The participants of the first-ever “Russian Artisan Expedition” – the students of the Florence’s famed Polimoda Fashion School and Higher School of Economy (Moscow) showed a collaborative collection, inspired by the traditional work of Russian regional craftsmen and designers at this year’s Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Russia.
The collection was created after a special trip across Russia these young students from world’s best fashion schools undertook in the late Summer of 2018.
These young talents spent a week studying the best arts and crafts Russian history had to offer in the places of their origination – Saint-Petersburg, Semyonov, Torzhok, Orenburg and Moscow Region. The subjects included the traditional patterns of Gzhel, Khohloma, gold embroidery techniques, traditional Russian china, and the secrets to creating the legendary Orenburg shawls. The young creators studied the history of these ancient techniques, the traditional methods of manufacture and were tutored by the best regional professionals.
This trip was utilized well, with the first part of this collective show being devoted to gentle sarafan dresses and white coats, tied off with big statement belts depicting photographic prints.
The second part of the collection showed us an assortment of raincoats and Autumn looks, with prints appearing near the bottom of the garments.
Shiny pleather jackets of bright-red were also seen, worn over cotton shirts, as well as tracksuit pants, which gave the collection a youthful feel.
The third and final part of the collection offering from this Russian Artisan Expedition was a varied and unique collection of sweaters and knitted dresses, some printed out with traditional Khokhloma designs, while other looks in this assortment of silk dresses (complete with latex gloves) used bold graphics to set themselves apart. A romantic and tender venture into the inherent skill of Russian folk art masters.
It can be said with assurance that the knowledge passed on by these regional teachers has not gone to waste in these young luminaries, and the skill they got from the expedition was visible to all from the very first glance.
The Russian Artisan Expedition was made possible by the Russian Fashion Council and the “Rustrends” Fund for the Development of National Crafts, and realized with the support from the Ministry of Trade of Russian Federation to help develop and uphold these traditional centers of culture.
