bookmarks www.russianfashionweek.com Official website of the
08
Russia NOW www.rbth.ru
Fashion
main fashion event in Russia
section sponsored by rossiyskaya gazeta, russia
www.alenaakhmadullina.com Alena Akhmadullina’s
distributed with the daily telegraph tuesday_december 22_2009 latest collection
Following moscow’s style:
AlexAnDeR AzARO fOR ARTefAcT cOmmUnicATiOnS Agency
russian master The Soviet Union’s fashion visionary whose design enraptured
the West and earned him the nickname ‘The Red Dior’
born in the ussr, worn around the world
Russian fashion designer Slava incredible began to happen on Zaitsev received the Grand cal performance. “The theatre
Zaitsev has christened his new stage: the models sashayed out Prix at an international com- helped me hide the lack of
collection for spring 2010 “In in brightly coloured padded petition for fashion designers proper shoes, socks and every-
Spite Of”. “A time of crisis is no jackets, light skirts made of in Moscow for a dress he called thing else one needed most,” he
time to give in,” he said, ahead of flower-patterned shawls and “Russia”. The Western press recalls.
his showing at this year’s felt boots decorated with em- took to calling him the “Red Zaitsev was invited to work at
Russian Fashion Week. For more broidery and ribbons. These Dior”. the House of Fashion on
than 40 years, the world has clothes were brave, beautiful When Dior’s creative director Kuznetsky Most. To
associated Russian fashion first and… utterly impossible for a came to Moscow with fashion get into one of his
and foremost with Slava Zaitsev. Soviet worker to wear. designer Pierre Cardin, they showings, you
The commission went into wanted to meet Slava Zaitsev. had to either
svetlana smetanina
shock. Zaitsev received a dress- Zaitsev borrowed a suede jack- work in a for-
RuSSia Now ing down and was fired on the et to look the part. He was eign embassy or
spot. His career might well stunned by the array of mate- belong to the So-
One day in autumn 1962, a col- have ended before it began had rials and accessories they viet elite. In 1978
lection of clothes for agricul- it not been for the appearance brought with them. In Soviet Zaitsev left his
tural workers was scheduled to of a “good fairy” – the Moscow times, fashion designers suf- prestigious job.
be shown at a garment factory correspondent for Paris Match. fered most from the chronic “The House of Fash-
not far from Moscow. Vy- The high-profile French maga- shortage of accessories. It was ion existed in the
acheslav Zaitsev, a young grad- zine devoted six pages to Zait- in order to disguise this lack Soviet Union
uate of the Moscow Textile In- sev’s ill-fated showing under that Zaitsev invented his Fash- strictly for
stitute, had been assigned to the headline: “Moscow now has ion Theatre: instead of the show. I
prepare the collection. The its own artist”. usual runway showing, he couldn’t
lights went out and something Five years after graduating, would put on a whole theatri-
in Los Angeles, the editor of
trends Akhmadullina won a series of prestigious prizes at 23
Russian Vogue Aliona Dolet-
skaya, Roman Abramovich’s
the designer who sets the beat
girlfriend Dasha Zshukova and
other Russian socialites.
In Timur Bekmambetov’s film
On the heels of the economic Wanted, Angelina Jolie’s char-
crisis and in a still-
ksenia galouchko
including “Smirnoff Interna- acter appeared in attire by
underdeveloped fashion Special to RuSSia Now tional” and “Dress of the Year- Akhmadullina, while the
industry, one of the country’s 2000”. She won the latter for her French version of Hywel Dav-
most successful young While Christian Lacroix and “Dragon” dress, the back of ies’ book 100 New Fashion De-
couturiers shows it is possible other prominent couturiers are which was decorated with a signers listed Akhmadullina in
for a fashion designer to prosper drowning in the financial tur- laminated dragon ridge and the its 2009 issue.
in Russia. moil, fans of the 31-year-old front – with dragon paws. Last autumn, Akhmadullina
URy SAmOlygO_phTOxpReSS
Russian designer Alena Having represented Russia at It- opened her first mono-brand
Akhmadullina (left) remain aly’s “Mittelmoda” and the Swiss boutique in Moscow. Her most
loyal to her classy, smart and “Gwand Fashion Concepts” recent projects include the Eu-
timeless style. competitions, Akhmadullina re- rovision Song Contest 2009, for
“With the crisis people started mained true to her Russian folk- which she designed 43 country
shopping less for luxury items tales-inspired design. images that were shown in
and decided to lead a more as- In 2005 Akhmadullina’s prêt-a- video clips before each contest-
cetic life style for the mean- porter collection caused a furo- ant’s performance, and plans Russian couturiers are able to
time,” said Akhmadullina in a re at the Paris Fashion Week by for opening her own fashion repeat her story.
phone interview. its new take on the traditional house in Grozny, Chechnya’s “The designer’s talent is not
“Now with the end of the crisis “a la russe”-style. Models in an- capital. The Chechen branch of sufficient in our industry. An
the consumption levels in the imal masks, wearing sweat- Alena Akhmadullina brand adept businessman needs to be
fashion industry are returning to shirts with wolf and owl-skin will specialise in clothes and behind the brand for it to suc-
normal,” added Akhmadullina. patterns, silk polka-dotted accessories that will suit the ceed,” said Akhmadullina in a
A St Petersburg native, skirts, Russian scarves and wool Chechen women’s traditional phone interview.
Akhmadullina created her first beads, carrying rectangular clothing preferences. “The Russian fashion industry
collections while she was still a leather grocery-styled bags Alena Akhmadullina remains has seen a slow development
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student at the St Petersburg trotted the catwalk to techno- one of the most successful because of the lack of invest-
A
y
_
University of Technology and covers of Russian folk songs. young Russian designers, who ments into this sector. The time
RD
Design. Her first breakthrough Now Akhmadullina’s most have a played a key role in when the investments into this
e
ve
RR
came at 23, when in one year she loyal clients include boutiques transforming the image of the industry are starting to be
pie won the first prizes at several Dantone-DAAD in Milan, Mo- Russian fashion in the West. made is just beginning,” she
Akhmadullina demonstrated her new collection in Paris young designers’ competitions, naco’s Espace Mirage and Gaia However, very few aspiring added.
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