Orange Private Edition became what it is. It did not come from a desire to follow trends. It came from a desire to create something I wanted to see for myself. To my mind, that is where real design begins.

When people hear the name Rolls-Royce, most picture a car. I picture something entirely different. I see craftsmanship. Attention to detail. Individuality. Materials. People who refuse to compromise.

Perhaps that is why the Rolls-Royce philosophy feels so close to me. When you open the door of one of its cars, the first thing you notice is not the engine. Not the power. Not even the emblem. You see the interplay of materials, colours, textures and contrasting stitching. Every detail is exactly where it should be.

That is the feeling I once wanted to bring into a pair of mules. Not the car. Not the interior. The emotion — the feeling that arises when you realise you are looking at an object made with respect for every detail.

Ideas are not always born in the atelier. Sometimes they appear entirely unexpectedly. Behind the wheel. That is where I most often catch myself wondering, “What if we tried doing it differently?”

The first mules in the Orange Private Edition collection. Orange Private Edition begins with two models. They open the story of this new collection, but they are only the beginning. New combinations of materials, new shades, new ideas and new interpretations of the signature orange sole will follow.

I want Orange Private Edition to become a collection people look forward to. A collection that continues to evolve, while never losing its character.

The first model. The first model is crafted from matte black crocodile leather paired with black Italian suede. This was the first image that came to me: a fine orange piping, an entirely new bright orange sole, a crocodile-leather heel section and a fully orange leather lining finished with black stitching.

At first glance, these mules appear very calm. Very restrained. Very elegant. But turn the pair over, and the defining accent reveals itself. That is where the entire story began.

I like the idea: composure above, character beneath. To my mind, this is what contemporary elegance should be. Not loud, but self-assured.

The second model. The second model carries an entirely different mood. It is crafted from rich orange nubuck crocodile leather combined with Italian suede. We retained the signature bright orange sole, the fine orange piping, the fully orange leather lining and the black stitching. Yet the overall feeling is completely different.

If the first model reminds me of the Rolls-Royce philosophy — calm, restrained and refined — the second evokes an entirely different emotion. When I look at these mules, I think of the Lamborghini Huracán. Energy. Boldness. Character. A desire to step beyond familiar boundaries.

Cars, I think, ceased to be merely a means of transport for me a long time ago. They became one of my sources of inspiration. But I have never tried to create shoes “to match a car.” I am much more interested in conveying the character each car awakens in me.

That is why one model feels closer to the philosophy of Rolls-Royce, while the other carries the energy of Lamborghini. I love that both emotions can coexist within a single collection. Creativity should never confine itself to only one thing.

Comfort cannot be shown in a photograph. You can show beautiful leather. You can show the stitching. You can show the shade. But you cannot show how a pair of mules feels after an entire day of wear.

That is why we devote an enormous amount of time to the aspects that will never become the main subject of a photograph: the development of the last, the balance, the flexibility of the construction, the softness, the performance of the new rubber sole, and the way the mules feel not during the first five minutes, but several hours later.

For me, beautiful mules are only half the work. They become truly successful only when someone puts them on in the morning and, by evening, realises they have no desire to take them off. That is the feeling we pursued while creating Orange Private Edition.

Perhaps this phrase best explains my relationship with my profession. I live in mules. Behind the wheel. In meetings. While travelling. At work. Almost every day.

Every new model first becomes part of my own life, and only then does it enter the collection. Every observation that arises while wearing it returns to the atelier. Every improvement passes through me personally.

That is why I am so confident in what we create. I genuinely do not know anyone else who is as fascinated by mules as I am. Perhaps such people exist. But it is this love that makes me return to the work again and again. To search. To experiment. To improve.

Sometimes changing only a few millimetres creates an entirely different sensation. If I find them uncomfortable, those mules will never become part of the collection. If the result does not inspire me, the work continues.

Because I do not create mules only for the guests of our House. I create them first and foremost for myself. And that is why I can say one simple thing with complete honesty: I do not sell mules — I live in them.

There is one thing I have never been able to accept: mediocrity. It does not matter whether we are speaking about shoes, clothing, fabric, stitching, my own work or my own life.

I have never been satisfied with the answer, “It is good enough.” Because I have always asked myself a different question: “Can it be made better?” Perhaps that is the question that has accompanied me throughout my life.

I grew up in a small town. I did not have a famous family name. I had no connections and no one who could open doors for me.

Everything that exists today under the name VLAD BYKOV Couturier House was built gradually. Day by day. Year by year. Every new step was the result of immense work.

That path taught me the most important lesson of all: if you want to create something genuine one day, never compromise with yourself.

People sometimes ask me, “Why these particular materials?” The answer is very simple. Because I value high-quality things myself.

If we choose Italian suede, we look for one that meets our standards. If we choose linen, we search for the finest option. If we work with crocodile leather, we select a material worthy of the level of our House.

Not because it is the most expensive, but because quality is a form of respect. Respect for your work. For your name. And for the person who will one day entrust us with creating their pair.

I am convinced that true quality cannot be replaced by marketing. It is always felt.

I create for myself first. I am often asked, “How are your collections born?” My answer is always the same: I create the things I would want to wear myself.

If I find them uncomfortable, the work continues. If something does not satisfy me, the work continues. If I realise it can be made better, the work continues.

Perhaps that is why every collection becomes so personal. It passes through me first, and only then becomes part of VLAD BYKOV Couturier House.

Orange Private Edition is a private collection by VLAD BYKOV Couturier House.

The first release is limited to 100 pairs. Each pair is individually made. The average production time is 3–4 weeks.

Italian Suede — from USD 850

Combined Crocodile — from USD 2,150

Full Crocodile — from USD 3,500

The price of each pair is determined by the selected materials, the complexity of its construction and the amount of handwork involved in its creation.

We have never set out to create mules for everyone. We are far more interested in creating them for people who, like us, value genuine craftsmanship, attention to detail and the pleasure of owning things made with love.

Over time, these people become more than guests of our House. They become part of its story.

VLAD BYKOV Couturier House has private collections that are gradually made available to our returning guests. If you are already in contact with our specialists, simply ask which collections are currently available to you.

If you are only now discovering our House, perhaps this is where our shared story begins.

I often think not about how many pieces we will create, but about something else: what will remain after us.

You can create thousands of things. But only those made with soul possess genuine value. I want to create pieces people will return to years later. Pieces they will remember. Not because they were rare. And not because they were expensive. But because they were made with respect for their owner.

I do not know what VLAD BYKOV Couturier House will become in ten or twenty years. Only time will tell. But I know one thing with certainty.

I will never accept mediocrity. I will never stop searching for new ideas. New materials. New forms. New solutions. I will never stop learning.

And if, one day, someone looks at our work and says, “This is what inspired me to create something of my own,” then none of it was in vain.

Because creativity does not exist to repeat. It exists to inspire.

Each pair is individually made.

Average production time: 3–4 weeks.

Italian Suede — from USD 850

Combined Crocodile — from USD 2,150

Full Crocodile — from USD 3,500

We have never set out to create mules for everyone. We are far more interested in creating them for people who, like us, value genuine craftsmanship, attention to detail and the pleasure of owning things made with love.

If you are already in contact with our specialists, simply ask which private collections are currently available to you. If you are only now discovering VLAD BYKOV Couturier House, perhaps this is where our shared story begins.