Natalia Alaverdian: 9 Facts on the Awake Mode Founder (2026)

Natalia Alaverdian is the founder of A.W.A.K.E. MODE, the London ready-to-wear label she launched in 2012 after working as fashion director of Harper’s Bazaar Russia. Her label shows on the Paris Fashion Week calendar as a member of the Federation de la Haute Couture et de la Mode, and Coveti stocks the collection worldwide.

Shoppers also search the label as “Awake Mode”. This page sets out what is verified about the founder, how her thinking shows up in the clothes and shoes, and where to see that work today on the A.W.A.K.E. MODE brand page at Coveti.

Who is Natalia Alaverdian?

She is the fashion editor turned founder behind A.W.A.K.E. MODE.

Before the label, Alaverdian was fashion director of Harper’s Bazaar Russia, a role that sits at the centre of how a magazine reads, shoots and edits clothes. In 2012 she founded A.W.A.K.E. MODE in London as a ready-to-wear line. She has her own Wikipedia entry; the brand itself does not, which is one reason her name is the clearest route into the label for anyone researching it.

The name is reportedly an acronym for “All Wonderful Adventures Kindle Enthusiasm”. That expansion appears in the press rather than in an official brand statement, so treat it as reported rather than confirmed.

What are the verified facts about Natalia Alaverdian and her label?

The short version: a 2012 London founding, a magazine background, and a place on the Paris schedule.

Membership of the Federation de la Haute Couture et de la Mode matters because it is how a label earns a slot on the official Paris calendar. For a house founded in London, that is a deliberate statement about where Alaverdian wants the work to be judged.

What is Natalia Alaverdian’s design signature?

Sculptural tailoring and bold asymmetry: classic suiting codes, cut off balance.

The clearest way to read it is to look for a familiar detail sitting in the wrong place. A jacket collar turns up at the hem of a skirt. A shirt becomes a skirt attached to a pair of joggers. A waistband becomes a curved basque that releases into a multicircle skirt. The references are conventional, the placement is not.

You can see each idea in pieces Coveti carries now:

• The Asymmetric Skirt With Jacket Collar At Hem in light grey melange ($1,720) moves a tailoring collar to the bottom edge.
• The Round Neck Jacket With Collar At Hem in black ($1,590) applies the same trick to the jacket itself.
• The Jersey Jogger With Attached Shirt Skirt ($1,070) layers an asymmetric shirt-skirt, complete with a sleeve belt and folded lapel, over an organic cotton jogger.
• The Basque Multicircle Skirt in black ($2,690) starts with a curved basque waistband and opens into strands of laser-cut discs.
• The Asymmetric Volume-Contrast Jacket in black ($2,080) sets a fuller side against a sharper one.

Dresses follow the same logic. The Big Collar Dress ($1,940) scales up a single collar until it carries the whole look, and the Closed Neckline Sculpted Swan Dress ($1,510) is shaped rather than draped. The wider range sits in Coveti’s designer dresses and skirts edits.

How does her thinking carry into A.W.A.K.E. MODE shoes?

The shoes treat the heel and the vamp as places for sculpture, the way the clothes treat collars and waistbands.

That means curved and swan-shaped heels, oversized bows, a fan-shaped “palm” vamp of layered leather strips, pom-poms and folded shafts. All current styles are made in Italy with leather uppers, insoles and soles, and each comes with a dust bag.

The Christine Cousin Shoes With Swan Heel pair a square, partly open toe with a heel shaped like a swan’s neck. The Lea Shoe With Palm radiates layered strips up from a pointed toe on a curved kitten heel; the brand notes it runs large, so take a size down. The Edda Sandal With Bow puts a giant bow across a square toe, and the Christy Boots With Pom-Poms add oversized pom-poms to a knee-high wide-calf boot. Browse the full run in designer heels, and read our A.W.A.K.E. MODE shoes guide for fit by style.

Who has worn A.W.A.K.E. MODE?

Two appearances are verified: Renee Zellweger and Rachel McAdams.

Renee Zellweger wore A.W.A.K.E. MODE to the 2019 Vanity Fair Oscar Party. Rachel McAdams wore the label on Jimmy Kimmel Live in 2026. Both are moments where a single, strongly cut piece has to read on camera, which suits a label built on off-balance shapes.

Where is the label made and sold?

Shoes are made in Italy; the ready-to-wear is made across five countries.

Care labels on the clothing list Italy, Lithuania, Poland, Portugal and Paraguay. The label is sold through Net-a-Porter, Selfridges and Harrods, through its own site, and through Coveti, which carries well over 100 pieces and ships worldwide from hubs in the UAE and Australia with duties calculated at checkout. Our guide to where to buy A.W.A.K.E. MODE covers each option, and who is A.W.A.K.E. MODE goes deeper on the label. For the season now landing, see the A.W.A.K.E. MODE AW26 collection, and for positioning, is A.W.A.K.E. MODE a luxury brand.

Frequently asked questions

Who is Natalia Alaverdian?

Natalia Alaverdian is the founder of A.W.A.K.E. MODE, a London ready-to-wear label she launched in 2012. Before that she was fashion director of Harper’s Bazaar Russia.

When was A.W.A.K.E. MODE founded?

A.W.A.K.E. MODE was founded in 2012 in London by Natalia Alaverdian.

Does A.W.A.K.E. MODE show at Paris Fashion Week?

Yes. The label shows on the Paris Fashion Week calendar as a member of the Federation de la Haute Couture et de la Mode.

What does the name A.W.A.K.E. MODE stand for?

The name is reportedly an acronym for All Wonderful Adventures Kindle Enthusiasm. This expansion comes from press coverage, not an official brand statement.

Which celebrities have worn A.W.A.K.E. MODE?

Renee Zellweger wore A.W.A.K.E. MODE to the 2019 Vanity Fair Oscar Party, and Rachel McAdams wore the label on Jimmy Kimmel Live in 2026.

Where can I buy Natalia Alaverdian’s designs?

Coveti stocks well over 100 A.W.A.K.E. MODE pieces and ships worldwide from the UAE and Australia, with duties calculated at checkout. The label is also sold by Net-a-Porter, Selfridges, Harrods and on its own site.