Nikolai Aslanov

From a young age, Nikolai has been trained to hold a proper conversation. He grew up watching his mother fulfill her duty as the CEO of their family company and has strived to be as sociable and charming as her. Luckily for him, it came naturally. Nikolai has never had a problem voicing his feelings towards someone. When someone catches his eye, he introduces himself and makes his interest obvious. He also has no problem politely letting the other person know when he is bothered by something they did.

Nikolai has always been spoiled and thus, has always had self-assurance. He has long since grown out of his spoiled phase but his firm belief in his abilities and skills have matured and stayed. Because his childhood and early to mid teen years had been somewhat limitless, Nikolai can sometimes be a little blunt about conversation topics that need more nursing. Sometimes, he can be seen as rude or overly opinionated but that is never his intention. As Nikolai was encouraged to explore different hobbies and other aspects of himself, he has always been eager to learn and broaden his horizons. Throughout his early school years until college, Nikolai tried his hand at just about anything and anyone that interested him.

Nikolai has always been obsessed with doing his job and doing it well. He takes great pride in the company his family had started and is honored to step into the role of CEO. At times, he puts too much on his plate and pushes his subordinates away. He wants to be a responsible leader and knows that good leaders know when to ask for help and rely on others.

Childhood

As a child, Nikolai was spoiled rotten. His parents doted on him and wanted to make sure he had the happiest childhood they could provide. Despite being incredibly busy, his parents made sure to schedule out time to spend time with him. Nikolai’s parents did not hesitate to go on extravagant weekend trips or have five course meals of all his favorites.

For Nikolai’s early years, he was home schooled. His parents hired the most distinguished home tutors they could find and Nikolai had quite a prestigious education. During those years, Nikolai found that he enjoyed the arts, social studies, and history the most.

It was also around this time that Nikolai began to experiment with leftover fabric and other materials to make clothing. When his mother had the chance, she let Nikolai watch her test fabrics and put garments together for fun. This time he spent with her only increased his love for the fashion industry and at some point, he began to ask her to teach him.

Teen Years

For middle and high school, Nikolai attended private schools. He was top of the class and was quite popular. In high school, he even became student council president. Nikolai became somewhat of a prince around the school and no one could really fault him for anything. He was a little outspoken at times, but it was usually in response to another student acting out.

Nikolai continued to study fashion with his mother during his free time and when her schedule allowed it. Now, he was much better with a sewing machine and was starting to create much more layered and interesting garments. At school, it was required to wear a uniform but that did not stop him from making it suit his style more. Nikolai heavily altered his school uniform. He changed the buttons on his blazer and added patterned fabric to its lapels. He added frilled trim to his shirt collar and accessorized with patterned socks and colored belts. Needless to say, when he first showed off his new look, he was called to the principal’s office. Nikolai was asked to change immediately but refused to and was instead sent home. He kept his cool and thought it through on his way back. His parents were supportive and figured that as long as his uniform still looked like a uniform, it should be okay. They suggested they step in, figuring that being the head of one of the most iconic luxury fabrics production companies would help Nikolai’s case but he refused. Nikolai wanted to take on this challenge himself. He came back the next day and after some negotiation, administration agreed–albeit begrudgingly, to let Nikolai do as he pleased.

While he had begun to socialize with more people during this time, he was still surrounded by people who came from a similar financial situation and had similar upbringings. It wasn’t until college when Nikolai finally began to expand his horizons.

College Years

Nikolai attended an esteemed art school with the sole purpose of becoming a fashion designer. From day one, he stood out. He had an air of self assurance that most 18 year old art students didn’t really have. While he was excited like his fellow classmates, he tended to keep things on a more “professional” basis. Some thought he was intimidating, some thought he was cold, and some chalked up his attitude to be a result of his upbringing. Despite what others thought of him, the fact that he was a hard worker could not be disputed. While most took liberal arts classes just because they had to, Nikolai took classes he was truly interested in and with the full intention to thrive in class. He wasn’t the type to “remind” the instructor to collect homework but instead, was the type to complete it and just hand it in without question.

By then, most people were past acting on petty feelings especially since Nikolai did not see himself as “better” than those around him. Nikolai just had his own plans and goals and wanted to do everything he could to achieve them. He did not care if others didn’t share his mindset. In class, he gave thoughtful and thorough critique, most of the recipients found it helpful but those who took the class for an “easy A” tended to dislike him.

While the school he attended was specialized and was not the best example of the normal lives of the general public, there were still many other students who came from very different backgrounds. Nikolai felt like he’d made great strides both for his career and socially. He felt like he’d gained a better understanding of the general public and now had values and insights about the world he could not have gotten if he continued to surround himself with the upper class. Nikolai is still a little out of touch but he takes care to listen and speak up when appropriate.

Early Career

When he graduated, Nikolai felt ready to enter the fashion industry. He worked hard and was ready to show it. However, when he was looking for places to apply to, his mother fell seriously ill. Nikolai put his search on hold while he cared for her. Fortunately, she was able to make a full recovery but her husband and Nikolai both agreed that maybe it was a good time for her to retire. She wasn’t old and did quite like working but she told them she’d give it some thought. After some time, she decided that there were other things she wanted to do with her life. Being sick reminded her that there were still plenty of things she wanted to do and she wanted to spend the rest of her life doing those things.

The only problem then, was what would happen to the company. Nikolai’s parents were adamant that he should chase his dreams. He was still young and they wanted him to have fun. While they did not want to rush him, it was always expected of Nikolai to take over. His father was in no position to take over and there was no one who could really “cover” for the time until Nikolai was expected to take over. Faced with an odd situation, Nikolai announced that he would take over the business. He was 23 at the time and had spent the last year with his family. He wanted to give them some peace of mind and wanted to find some way to thank them for raising him. What better way to do so than taking the burden of work off of their shoulders?

Present Day

Nikolai has led Aslanov Fabrics and Textiles for four years now. It was a bit of an adjustment, going from graduating to caring for his mother to running a business but Nikolai was mentally prepared for any hardships that would come his way. He quickly learned that it was important to ask for help when he needed it and has gained the skills needed to be a successful and effective leader.

As Nikolai has become somewhat of an icon for rising to fame in the way he did, he has been invited to many universities and art schools to talk about his success and give guidance to students. Initially, Nikolai was hesitant to accept these offers as he felt like he had no advice that would actually be helpful to students. He was less reserved with art schools, especially those that had good fashion programs since he was in the fashion industry. As of late, Nikolai has gained a bit of confidence in giving guest lectures. He just hopes that his experience is actually helpful or at least interesting to the students.

Business Insight

Nikolai has been immersed in the corporate world ever since he was a child. He might be a little out of touch in regards to regular life but he is undoubtedly incredibly capable in corporate settings.

Drawing

On his journey to become a fashion designer, Nikolai ended up becoming quite a skilled artist. He practiced this skill to improve on his designs but now he keeps up with it for fun.

Cooking

A hobby that Nikolai frequently indulges in. At first he was not the best but he was determined to improve. Nikolai’s cooking is not the equivalent to his regular five star meals but he has made progress and enjoys it nonetheless.