At the 54th Madrid Fashion Week Cibeles, which took place from September 16 to September 21, 2011, a show of talented Russian fashion designers took place.
CIBELES Fashion Week is one of the world's most prestigious fashion venues. At the same time, only Spanish designers participated in all 54 seasons at CIBELES. An exception was made only for Russia in connection with the year of Spain in Russia and Russia in Spain. The initiator and sponsor of the fashion show of Russian designers was the Russian Center for Culture and Science in Spain with the support of the Russian Embassy. According to the first secretary of the Russian embassy, Ilona Yavchunovskaya, this event served as an impetus for the development of relations between the two countries, and allowed Russian designers to get to know Spanish fashion better. Undoubtedly, this kind of "people's diplomacy" enhances the image of Russia - acquaintance with the work of the best young Russian designers forms a positive image of our country.
A dozen and a half fashion designers presented their works to the Spanish public. Among them is Stepan Kazyavin, winner of the Gubernsky Style International Fashion Festival (Shakhty). The "Provincial Style" competition program was dedicated to Spain, and the winner's participation in CIBELES was the reward. The organizer of the "Provincial Style" - Voronezh House of Designers became one of the sponsors of the program, ensuring the participation of several designers and models at the fashion show in Madrid. Kazyavin's works attracted the attention of his Spanish colleagues, he also became a kind of leader of journalistic attention. The works of Moscow fashion designers Ekaterina Pokotilo, Elena Alekhina, Ekaterina Khandrikova, Daria Kanaykina, Ekaterina Kurepina, Evgenia Kim and others were enthusiastically received by the public. Each of them presented a fragment of their collection, a kind of visiting card.
Along with young designers, the delegation included eminent fashion designers: Elena Rudavina - head of the costume design department of the College. Carla Faberge, Vera Cherepova - designer of fur and leather clothes, Tatyana Savostina - a famous fashion designer from Ivanovo. The right to open a fashion show was given to Tatyana Smirnova, an unsurpassed master of folk costume, the founder of textile jewelry in patchwork technique, who recently celebrated her 80th birthday. She introduced the Spaniards to the national aesthetics of Russian costume.
In addition to the show of Russian fashion designers at CIBELES, a unique exhibition was held - the sale of their works throughout the exhibition, which allowed visitors to directly get acquainted and communicate with Russian fashion designers.
Text and photo - Nikolay Sapelkin
