Alexander Dostman, 42, got his start in arts administration in the early 1980s as deputy director of the Park of Culture and Relaxation in the small town of Khmelnitsky, Ukraine, but he didn't stay there long. By the early 1990s, he was a well-known figure on the Moscow cultural scene, organizing Russian tours for the likes of Tom Jones and the Gipsy Kings. In 1994, he established the ARTES Cultural Foundation, which organizes fashion shows, concerts, tours and television programs. Simultaneously, he founded the High Fashion and Pret-a-Porter Association, a trade organization for Russian fashion houses, and in November 1994, ARTES and the association pulled off Russia's first High Fashion Week.
Now in its ninth year, High Fashion Week features guest designers from abroad alongside the top Russian fashion houses. The week concludes with the presentation of a gilt statuette called the Golden Mannequin to the best Russian designer of the year. The collections are judged by the Expert Council, a panel that this year includes fashion magazine editors; High Fashion Week director Natalya Zhuravlyova; Colin McDowell, a fashion critic from The Sunday Times; and of course, Dostman himself.
Dostman talked with The Moscow Times about High Fashion Week and the development of the Russian fashion industry.
Q:How did High Fashion Week begin?
A: Valentin Yudashkin, a Russian designer, invited me to help him organize a high fashion week in Paris. I said, "How about if they came to us?"
Q:What are the main aims of the fashion week?
A: The primary aim of High Fashion Week is to promote Russian designers and make new Russian names known. It also gives Russians a chance to see foreign designers and the trends of world fashion; not everyone is able to go to Paris. The week allows [Russian designers] to integrate themselves in world fashion.
Q:Was it difficult to attract foreign designers at first?
A: Yes, and it still is. Different fashion houses have various political views about our country, and they have their own priorities; for example, they may think it more useful to go to China or Japan. At the moment, Russia is not taken seriously as a high fashion market. There have been customers in Moscow and St. Petersburg for eight or nine years, but we need customers throughout the whole country; then we'll have a market. Of course, for that we will have to wait until salaries reach normal levels.
Q:How has High Fashion Week changed over the years?
A: Interest in the fashion week is gradually growing in the West, because a high fashion market is -- albeit very slowly -- appearing in Russia. Russian designers are making great progress because more people are starting to wear their clothes in Russia. This means that we are able to attract more foreign and Russian designers to the week. It is a priority for us to see more Russian designers among the big names, and we're making this happen. Of course, the foreign fashion houses at the week play an important role in attracting the public, but as many people go to see the Russian designers as watch the foreign ones, which is encouraging.
Q:Are there any examples where participants in the fashion week have influenced each other's designs?
A: The fashion week certainly provides an opportunity for designers to be inspired by each other. Russian fashion houses now are very different than they were nine years ago, and that is thanks to the influence of the foreign fashion houses that have visited Moscow. And now Russian designers are able to give shows in Paris and London, which they could not even have thought of before.
Q:What are your expectations of the latest collections from the participating fashion houses?
A: There's a complete mixture. Now there is no dictation in fashion; one fashion house can't put out a lady's suit and expect everyone will do the same. Fashion has been democratized, and everyone does what they like -- people mix sport and evening wear. Flowers are popular at the moment, but lots of other elements are also fashionable; it's impossible to generalize. There could be outfits made of cellophane!
Q:Do you have any guesses at who will win the Golden Mannequin this year?
A: No, no one can know till the very end. The judges evaluate the fashion houses by a range of criteria, including cut, color, quality, trends and so on, and a computer adds up the marks. A very important factor is whether a collection fits together as a whole.
Q:On what criteria do ARTES and the High Fashion and Pret-a-Porter Association choose the participating fashion houses?
A: Most Russian houses are members of our association, so they take part automatically. Some small houses are also selected by the Expert Council to take part; it is extremely important that participants are of high quality. We try to invite foreign fashion houses that have never visited us before.
Q:In 2000, British fashion house Voyage was one of the guests of honor. Other than that, there have been no British participants, but this year there are two, Vivienne Westwood and Julien MacDonald. Is this a result of improved cultural ties between Russia and Britain, or improved British fashion?
A: It is mainly because British designers are gaining greater renown, but it is also the result of several years of negotiations. I would love to invite people from Japan and the United States as well. We're working toward it!
Q:Do you think High Fashion Week helps improve relations between Russia and other countries?
A: Yes, certainly. Many of the participants are visiting Russia for the first time and we show them that their preconceptions about our country are not all correct -- we don't have bears walking through the streets, and people eat in a civilized way in restaurants! We offer all foreign designers a wide cultural program, beginning with a tour of the Kremlin and ending with visits to museums such as the Tretyakov Gallery and the Pushkin Museum. We also arrange trips to the Bolshoi Theater and so on, and dinners in a different restaurant every day. Our foreign guests have often said that the fashion week changed their ideas about Russia.
High Fashion Week runs daily until Sunday at the Rossiya Concert Hall, located at 1 Moskvoretskaya Naberezhnaya. Metro Kitai-Gorod. Tel. 298-1124. For a schedule of shows or tickets, call 917-2587.
Now in its ninth year, High Fashion Week features guest designers from abroad alongside the top Russian fashion houses. The week concludes with the presentation of a gilt statuette called the Golden Mannequin to the best Russian designer of the year. The collections are judged by the Expert Council, a panel that this year includes fashion magazine editors; High Fashion Week director Natalya Zhuravlyova; Colin McDowell, a fashion critic from The Sunday Times; and of course, Dostman himself.
Dostman talked with The Moscow Times about High Fashion Week and the development of the Russian fashion industry.
Q:How did High Fashion Week begin?
A: Valentin Yudashkin, a Russian designer, invited me to help him organize a high fashion week in Paris. I said, "How about if they came to us?"
Q:What are the main aims of the fashion week?
A: The primary aim of High Fashion Week is to promote Russian designers and make new Russian names known. It also gives Russians a chance to see foreign designers and the trends of world fashion; not everyone is able to go to Paris. The week allows [Russian designers] to integrate themselves in world fashion.
Q:Was it difficult to attract foreign designers at first?
A: Yes, and it still is. Different fashion houses have various political views about our country, and they have their own priorities; for example, they may think it more useful to go to China or Japan. At the moment, Russia is not taken seriously as a high fashion market. There have been customers in Moscow and St. Petersburg for eight or nine years, but we need customers throughout the whole country; then we'll have a market. Of course, for that we will have to wait until salaries reach normal levels.
Q:How has High Fashion Week changed over the years?
A: Interest in the fashion week is gradually growing in the West, because a high fashion market is -- albeit very slowly -- appearing in Russia. Russian designers are making great progress because more people are starting to wear their clothes in Russia. This means that we are able to attract more foreign and Russian designers to the week. It is a priority for us to see more Russian designers among the big names, and we're making this happen. Of course, the foreign fashion houses at the week play an important role in attracting the public, but as many people go to see the Russian designers as watch the foreign ones, which is encouraging.
Q:Are there any examples where participants in the fashion week have influenced each other's designs?
A: The fashion week certainly provides an opportunity for designers to be inspired by each other. Russian fashion houses now are very different than they were nine years ago, and that is thanks to the influence of the foreign fashion houses that have visited Moscow. And now Russian designers are able to give shows in Paris and London, which they could not even have thought of before.
Q:What are your expectations of the latest collections from the participating fashion houses?
A: There's a complete mixture. Now there is no dictation in fashion; one fashion house can't put out a lady's suit and expect everyone will do the same. Fashion has been democratized, and everyone does what they like -- people mix sport and evening wear. Flowers are popular at the moment, but lots of other elements are also fashionable; it's impossible to generalize. There could be outfits made of cellophane!
Q:Do you have any guesses at who will win the Golden Mannequin this year?
A: No, no one can know till the very end. The judges evaluate the fashion houses by a range of criteria, including cut, color, quality, trends and so on, and a computer adds up the marks. A very important factor is whether a collection fits together as a whole.
Q:On what criteria do ARTES and the High Fashion and Pret-a-Porter Association choose the participating fashion houses?
A: Most Russian houses are members of our association, so they take part automatically. Some small houses are also selected by the Expert Council to take part; it is extremely important that participants are of high quality. We try to invite foreign fashion houses that have never visited us before.
Q:In 2000, British fashion house Voyage was one of the guests of honor. Other than that, there have been no British participants, but this year there are two, Vivienne Westwood and Julien MacDonald. Is this a result of improved cultural ties between Russia and Britain, or improved British fashion?
A: It is mainly because British designers are gaining greater renown, but it is also the result of several years of negotiations. I would love to invite people from Japan and the United States as well. We're working toward it!
Q:Do you think High Fashion Week helps improve relations between Russia and other countries?
A: Yes, certainly. Many of the participants are visiting Russia for the first time and we show them that their preconceptions about our country are not all correct -- we don't have bears walking through the streets, and people eat in a civilized way in restaurants! We offer all foreign designers a wide cultural program, beginning with a tour of the Kremlin and ending with visits to museums such as the Tretyakov Gallery and the Pushkin Museum. We also arrange trips to the Bolshoi Theater and so on, and dinners in a different restaurant every day. Our foreign guests have often said that the fashion week changed their ideas about Russia.
High Fashion Week runs daily until Sunday at the Rossiya Concert Hall, located at 1 Moskvoretskaya Naberezhnaya. Metro Kitai-Gorod. Tel. 298-1124. For a schedule of shows or tickets, call 917-2587.
A Message from The Moscow Times:
Dear readers,
We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."
These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.
We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.
Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.
By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.
Not ready to support today?
Remind me later.
Remind me later.
×
Remind me next month
Thank you! Your reminder is set.
We will send you one reminder email a month from now. For details on the personal data we collect and how it is used, please see our Privacy Policy.