Five Designers To Know From Russia Fashion Week

Thanks to stars like Demna Gvasalia and Gosha Rubchinskiy, post-Soviet fashion is garnering more international attention than ever. But there’s much more to the region’s design scene than a few superstar names. At Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Russia, which just wrapped up in Moscow, we saw collections from a handful of designers poised for global success. Here are the names to know.

Alexandr Rogov

You may not have heard his name, but Alexandr Rogov is a big deal in Russia, with a successful career as a stylist and his very own TV show. Now, he’s trying his hand as a designer. Following a favorably reviewed catwalk collection last season, he’s back with a more finely-tuned and wearable sensibility. It was a quirky mix of athleisure separates (sweatshirts, tracksuit-inspired trousers), and feminine styles (mini skirts with ruffles, silk dresses, prim blazers) in a pink, teal and purple palette that felt particularly of the moment. No surprise, Rogov had fun with the styling, adding stretchy logo-ed bands to waists, hems and heads. While at times the show felt a little derivative (those logo-ed bands owe a little something to Dior, the ruffles to Saint Laurent), Rogov’s items will have undeniable appeal in stores - which is no small thing for an emerging designer with an eye on solvency. Particularly cool - and destined to sell out - were the sweatshirts and T-shirt emblazoned with the word “hate” in glitter, and the matching denim jacket and trousers stitched with sequins.

Alisa Kuzembaeva

Alisa Kuzembaeva studied architecture before switching her focus to fashion. A Central Saint Martins and Royal College of Art womenswear graduate, her designs hit that sweet spot between conceptual and covetable. Case in point: Her Spring 2018 collection was a meditation on a Russian phrase which can be translated to “packaged woman.” “On one hand, [it can refer to] a wealthy woman, so it’s kind of like flourishing capitalism,” she explained. “But on the other hand, it can also mean a traditional woman, it’s kind of like the woman as an object.” Kuzembaeva looked to food packaging for inspiration, rendering smock-like dresses and roomy anoraks in shiny, plastic-like materials. Some even came stamped with a barcode and nutritional information. “My collection is trying to make an ironic representation of the patriarchal society, to try to empower women,” she said. But for all the high-minded ethos behind it, the collection was plenty wearable, even practical.

Mach & Mach

For Georgian sisters Nina and Gvantsa Macharashvili, of the Katy Perry-endorsed label Mach & Mach, this collection was about much more than fashion. “It’s really an SOS for every human being that we need to change and protect our oceans,” said Gvantsa. The duo worked with crystals, glitter and shiny plastics to symbolize and celebrate water’s beauty. The looks - clingy net dresses that shimmered in black and red, and sheer dresses adorned with ruffles, embroidery and sequins - were well-crafted and appealing. Particularly attractive were the accessories, including statement purses in the shape of bombs and mules made out of iridescent plastic.

Turbo Yulia

Yulia Vorobieva got her big break in 2014 when Opening Ceremony picked up her futuristic helmets and caps. Since then, she’s expanded into ready-to-wear, releasing small capsule collections in drops throughout the year. Her latest fuses utility-wear with the Nineties-influenced aesthetic she’s already known for. Standouts included a bright yellow parka with reflective tape and an oversize concert t-shirt-cum-dress on which you can just make out the faces of the Backstreet Boys. “The collection is inspired by what I remember of the Nineties, the Russian underground raver scene,” she said. “There’s also been massive construction going on in Moscow for a few years so I got inspired by that as well.”

Artem Shumov

Menswear label Artem Shumov has been a mainstay - and highlight - of Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Russia for some years now. And it shows: Amid many newcomers, Shumov’s label stands out for its well-developed point of view, consistent aesthetic and immaculate construction. He’s best known for tailored separates and suits with idiosyncratic details, like an elastic hem. This season, he mined Russia’s past and present for reference points. “Spring 2018 is a story about a young man, who has just got back home from some party,” he said. “He can be a modern fashionista or a lyceum student from Alexander Pushkin’s times. I was interested in how the idea of rich ‘trust fund’ kids evolved through history. The energy, curiosity, rules, sins and romances of adolescence are all very inspiring.”