The renaissance of Soviet fashion (as explained by Gregory Emvy)

If you’ve been keeping up with my Instagram, you can tell that lately I’ve been wearing a lot of clothing with cyrillic letters, including a Gosha Rubchinskiy t-shirt with the quote “Russian Renaissance”. During my trips, I always try to catch what locals are wearing, and some time ago I realized that the coolest boutiques in the world started to sell Russian designer pieces. The news of Demna Gvasalia taking place as Balenciaga’s new creative director about a year and a half ago, were all over the place. So I got really interested about Gregory Emvy’s opinion, a Russian artist that a really young age was sent by his parents to an art school at Nizhy, where he graduated when he was only 16. At the age of 24 he stared to paint as a full time job, and since 2014 he’s been a member of the International Foundation for Arts. Besides being an artist, he has a really special appreciation for fashion.

Why do you think Russian fashion is having a heyday, with its subcultures like punk, skater and the 90’s Soviet nationalism?

“I think that people are just tired of violence and they want to get against that, so that is why they wear this style. If we take an eye on London and Paris Fashion Week, that was the message the designers wanted to express. People want freedom, and that’s why we see so much Nihilistic statements on prints.”

From a Russian point of view, what do Russians think about this international interest for their national fashion?

 “The country is so polemic, it will always draw attention. Besides that, young people from the 90’s have grown and are speaking now. These are educated people who speak different languages, travel all around the world, and who know exactly what is their position in this planet. Designers and brands like Sorry I’m Not, Vika Gazinsakaya, Walk of Shame, Artem Krivda make themselves more relevant on an international level because they have a great comprehension of the actual tendencies in and outside the country.”

Who do you think are the principal icons of Russian fashion?

 “I should say Terekhov Fashion House, Ruban Sisters, Ulyana Sergienko, Jenia Malygnia De Pirosmani (this brand can be easily compared to Rick Owens or Boris BIDJAN).”

Are there any clothes that you’ve been looking for for a long time, but haven’t found yet?

 “A black jumpsuit that I actually like.”

x

If you want to know more about Gregory Emvy, check the whole interview at the gallery on top, his web page and Instagram.