Johann Nikadimus — handmade kokoshniks, tiaras and bridal headdresses

Black velvet and silk are contemporary markers of luxury, while the foundation remains the same historical form and embroidery technique. I only slightly altered the silhouette so that the kokoshnik would work naturally with contemporary clothing volumes. Coloured velvet and silk were expensive and highly prized materials in the 18th and 19th centuries. I applied the same principle and approach to materials when creating a contemporary kokoshnik — in black.

Photographer: Marina Vasilevskaya, Model: Milena, Style: J. Nikadimus

The cover shoot for folk singer Tatiana Molchanova's debut album, Songs of Lidiya Ruslanova. Part 1, 2021. Tatiana is wearing a replica of a traditional crown, sewn with pearls based on an 18th-century portrait of the merchant woman Kusova.

Saint Petersburg, Russia, 2021

Special guest artist at the private presentation of Cartier's Sur Naturel High Jewelry Collection. Visitors explored Cartier's historic tiaras before entering a recreated artist's studio, where they discovered the traditional Russian pearl embroidery technique that inspired the House of Cartier in the creation of its tiaras in the early 20th century.

traditional headdresses in the photo project Between the Kingdoms by Dmitry Bulin for Multimedia Art Museum.

Moscow, 2025

Traditional headdresses in the creative photographic project FAIRYTALE SOUP by Natasha Yankelovich and Lena Tash. The project is inspired by characters from Russian fairy tales — Snegurochka, Matchmaker Baba Babarikha, and the Golden Cockerel — and the illustrations of artist Ivan Bilibin.

Photographer: Natasha Yankelovich

Stylist: Elena Tash

Model: actress Alyona Mikhaylova

Makeup: Tatyana Osipova

Clothing: Onsitsa, Masha Andrianova, Nastya Leonevskaya

Headdresses: Juhann Nikadimus

Post-production: Sergey Shmakov

Moscow, 2020

Tina Kuznetsova, lead singer of the folk-electronic music group Zventa Sventana, in traditional headdresses and accessories.

An art photo shoot featuring tiaras for Russian actress Varvara Shmykova, known for her work with directors Andrey Zvyagintsev, Kirill Serebryanikov, Eduard Oganesyan, and others.

Photographer: Marina Vasilevskaya

Tiaras and styling: Johann Nikadimus

Makeup and hair: Polina Ilyushina

Assistant: Eric Hayti

Backstage: Valery Abdrshin

Belgrade, 2024

My headwear in photo projects and the film The Fisherman’s Daughter by Uldus Bakhtiozina

Saint Petersburg, 2016–2020

Organisation and style: Really Wedding Agency

Idea: Marina Malloy

Photographer: Daria Artishcheva

Moscow, 2022

A layered wedding ensemble: a shirt, a Korotyonka vest, and a skirt. A handcrafted silk and vintage lace chair in collaboration with the Onsitsa brand by Lena Tash. Archive 2024.

A sleek triangle dress made of natural milky silk, a collaboration with Asya Sporykhina's Intro.Version brand. Archive 2024.

California, USA

Switzerland, France

Photographer: Lea Fery

j.nikadimus@gmail.com

Inastagram

WhatsApp

Telegram

My studio is located in a 19th-century house in the centre of a quiet, green town. This is where I spend most of my time: planning collections, constructing, drawing ornaments, embroidering, sewing, and welcoming guests. This is the kind of studio I dreamed of when I lived and worked in Moscow. Now I have opened my atelier in Novi Sad.

Harper’s Bazaar Italia features my work. The article presents my tiaras, diadems, and collectible jewellery, created using historical examples, hand embroidery, pearls, and goldwork, as well as the influence of Art Nouveau on my work.

Read here /Italian/

The exhibition was organised by the Kaleidoscope of Culture festival in Novi Sad, Serbia, in 2024. It occupied two floors of the DISTRICT pavilion. Thanks to the organisers, I was able to invite friends to take part in the project: musicians, fashion designers, and photographer Marina Vasilevskaya. The large exhibition space made it possible to present the concept behind each piece, tell a deeper story about the creation of the works, and complement them with other artistic forms. More about the exhibition space can be found in the photo gallery.

Concept and tiaras: J. Nikadimus, Photographer: Marina Vasilevskaya, Composer: Maxim Westphalen, Harp: Tatiana Sycheva, Recording: Sofya Petkevich, Onsitsa dress: designer Lena Tash, Intro.Version dress: designer Asya Sporykhina, tailor Olesya Buldina, Organisers: Kaleidoscope of Culture team, Assistants: Larisa Makarova, Eric Hayti

We shot the third tiara collection on the streets of Istanbul in December, preparing material for a future exhibition in Serbia. The models were my friends and fellow designers Lena Tash and Nastya Leonevskaya. The clothing worn by the models is by Lena Tash’s brand Onsitsa.

Photographer: Yuri Guzeev, Models: Lena Tash and Nastya Leonevskaya, Assistant: Artem Michurin, Istanbul, 2022

My profile page on Homo Faber Guide — an international platform by the Michelangelo Foundation dedicated to contemporary craftsmanship and its makers. The Foundation supports craftspeople and develops projects focused on preserving and advancing craft traditions. In 2024, I participated in the Homo Faber biennial in Venice.

Read here /English/

archive

The third collection of cocktail and wedding tiaras, embroidered with pearls and beads, based on ancient techniques and original designs.

Photographer: Sofya Petkevich

Interview for Visit Distrikt Novi Sad. We talked about creating tiaras, historical pearl and gold embroidery techniques, and how traditional methods can evolve within contemporary art. I also spoke about the KEY4 collection and the exhibition held as part of the Kaleidoscope of Culture in Novi Sad.

Read here /Serbian, English/

korobkorob.com

KOROB KOROB is a menswear brand created by designer Ilya Varegin as a continuation of his work with Infundibulum. The brand is based on original tailoring, small-scale production, traditional cuts, and craft techniques. KOROB KOROB brings together clothing, handcraft, and the study of traditional culture, drawing on historical forms and the idea of clothing as part of a mythological world.

kseniaoganesyan.com

Oganesyan is a Russian clothing brand founded by designer Ksenia Oganesyan. The brand has been operating for over 12 years, with a showroom and production based in Moscow. Ksenia creates clothing in small quantities using her own patterns and predominantly fabrics from Italian manufacturers.

Photographer: Marina Vasilevskaya

Interview for Folkmania. I spoke about my path into the craft, working with historical examples, and creating contemporary tiaras based on traditional techniques. We talked about the history of the Russian kokoshnik, historical pearl embroidery techniques, and their place in contemporary art and design.

Read here /Spanish and more/

Manizha’s Russian Woman single cover for Eurovision 2021. My replicas of historical headdresses and a tiara were used for the special photoshoot. A 19th-century kokoshnik from the Vladimir Governorate was chosen for the main cover. Manizha also wore this kokoshnik on the red carpet in Rotterdam, representing Russia.

Photographer: Egor Shabanov

An international biennial of contemporary craftsmanship in Venice, held at the Fondazione Giorgio Cini on the island of San Giorgio Maggiore. The exhibition was curated under the artistic direction of film director Luca Guadagnino and architect Nicolò Rosmarini, bringing together works by craftspeople from around the world and presenting craftsmanship as an integral part of human life and culture. In 2024, I participated in the biennial with my pearl tiaras.

Film and digital photographer: Marina Vasilevskaya

Model: Anđela Ševrt

Dress: Intro.Version x J. Nikadimus

Tiaras and veils: J. Nikadimus

Belgrade, 2024

Interview for the OBDN × Reebok project Heritage of Traditions. The feature brings together several artists and craftspeople working with traditional crafts and exploring ways to preserve and develop them in the contemporary world. We talked about historical pearl embroidery techniques, working with traditional costumes, and my approach to preserving and developing traditional craftsmanship.

Read here /Russian/

Interview for the OBDN × Reebok project Heritage of Traditions. The feature brings together several artists and craftspeople working with traditional crafts and exploring ways to preserve and develop them in the contemporary world. We talked about historical pearl embroidery techniques, working with traditional costumes, and my approach to preserving and developing traditional craftsmanship.

Read here /Russian/

Film and digital photographer: Marina Vasilevskaya

Model: Anđela Ševrt

Dress: Intro.Version x J. Nikadimus

Tiaras and veils: J. Nikadimus

Belgrade, 2024

An international biennial of contemporary craftsmanship in Venice, held at the Fondazione Giorgio Cini on the island of San Giorgio Maggiore. The exhibition was curated under the artistic direction of film director Luca Guadagnino and architect Nicolò Rosmarini, bringing together works by craftspeople from around the world and presenting craftsmanship as an integral part of human life and culture. In 2024, I participated in the biennial with my pearl tiaras.

Manizha’s Russian Woman single cover for Eurovision 2021. My replicas of historical headdresses and a tiara were used for the special photoshoot. A 19th-century kokoshnik from the Vladimir Governorate was chosen for the main cover. Manizha also wore this kokoshnik on the red carpet in Rotterdam, representing Russia.

Photographer: Egor Shabanov

Interview for Folkmania. I spoke about my path into the craft, working with historical examples, and creating contemporary tiaras based on traditional techniques. We talked about the history of the Russian kokoshnik, historical pearl embroidery techniques, and their place in contemporary art and design.

Read here /Spanish and more/

kseniaoganesyan.com

Oganesyan is a Russian clothing brand founded by designer Ksenia Oganesyan. The brand has been operating for over 12 years, with a showroom and production based in Moscow. Ksenia creates clothing in small quantities using her own patterns and predominantly fabrics from Italian manufacturers.

Photographer: Marina Vasilevskaya

korobkorob.com

KOROB KOROB is a menswear brand created by designer Ilya Varegin as a continuation of his work with Infundibulum. The brand is based on original tailoring, small-scale production, traditional cuts, and craft techniques. KOROB KOROB brings together clothing, handcraft, and the study of traditional culture, drawing on historical forms and the idea of clothing as part of a mythological world.

Interview for Visit Distrikt Novi Sad. We talked about creating tiaras, historical pearl and gold embroidery techniques, and how traditional methods can evolve within contemporary art. I also spoke about the KEY4 collection and the exhibition held as part of the Kaleidoscope of Culture in Novi Sad.

Read here /Serbian, English/

The third collection of cocktail and wedding tiaras, embroidered with pearls and beads, based on ancient techniques and original designs.

Photographer: Sofya Petkevich

archive

My profile page on Homo Faber Guide — an international platform by the Michelangelo Foundation dedicated to contemporary craftsmanship and its makers. The Foundation supports craftspeople and develops projects focused on preserving and advancing craft traditions. In 2024, I participated in the Homo Faber biennial in Venice.

Read here /English/

We shot the third tiara collection on the streets of Istanbul in December, preparing material for a future exhibition in Serbia. The models were my friends and fellow designers Lena Tash and Nastya Leonevskaya. The clothing worn by the models is by Lena Tash’s brand Onsitsa.

Photographer: Yuri Guzeev, Models: Lena Tash and Nastya Leonevskaya, Assistant: Artem Michurin, Istanbul, 2022

The exhibition was organised by the Kaleidoscope of Culture festival in Novi Sad, Serbia, in 2024. It occupied two floors of the DISTRICT pavilion. Thanks to the organisers, I was able to invite friends to take part in the project: musicians, fashion designers, and photographer Marina Vasilevskaya. The large exhibition space made it possible to present the concept behind each piece, tell a deeper story about the creation of the works, and complement them with other artistic forms. More about the exhibition space can be found in the photo gallery.

Concept and tiaras: J. Nikadimus, Photographer: Marina Vasilevskaya, Composer: Maxim Westphalen, Harp: Tatiana Sycheva, Recording: Sofya Petkevich, Onsitsa dress: designer Lena Tash, Intro.Version dress: designer Asya Sporykhina, tailor Olesya Buldina, Organisers: Kaleidoscope of Culture team, Assistants: Larisa Makarova, Eric Hayti

Harper’s Bazaar Italia features my work. The article presents my tiaras, diadems, and collectible jewellery, created using historical examples, hand embroidery, pearls, and goldwork, as well as the influence of Art Nouveau on my work.

Read here /Italian/

My studio is located in a 19th-century house in the centre of a quiet, green town. This is where I spend most of my time: planning collections, constructing, drawing ornaments, embroidering, sewing, and welcoming guests. This is the kind of studio I dreamed of when I lived and worked in Moscow. Now I have opened my atelier in Novi Sad.

j.nikadimus@gmail.com

Inastagram

WhatsApp

Telegram

Switzerland, France

Photographer: Lea Fery

California, USA

A sleek triangle dress made of natural milky silk, a collaboration with Asya Sporykhina's Intro.Version brand. Archive 2024.

A layered wedding ensemble: a shirt, a Korotyonka vest, and a skirt. A handcrafted silk and vintage lace chair in collaboration with the Onsitsa brand by Lena Tash. Archive 2024.

Organisation and style: Really Wedding Agency

Idea: Marina Malloy

Photographer: Daria Artishcheva

Moscow, 2022

My headwear in photo projects and the film The Fisherman’s Daughter by Uldus Bakhtiozina

Saint Petersburg, 2016–2020

An art photo shoot featuring tiaras for Russian actress Varvara Shmykova, known for her work with directors Andrey Zvyagintsev, Kirill Serebryanikov, Eduard Oganesyan, and others.

Photographer: Marina Vasilevskaya

Tiaras and styling: Johann Nikadimus

Makeup and hair: Polina Ilyushina

Assistant: Eric Hayti

Backstage: Valery Abdrshin

Belgrade, 2024

Tina Kuznetsova, lead singer of the folk-electronic music group Zventa Sventana, in traditional headdresses and accessories.

Traditional headdresses in the creative photographic project FAIRYTALE SOUP by Natasha Yankelovich and Lena Tash. The project is inspired by characters from Russian fairy tales — Snegurochka, Matchmaker Baba Babarikha, and the Golden Cockerel — and the illustrations of artist Ivan Bilibin.

Photographer: Natasha Yankelovich

Stylist: Elena Tash

Model: actress Alyona Mikhaylova

Makeup: Tatyana Osipova

Clothing: Onsitsa, Masha Andrianova, Nastya Leonevskaya

Headdresses: Juhann Nikadimus

Post-production: Sergey Shmakov

Moscow, 2020

traditional headdresses in the photo project Between the Kingdoms by Dmitry Bulin for Multimedia Art Museum.

Moscow, 2025

Saint Petersburg, Russia, 2021

Special guest artist at the private presentation of Cartier's Sur Naturel High Jewelry Collection. Visitors explored Cartier's historic tiaras before entering a recreated artist's studio, where they discovered the traditional Russian pearl embroidery technique that inspired the House of Cartier in the creation of its tiaras in the early 20th century.

The cover shoot for folk singer Tatiana Molchanova's debut album, Songs of Lidiya Ruslanova. Part 1, 2021. Tatiana is wearing a replica of a traditional crown, sewn with pearls based on an 18th-century portrait of the merchant woman Kusova.

Black velvet and silk are contemporary markers of luxury, while the foundation remains the same historical form and embroidery technique. I only slightly altered the silhouette so that the kokoshnik would work naturally with contemporary clothing volumes. Coloured velvet and silk were expensive and highly prized materials in the 18th and 19th centuries. I applied the same principle and approach to materials when creating a contemporary kokoshnik — in black.

Photographer: Marina Vasilevskaya, Model: Milena, Style: J. Nikadimus