MOSCOW (AP) — Chic and adventurous models and couturiers were spread across the Russian capital for Moscow Fashion Week, displaying their designs in venues ranging from a sprawling Stalin-era propaganda exhibit to a large park near the Kremlin admired for its innovative features.
More than 100 shows are taking place during the week that started Monday along with dozens of speakers who are household names in the Russian fashion industry.
Among the big names showing off their clothes are Slava Zaitsev and Valentin Yudashkin.
The center of the action was Zaryadye Park, built where the sprawling and unwelcoming Hotel Rossiya once stood, just east of the Kremlin and St. Basil’s Cathedral. The park’s most famous feature is an elliptical ramp that juts out over the Moscow River, an epic catwalk for models.
Many other shows are held at VDNKh, built to show the “economic achievements of the people” and renowned for its array of elaborate Stalinist architecture. In one of the week’s memorable images, fashion-forward models strolled past the massive People’s Friendship Fountain which features golden women in idealized peasant dresses.
The shows take place under the pressure of increased sanctions against Russia due to fighting in Ukraine and the withdrawal of many foreign companies. But designer Yulia Skalatskaya said her work was flourishing nonetheless.
“I encountered some difficulties, but at the same time, to be honest, our sales increased,” she said. “If you work well, if you make good collections, you will have more customers. If you rely solely on the fact that certain brands have left and someone’s place has been freed up, nothing will change just because of their departure. You must work.”
