You can treat the works of Gosha Rubchinsky as you like, criticize him for the pricing policy, for the promoted "ugliness", but it is impossible not to admit the fact that today he is the most famous Russian designer in the West. To the notorious matryoshka-vodka-balalaika just right to add his name. Foreign fashionistas may not know in what year the collapse of the USSR occurred and who became the first president of Russia, but everyone has definitely heard something about post-Soviet fashion and Gosha Rubchinsky.
What is the brand phenomenon? To answer this question, you need to remember what was going on in fashion in 2008 - it was this year that Rubchinsky presented the first collection entitled "Evil Empire". The show took place at the Sokolniki stadium, and the young people who showed clothes were the least reminiscent of models. Sharp guys from the outskirts walked along the impromptu podium in sweatshirts tucked into socks, windbreakers, sports shorts and T-shirts with a two-headed eagle.
In the same year, at the Chanel show, models walked in denim swimsuits, and brands like Versace and Roberto Cavalli did not even think about rebranding and offered provocative mini dresses in animal colors, of which everyone was tired. Rubchinsky stepped in at the right moment, seeing the potential in street and skate fashion, as well as in 1990s aesthetics. In other words, what many have longed for.
The designer presented the next collection in the Old Believer Church in Moscow, and it was this show that brought him worldwide success: the founder of the Japanese-French brand Comme des Garçons, Rei Kawakubo, became interested in Rubchinskiy. The brand covered the costs of production and distribution of the Gosha Rubchinskiy collections and exhibited items in its Dover Street Market store in London.
Rei Kawakubo, Creative Director, Comme des Garçons, and Adrian Joffe, Ceo Dover Street Market and Comme des Garçons © Melodie Jeng / Getty Images
In 2016, the designer was already listed in the Business of Fashion list of "500 most influential people in the fashion industry." Before that, only two Russian designers - Vika Gazinskaya and Ulyana Sergeenko - made it to the top. At the same time, he became the first (and so far the only) invited designer from Russia to present his collection at the Pitti Uomo exhibition.
Gosha Rubchinsky's show at Pitti Uomo 90
Rubchinsky introduced the fashion for inscriptions in Cyrillic. His Save and Save and Russian Renaissance T-shirts have been worn by Kendall Jenner, Rami Malek, Travis Scott, ASAP Rocky, Rita Ora, Justin Bieber and Kanye West. The latter even came to Moscow to meet with Rubchinsky and offered him cooperation within the Yeezy brand. In the future, the trend was picked up by other designers, for example Heron Preston, with laconic embroidery "Style" on turtlenecks, or Junya Watanabe with the mysterious inscription "Summer Camp Mosquito Aero Club".
Gosha Rubchinsky and Kanye West © @doublecheeseburgervf
In addition to popularizing the aesthetics of the post-Soviet space, Rubchinsky was remembered for numerous collaborations. He has collaborations with adidas, Reebok, Kappa and Filla, as well as two collections created in collaboration with Burberry. Even the former creative director of the British brand, Christopher Bailey, came to the first show of Burberry and Gosha Rubchinskiy in St. Petersburg. Apparently, the designer liked the two-tone trench coats and plaid shirts so much that he gave the go-ahead for another joint project.
Burberry collection through the lens of Gosha Rubchinskiy © Burberry Press Service
Rubchinsky's last show also became a kind of sensation. Without limiting himself to Moscow, he often chose both St. Petersburg and Kaliningrad as the venue for the shows. The last on this list was winter Yekaterinburg and one of its main attractions - Yeltsin Center. The most interesting thing is that both buyers and fashion editors were ready to come anywhere to see the new collection. “Gosha is the only person I’m willing to withstand this temperature for,” Dazzed fashion director Emma Hope Allwood wrote on Instagram in January this year.
1 of 9 © Gosha Rubchinskiy © Gosha Rubchinskiy © Gosha Rubchinskiy © Gosha Rubchinskiy © Gosha Rubchinskiy © Gosha Rubchinskiy © Gosha Rubchinskiy © Gosha Rubchinskiy © Gosha Rubchinskiy © Gosha Rubchinskiy
Until now, nothing is known about the reasons for the closure of the brand. It seems that Rubchinsky's collections were also successful, and he did not experience a lack of press attention, and he had enough interesting projects. For some, Rubchinsky was of interest not only as a designer, but also as a photographer. Gosha managed to release several albums, hold a photo exhibition and shoot a lookbook for the British mass market Topman in 2016.
Most of all, this decision resembles the sudden retirement of a movie star at the zenith of fame. However, in the same address, Rubchinsky openly says that something new awaits us in the near future. Just the other day it became known that Comme des Garçons is launching a brand of “simple” clothing. So the closure of Gosha Rubchinskiy may have something to do with this news. In addition, in 2016, Gosha, together with his old friend, Tolya Titayev, launched the Rassvet brand, within which he creates skate clothing and boards. By the way, the brand is also supported by Comme des Garçons, and it is likely that the designer will focus on this story.
1 of 5 Tolya Titaev © press materials “Rassvet” © press materials “Rassvet” © press materials “Rassvet” © press materials “Rassvet” © press materials “Rassvet”>