World and European champion Elizaveta Tuktamysheva, who stunned the world of figure skating two years ago with a bombshell 'striptease' routine, is planning to release her own clothing line which will be "associated with herself."
The 23-year-old has always been a trendsetter in women's skating, creating signature elements and a unique dress style. She said that she borrowed the idea for her 'Empress' clothing collection from ice hockey and football, in which fans can buy jerseys bearing the names of their sports idols.
"In September, I want to release a collection of sportswear, my own brand, for athletes and figure skating fans," Tuktamysheva said.
"Soccer and ice hockey clubs have stores where fans can buy accessories with the name and number of their favorite player. We don't have that in figure skating and I decided that it would be great to have some clothing that you can wear when going to a figure skating event and show everyone that you are a skating fan. The first collection will be associated with myself, and then we'll see."
The skater admitted that she is taking her first steps in the fashion industry and is treating it like a part-time hobby, while remaining fully focused on her sporting career.
Tuktamysheva confirmed she is learning two quads at the moment, noting however that she hasn't yet managed to confidently land them in training.
She said that her main goal is to have stable triple jumps, including her signature triple axel, while quads will be added to her program when she attains the necessary physical shape.