It has been a few days since I got back from Moscow where Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Russia just concluded its 36th season. I am still buzzing with excitement from the shows and the top-notch experience received during this week. The week deserves global recognition for its noteworthy designers, state of the art facilities at the Manege and expert direction of MBFW Russia’s President, Alexander Shumsky. I am thrilled at the opportunity to share and shed light on Russia as a fashion destination worth visiting.

In today’s post, I am focusing on the four designers that struck me as most innovative and unique amongst the younger rising brands. Their designs and creative eye is positioning them as designers with a world class vision. I am lucky to have been able to interview a few of them to get a deeper perspective into their creative thinking.

ARUT

On the first night of MBFW Russia, Arut Arustamyan’s ARUT MSCW took us on a sequined journey in his latest collection. The upbeat show debuted to the 80s hits and featured lots of glam and glitter. Ruffled off the shoulder tops, extravagant details and a rock-n roll kind of vibe showed a cohesive collection that will appeal to fashionistas around the globe. ARUT showcased a few items that delivered a patriotic message for the elections that took place last Sunday. This was my first show of the week and set a very high standard for the rest of the shows. Well done ARUT Moscow.

Photo Courtesy Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Russia

Photo Courtesy Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Russia

KETIONE

This designer’s collection stole the show on the evening of the third day of MBFW Russia. A young and beautiful designer, Keti Topuria, debuted a sexy collection full of vibrant crop tops, evening dresses and voluminous jackets.  Keti says that her collection is inspired by the gloomy days of Moscow’s winter. “I wanted to create something colorful and vibrant, something to add sparkle to our grey and gloomy days of Russian winters.” KETIONE’s collection impressed visitors with innovative combinations of materials like plastic and chiffon. Definitely a noteworthy line for the young and the furious.  

Photo Courtesy Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Russia

Photo Courtesy Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Russia

N.LEGENDA

Another crowd favorite was a new collection by N. LEGENDA. The brand was created by Nikolay Legenda and Olga Kapitonova, who founded N. LEGENDA in 2013. Their goal is to create garments of “dramatic minimalism,” with a desire to break gender norms along the way. The audience was delighted by bold pairings of typeface belts and quilted garments, black and white patterns and color changing fabrics. 

Photo Courtesy Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Russia

Photo Courtesy Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Russia

ZA_ZA

On March 14th Saint Petersburg-based brand ZA_ZA wowed its visitors with a modern, but avant-garde collection that is designed for both men and women. The brand, created by Yakutia native, Alexandra Koryakina in 2011, has showed in Milan and London. The ZA_ZA new collection showed us a combination of patterns and textures presented on beautiful androgynous models. Her modern vision of combining pleather, silk and velvet, sets up for a cohesive collection of artfully crafted pieces. I commend ZA_ZA for setting the tone of gender equality.

Photo Courtesy Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Russia

Photo Courtesy Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Russia

So much inspiration from these rising stars. As a stylist and a fashionista, this week and its content is a huge source of inspiration for my personal style and vision. I will be applying a few ideas to my styling and hopefully inspire you to try something new with me. Go ahead and check out these designer’s websites. Most of them deliver worldwide. Stay tuned for more posts on Russian designers and more from me on the exciting events of the week.

Thank you for reading and keep styling,

Olia