Interview with Irina Kuznetsova

Irina Kuznetsova

Law in your back pocket – how a legal career helped build a wellness fashion brand

Often, it’s where we live that can have an influence on what we choose to do with our lives. This was the case with Irina, whose early life growing up on the Russian island of Sakhalin instilled within her a sense of importance about the environment. “It's a remote, nature-focused place with a different perspective on life compared with those raised in larger Russian cities.”

Travel throughout Asia also played a significant part in her upbringing, but the far reaches of Europe were out of sight until she began considering a career path.

“My father is a lawyer, which is how the idea of a legal career began, although there was never any pressure to follow this path. He always said that law is a great foundation on which to build a career, should I decide not to remain a lawyer forever. A legal degree provides a strong base to start from and, as it turns out, that’s what happened!

“I initially completed my studies in Russia and qualified as an advocate. It was then I had the opportunity of a lifetime—to travel to London and continue studying. This was a massive step for me, especially as the only English I knew I learned at school. I’m a believer in taking risks and, thankfully, this one worked out.”

“There were a lot of tears on the plane flying as I left Russia, but London quickly became my second home, and I really felt like I belonged there.”

Studying law in a foreign country

Once in London, Irina secured a place on an LLM course at what was then the College of Law. Getting in required a moment of courage she still vividly remembers. “My language test score had fallen short by just half a point, but instead of giving up, I emailed the program head directly. I’m naturally a very shy person, but sometimes I take a strong point of view and say, ‘okay, I’m going to do something about this.’”

Fortunately, it worked, and Irina gained access to a course that would prove transformative.

“I focused heavily on environmental law, partly inspired by the natural resources of my home island, which is rich in oil and gas reserves. By nature, I was drawn to the subject, but there was also something more idealistic behind it. There was a little part of me that thought about how I could change the world, which was perhaps unrealistic, but it has remained a recurring theme throughout my life.”

It was during a trip to the Scottish Highlands with classmates and professors that future opportunities were discussed casually in the pub. One of those opportunities involved a role at Winston Taylor. They were looking for a native Russian speaker to support international transactions. “It sounded perfect, and I said I'd like to try. The interview process was intense. After a ninety-minute interview with David Roberts, I was exhausted, but delighted to be offered the role.”

Irina went on to spend nine years with us. Starting as an intern in the Corporate, Commercial & Projects Team, she worked closely with David Roberts and Adam Hirschovits on international transactions involving multiple jurisdictions and disciplines.

“It was an intense and inspiring period. My favorite part was when partners from different focus areas came together for complex client transaction brainstorming. These moments were like an orchestra coming together to create a symphony. When there was a problem to solve, across different jurisdictions, disciplines, and levels of experience, everyone would pull together. I loved that feeling of teamwork.”

There was also the travel. “I already had the taste for seeing the world, and I worked on projects that took me from Frankfurt to Brazil. I was thrown into some of the most prestigious and beautiful places, with so much learning potential for a young lawyer.”

What stayed with her most, though, was not just technical legal knowledge, but the importance of communication. “How you communicate with the client and deliver a message is very important, yet lawyers can sometimes lose sight of the bigger picture when working through highly detailed matters. This is why it’s important to take a step back and remind ourselves what we're focusing on. What problem are we trying to solve? The firm gave me the skill of translating complexity into clarity. I’m able to break ideas down into simple terms, which helps clients find solutions. Even now, years later, those lessons remain central to how I work. I think about the people every day because they gave me a beautiful baseline for everything I do professionally.”

A new life in another new country

Irina’s next big leap came not because of work, but because of love.

“During a ski trip to Switzerland, I met the man who would become my husband. What followed was four years of long-distance travel between London and Madrid, which was challenging at times. At the same time, my team at Winston Taylor* was being restructured, and I began to feel ready for change. After years in one close-knit team, the idea of moving into a different department felt like entering a completely new world.

“I began asking myself bigger questions about impact and purpose. In law, sometimes you could work two, three, four days on a little document, but then priorities shift, deals change direction, and all that work disappears into the background. This could make you feel like you've wasted your time. These sorts of feelings started to build in my head, and then, on top of that, I had a health scare involving my skin. Everything in my life began to feel like it was on hold until I began thinking deeply about health, the environment, and the products people interact with every day. I wondered, how can I take a proactive approach to make it better?”

The answer eventually became The KOOZY, Irina's wellness-focused clothing company.

The idea combined many different parts of her personality: creativity, concern for the environment, business curiosity, and legal structure. “I decided to make the leap again and take another risk, this time moving to Spain to start my own business!”

After spending nearly a decade building her legal career in London, the decision to relocate to Spain felt right. Madrid offered the opportunity to build a new family life, learn another language, and embrace a completely fresh challenge. It also became the place where the ideas behind The KOOZY truly began to take shape, combining her long-standing interest in wellness and environmental impact into something entirely her own.

“My research initially focused on synthetic fabrics and their impact on human health. To me, the focus for sportswear and underwear really needs to be on avoiding synthetic fabrics, as when combined with sweat, they can cause problems with your well-being.

“I spent huge amounts of time researching medical studies on textile exposure and skin health, and this soon led me to textile manufacturers and scientists in Portugal and Spain. I realized that a lot of innovation was going on, but the industry wasn't up to date at all.”

Then came the familiar spark that has followed her throughout her life. “I decided I was going to change this, and so in 2021, I officially launched the company.”

Redefining wellness fashion

Starting a business is exciting, but also lonely. “At the beginning, everyone's supportive,” Irina says. “But as you get deeper into it, you are all alone, and everything rests on your shoulders. Entrepreneurship requires enormous patience and inner resilience. You need the strength to keep pushing forward and keep going.”

Progress came, and Irina’s business acumen kept her afloat. “I soon shifted the company toward a business-to-business strategy, working with wellness hotels, fitness clubs, and health-focused brands. That became a turning point. Today, The KOOZY works with major wellness clients, including the Rosewood hotel and SHA wellness clinic in Alicante.”

The company’s philosophy centers on health, sustainability, and reducing synthetic exposure in activewear. “We use 95% natural fabric composition,” she explains. “And this is our target.” The KOOZY took shape as a wellness-focused activewear brand built around natural fabrics, sustainability, and reducing synthetic exposure. Sustainability also sits at the heart of the business. “We're zero waste, using only certified packaging and avoiding plastic bags throughout the process. Even production waste is repurposed creatively into accessories and smaller products. Nothing gets wasted if it can be helped.”

The business is now preparing to expand further into the U.K. and the U.S., with growing international interest. Despite the growth, Irina still believes the most important thing in business is human connection. “The human approach to every customer is very important and is something the firm instilled in me. There's always a human behind the problem, just as there is a human behind every case. Thanks to this philosophy, almost every customer comes back to us.”

As for the future, there's no sign of her slowing down. The KOOZY is exploring fabric innovation, wellness technology, and charitable partnerships, including support for the European Skin Cancer Foundation.

“We have a lot of ideas, but at heart, my motivation remains the same as it's been since leaving Sakhalin. And that's to believe I can make a positive difference in the world, and I think with The KOOZY, that’s what I’m doing.”