Text: Igor Shevkun RUSSIAN MODELS AND DESIGNERS AT THE PEAK OF GLORY. THIS IS NOT JUST BEAUTY, TALENT, INDIVIDUALITY, INFLUENCE ON THE WORLD OF FASHION OR A HAPPY CASE. THIS IS ALL IMMEDIATELY - UNKNOWN STRENGTH, SENSE OF STYLE AND FULLY IMPOSSIBLE RESULTS. RUSSIANS ARE COMING!
Recruits
As you know, until 2008, the “Russian style” was associated in the West with fur, sequins, denim and diamonds, while Russian designers for a long time went unnoticed in the international arena. But everything changed with the arrival of designers such as Igor Chapurin, Kova & T, Denis Simachev, Vika Gazinskaya, Alena Akhmadulina and others who loudly declared themselves on the catwalks of New York, London and Paris. In fact, they forever changed the face of Russian fashion, creating well-sold and sought-after clothing lines.
The experts of the British newspaper The Guardian have compiled a list of 24 of the most promising designers from Russia who have their own recipe for a contemporary style. Here you can see Alexander Terekhov, Nina Donis, Sergey Teplov, Dmitry Loginov, whom many already know, but new names have appeared: Julia Vorobyova, Osome2some (Anna Andrienko and Natalya Buzakova), Julia Kondranina, Tigran Avetisyan, ZDDZ brand.
The ambitions of Russian designers are not without reason. So, designer Sasha Vader, who graduated from the Moscow Art and Industry Institute, shows a stunningly accurate cut - whether it be a lacquer pencil skirt, super-feminine dresses that are similar in style to a soulful, or a voluminous bomber with a floral print.
A wave of fashion for the a la russe style, penetrated by the heady mood of happiness, threw out dresses from Ulyana Sergienko, who was inspired when creating her collections by train journeys, Russian fairy tales “Vasilisa the Beautiful”, “Copper Mountain Mistress”, “The Frog Princess” , as well as literary works of Lermontov. Her dresses from expensive handmade fabrics are still worn by stars at the most fashionable parties - Lady Gaga, Dita von Teese, Ornella Muti, Natalya Vodyanova and Kim Kardashian. In search of new ideas for her fall collection, the designer drew inspiration from the most remote corners of vast Russia.
The Guardian fashion sharks voted for LES brand designer Lesya Paramonova, who explores the magical world of flora and fauna in her collections, for the St. Petersburg brand Asya Malbershtein, which emphasizes minimalistic cut and natural muted shades. Finally, the designer Gosha Rubchinsky came into the view of The Guardian newspaper, singing in his models the cult of post-Soviet fashion, physical education lessons and creating a capsule collection based on the works of artist Timur Novikov (his things can be bought in the Dover Street Market in England).
Things of these designers are amazingly fit, they have nothing provincial and studentish, they fit well into the new autumn wardrobe. Verdict: Russians are in fashion. They create spectacular clothes, which the whole West has finally talked about.
But what “bricks” make up a win-win version of Russian fashion? According to journalist Katie Soldak of American Forbes, Russian designers are very inventive, which is embedded in the DNA of Russian fashion designers. As a rule, they are always open to extraordinary and funny ideas, despite the many difficulties that get in their way - the search for high-quality fabrics, good specialists in cutting, sewing and finishing, plus the lack of a free grant to designers - grants and programs that develop young talents . “The fashion industry makes a significant contribution to the economies of the United States, France, Italy, the UK and Japan,” says Stefan Rabimov, publisher of the popular fashion magazine Depesha in New York. “If Russia needs a diversified economy, investing in the fashion industry is a great choice.”
Universal muses
“Healthy complexion”, “large features”, “pronounced cheekbones”, “tall stature” - such expressions have already become cliches against Russians. But this is exactly what is needed in order to explain why Russian models today storm the world's catwalks. They became the embodiment of style and themselves create fashion trends. Our models can show clothes, they can sell them, they can see the future ... Katya Grigoryeva, Nastya Sten, Irina Liss, Katya Ledneva, Sofia Tesmenitskaya are the five main names of the past Fashion Week, ranked among the selected circle of models that designers call by name.
Numerous transformations of the image of Katya Grigorieva are carefully documented at the fashion shows of Versace, Gucci, Dolce & Gabbana, Balmain, Givenchy, Moschino, Celine, Alexander McQueen. She was fortunate enough to open Dsquared2 and Stella McCartney Spring-Summer 2015 shows, while 141K subscribers discuss her Instagram posts (@_kate_g_). An important detail: for the first time, Russian Ekaterina became the “angel” of Victoria's Secret underwear brand in April 2015. From the model from Olenegorsk, who graduated from the Murmansk State Technical University with a degree in Marketing, one could most of all expect this talent - to combine high fashion and high profitability.
When headhunters chasing you from Louis Vuitton to Prada chase you, you are the living embodiment of the main trends of modern fashion and the star of the season. Muscovite Nastya Sten is rightfully considered the face of "new beauty." Her resume contains an impressive list of fashion shows: Proenza Schouler, Miu Miu, Roberto Cavalli, Nina Ricci, Jil Sander, Sonia Rykiel, shootings for Vogue, Numero, i-D, Interview Magazine. The ruling elite of the fashion business simply could not live without it.
Not all Russian models are created equal. Some have talent, others have incredible performance, others take charisma, and others take iron discipline. If 18-year-old model Irina Liss from Kolomna near Moscow got the honorable mission to close the shows of Armani Prive and Martin Margiela Artisanal, then Kate Ledneva is helped to stay on top of the fashion Olympus with contracts with six fashion agencies: Supreme Management (New York), Women Management Paris (Paris ), Select Model Management (London), Uno Models (Barcelona), Women Direct (Milan) and Zucca Model Agency (Tokyo). And if you urgently need a young talented model from Russia, call Sofya Tesmenitskaya. Voronezh beauty, “Discovery of the Year” Sophia took part in the main shows of the season: Valentino, Chanel, Christian Dior, Calvin Klein and opened the show Jil Sander. To get to the main shows of the season is already a recognition. Designers call such girls "the most original and intriguing models" in which grace and sharpness are appreciated.
Russian dream
Today, even fragrances created especially for Russian women are in fashion. They appear infrequently, but become bestsellers - smells with a Russian soul and charisma. The young brand Laurent Mazzone Parfums presented the mysterious Unique Russia with a very strong character, dedicated to Russia. The idea of the new fragrance is a journey through Russia, and its ingredients - pepper, cardamom, patchouli, frankincense, musk - are memories of those places where the perfumer was happy, and of the beautiful Russian women he saw. “By creating this fragrance, I wanted to pay tribute to Russia,” says Laurent Mazzone. “During my travels in Russia, I was fascinated by the atmosphere, beauty and grandeur that are inherent in this country.”
Now more and more people from the beauty industry, in addition to their main job, decide to devote themselves to something else. The French Perfume House Guerlain has long been friends with the Bolshoi Theater in Moscow and sponsors its important events. Especially for the 140th anniversary of the opera Carmen, which opened the new, 240th season of the Bolshoi Theater, Guerlain released the fragrance Carmen Le Bolshoi, paying tribute to the history and spirit of the legendary theater of Russia, where the great Russian singers Galina Vishnevskaya and Elena Obraztsova performed , danced the part of Carmen and Nina Zaretskaya Maya Plisetskaya. A floral-woody scent with notes of jasmine, cedar, musk, pink pepper and citrus is enclosed in an octagonal bottle, the silhouette of which echoes the strict architectural lines of Moscow.
For those who like it hotter and more energetically, the Yves Saint Laurent brand came up with the floral-chypre fragrance Magnificent Blossom from the Oriental Collection, which is also inspired by Russia. The composition of the aroma is based on chords of jasmine, ylang-ylang, mandarin in combination with patchouli and amiris extract. Mysterious Russian beauty and French charm came together in one bottle.
The favorite perfumes of Soviet women Climat from Lancome, which Hippolytus presented to his bride Nadia in “The Irony of Fate, or Enjoy Your Bath” will be re-released specially for Russia in honor of the 40th anniversary of Lancome on the Russian market.
Warm rich aroma, created in 1967 by perfumer Gerard Goopy, differs from the original in concentration and smells like violet, peach, daffodil, lily of the valley, sandalwood and vetiver. To become the face of such a fragrance means to get even more fame.
Always shine
The fashion industry in Russia is experiencing a real boom. Designers come up with something truly unusual, keep abreast of fashion, apply new methods of designing clothes in practice, but most importantly, brand sales have increased (Russian couture is expensive). Rates are rising! According to the forecasts of critics, if the state invests in the fashion industry and brand promotion, so that the appearance of Russian fashion designers in the West is noticeable, then they will fall in the avalanche of the fashion world, let everyone feel what Russian style, color and uniqueness are (as in due time Belgians, Japanese, French and Italians did this), and the success of Russian fashion will be ensured.
Keep up with designers and models. Russia has always been famous for the beauty and charm of Russian women, but only from the beginning of the 2000s, our models began to conquer the main peaks of the fashion world - Milan, Paris, London and New York. Every year they appear at leading fashion shows, star in advertising campaigns at Fashion houses, the best agencies dream of signing a contract with them, offering the highest paid job. According to critics, whom there seems to be no surprise at all, designers and brands will continue to idolize Russian models, hunt for them, conclude contracts at the same time in two or more agencies, make the faces of these girls recognizable not only in Russia, but in everything world, sew breathtaking dresses for them, devote fragrances and clothing collections to them. Those who wish can go to the sites of world modeling agencies and make sure of this.
