Before the start of the competition program of the Gubernskiy Style International Fashion Festival, a press conference was held in which: Li Danchin - President of the Chinese Fashion Association (Beijing, China), Vyacheslav Zaitsev - President of the National Academy of the Fashion Industry, People's Artist of Russia (Moscow, Russia), Victor Kuzmichev - professor, head. Department of CSI IHTA, Russian representative at the Chinese Fashion Week (Ivanovo, Russia), Dominique Adolfe - professor at the University of Upper Alsace (Strasbourg, France), Nikolai Sapelkin - President of the Gubernsky Style festival (Voronezh, Russia). We present to you a fragment of the press conference.
Over the 9 years of its existence, the festival has repeatedly changed its venues. Can you tell us what influenced the choice of the venue for the festival this year?
Nikolai Sapelkin: You, apparently, have visited the place where the event will be held, and, probably, like me, you understand that according to technical conditions we would not accept that podium, because all conditions were violated. But we came up with something, we tightened it up with a cloth, and I think that our relationship with the Chizhov Gallery, which began with such original moments, will improve, because we have just begun to work. I think this platform can become an interesting platform for development. Let's see how the show goes.
Why did you have to tighten the catwalk with a cloth?
Nikolay Sapelkin: There are technical conditions for holding such events. First, there is no amphitheater in Voronezh. Secondly, if the podium is high, we make sure that all models are insured - this is their job. If the models are not insured, then this is a violation of labor laws - what if she falls? After all, the podium is uneven, with a difference of one and a half centimeters! Who will pay for the insurance? What if she ruins the clothes? After all, this is designer clothes, this is modern fashion, this is something that in time can go to a museum.
The tenth international festival of young designers "Provincial style" is the year of tourism development in Russia and China. How do you assess the significance of this event for the development of international ties and relations between Russia and China?
Li Danchin: Since the competition is international, of course, there are many chances. I hope that young designers will grow up. In China, we also organize an international competition of this kind, and therefore we invite young designers to participate and communicate - every year designers, including from Russia, come to take part in such competitions in China. It seems to me that this is a really good chance for young designers.
Have you noticed any difference in the style of the clothes of Voronezh girls from those in the capital or from women in France, China, are there any peculiarities? They say that our girls dress very brightly. Are there any differences that caught your eye?
Dominic Adolfe: Of course there are differences! First of all, it should be emphasized that Russian women - including female students - are sensitive to fashion, unlike, for example, the French, who dress in more or less standard fashion. And of course colors - bright colors also prevail.
The festival is called "Provincial Style". What is provincial style, in your opinion? Is this just a tribute to fashion, a tribute to the phrase, or is there something more significant in this?
Nikolai Sapelkin: it is not just a provincial one, it is also a district one, because we are now in Russia the only fashion project that takes residents of small towns who do not always have the opportunity to prove themselves on some site and, accordingly, they are deprived of this social career and creative "lift".
I must say that the idea arose after we began to get acquainted with the trends in the development of fashion in Europe, in general, the European style of life. The one who lives in the capital is considered a loser for them - he could not leave this stuffy city, stone "ghetto" into nature. And in our country, the province has always been considered something secondary - if you live in the province, then you, on the contrary, are a loser. Therefore, we came up with an idea - a project of the metropolitan level, but with the participation of non-metropolitan designers. And thus, Voronezh became the capital of “non-capital” fashion.
The second moment that caused the appearance of the "Provincial style" is cultural. The fact is that 10 seasons ago there was a lot of “gibberish” in youth fashion in Russia, all kinds of creative avant-garde solutions - but there was absolutely no ethnic component. And we considered that it is impossible to forget the foundations of our culture - and we proposed such a project as the introduction of some ethnic, folklore moments of Russian culture and other cultures, other peoples into modern fashion. A decade ago, this project raised some skeptical smiles. And now all competitions in Russia have such a nomination as ethnic style or ethnic design - this is considered prestigious and correct.
And one more very important point: the fact is that now we are shaping the fashion of the second half of the 21st century. Young designers, who are now 18, 20, 22 years old, will have to work for another 50 years - which is 2062. Thus, today's young designers define the fashion of the second half of the 21st century. How we educate them, what we pass on to them, then they will carry it to society. Will it be cosmopolitan fashion, or will it be a distinctive fashion that emphasizes our ethnic characteristics? This is also very important, and I must say that these 10 seasons showed that the idea was correct - after all, this is not an idea of crazy people, it is an idea of experts.
For the first time, Professor Viktor Kuzmichev spoke on this topic - he said that it could work in Voronezh, because Voronezh is a “black hole” in Russian fashion, not a single fashion project has worked out here, everyone has failed. We also doubted, but when there are experienced experts and managers, things are moving forward.
Currently, "Gubernsky Style" is one of 10 projects supported by the National Academy of the Fashion Industry (headed by Vyacheslav Mikhailovich Zaitsev), is included in the official program of the Ministry of Industry and Trade. That is, the "Provincial Style" competition is included in the entire structure of Russian fashion. And now we have come to an agreement that the selection for Chinese youth projects will be carried out through the "Provincial Style" competition.
Victor Evgenievich Kuzmichev:
When we conceived this idea 10 years ago, there was some kind of fear - because 10 years ago the difference between the local fashion and the fashion of the capital was very great. And this competition allowed us to go beyond the Voronezh province alone and saturate the cultural life of Voronezh with those good design beginnings that exist in other cities and other provinces - which, it seems to me, is one of the foundations in the history of fashion development. When there is such a good addition of different trends from different regions, when fashion is brewed in such a "cauldron", new ideas are born. Of course, some unshakable values remain - like a classic, which is for all times and for all occasions. But in order to be a successful designer, you also need to think about the market - how to sell, to whom to sell and where to sell. And such contests allow you to see how different regions live,where you can find the use of your powers.
First of all, "Provincial Style" is a competition for young designers. Unfortunately, so far we talk a lot about the fact that we are forming a new fashion, but we practically do not know new names. Please tell us at least a little bit about the fate of last year's winners
Victor Evgenievich Kuzmichev:
It was the “Provincial Style” platform that highlighted such a young talent as Yulia Kuhol, she is a student of our Ivanovo State Textile Academy. For the first time she won the "Provincial Style" in 2005. Then she was at the reception at Cardin. She visited here again, she performed at the Velvet Seasons festival in Sochi, where she received a golden palm branch, she visited France, participated in the Days of Russian Culture.
But now she is engaged in very serious practical work. We in Ivanovo have a knitwear enterprise called Krasnaya Vetka, which needed to increase sales of knitwear - and the market, as you know, is full. Now, thanks to Yulia Kuhol, it is one of the most successful enterprises in the city of Ivanovo. That is, a person, having received this energy from communicating with good people in a good environment, now realizes himself in good "wearable" things. These things are going into the air now. Now they make a wide variety of knitwear, from underwear to women's outerwear - and now they are switching over to the men's assortment. What else does a designer need? This is the task of the competition - so that people believe in themselves and work not only for themselves, members of the jury and spectators who attend the competition, but for people who walk down the street.
Recently Yulia Kukhol boasted that the successful experience of selling the Krasnaya Vetka trademark led to the fact that they offer to publish some of their products under the Yulia Kukhol trademark.
Nikolay Sapelkin:
According to the rules of our competition, after two victories we no longer take a person - he must give chances for victory to others. Yulia Kuhol won twice, then Katya Rebezha won twice. Young talented designer Stepan Kazyavin won twice in our country. Last year he represented "Provincial Style" at Madrid Fashion Week. Madrid Fashion Week is one of the ten world Fashion Weeks, but it is national - they do not let designers from other countries go there. And Stepan did a great job, went live on Fashion TV, received a lot of attention from journalists. Of course, now he is going to go along the line of a designer fashion studio, then a production company, and then…. Then - success.
So far, only Chukotka and Tyva have not participated in our project. All the others have visited us during these seasons. Visited both Kolyma and Yakutia, Vladivostok actively participates every year. And we generally try to give preference to designers because of the Urals.
