Non-stop: Why is there five fashion weeks in Russia?
In St. Petersburg, launched a new event Mercedes-Benz Fashion Day Saint-Petersburg, which can become an analogue of Ukrainian Kiev Fashion Days and a competitor to the already existing Aurora Fashion Week. Wonderzine editor Lisa Kologreeva talks about why you need to tie with two or three fashion weeks in the city.
The news of the launch of Fashion Day Saint Petersburg missed all the more or less influential specialized publications - and in vain. Let's remind: the essence of the new event, which, notice, is organized by the Mercedes-Benz company, which is not indifferent to fashion, is an elegant continuation of the branded Week in Moscow. In one day, the collection will show just a couple of designers: Briton Giles Deacon and Tatyana Parfenova - perhaps the chief designer from St. Petersburg and the artist, whose paintings are exhibited at the State Russian Museum. What is the point here? At first glance, at least two. Firstly, the organizers can regard MBFDSP as an image event for the St. Petersburg target audience. Secondly, what is hidden behind this abbreviation threatens to become a competitor to the already existing St. Petersburg Week - the independent and even very progressive Aurora Fashion Week and the conservative Defile on the Neva. If Fashion Day turns into some Fashion Days, those who are not indifferent to Petersburg fashion will face a situation similar to what is happening in Ukraine. First you go to the Ukrainian Fashion Week to see the collections of the already proven Lilia Pustovit, Svetlana Bevza, Lily Litkovska, Klimchuk and Kamenskaya and Kononova, and in a week you go to Mercedes-Benz Kiev Fashion Days, where the youth from Belinsky to Kanevsky is shown. At the same time, there are really so many cool shows on both weeks that it’s enough for one full week - only the organizers do not want to unite. Yes, and how the castling of St. Petersburg designers will go is unclear: after all, Leonid Alekseev, Sanan Hasanov (who, incidentally, left to study in Antwerp) and Natasha Leskov still have to fight.
Four world capitals, New York, London, Milan and Paris, live with one Fashion Week, although there are ten times more brands there than in Russia or Ukraine. Yes, and countries with a growing fashion industry, Australia or Denmark, manage to make one Week - but so good that i-D magazine devotes material about the growth of local Weeks. The situation with two or three weeks in the city is the reality of Russia, which is difficult for people to perceive from outside. Obviously, this situation is tied solely to the conflict of interests of two or three people or organizations. It is even more obvious that these people or organizations do not have a goal to make a global event, but there is a goal to quickly work out and earn good money. Therefore, designers refer to such shows as an event for clients and the opportunity to receive photos for a share on Facebook (they told us more than once that it is better to call buyers and stylists immediately to showrooms). But we live with you in 2013, when doing an event for two dozen local secular lionesses is somehow disreputable. Therefore, the question is: is it possible to make one cool Fashion Week in Russia that more or less serious players at least of the local market will not ignore? Well, when did you see influential editors and buyers of Moscow somewhere, except on Ruban, Viva Vox and Walk of Shame?
Maybe this is possible. And here you will be faced with words that workers in our fashion industry have heard more than once or twice. To organize a good Week is a task that must be solved by three dozen professionals (yep, managers and PR people - in the afternoon with fire). It would be nice to do it at the time when the buyers still have budgets - well, not to complain that you have to give collections to the implementation. For example, Scandinavian Weeks pass to the main. It would be nice to select decent brands: let them be 10, but they will be truly worthy. Cycles & Seasons handled this task well. It would be nice not to skimp on marketing and deliveries, exhibitions and film screenings, catwalk and backstage: Weeks are like a national sport, so why not get ready as it should? For this, designers will have to work a little more: to make a collection in time (without complaining about the customs clearance of the fabric), to remove the book in time, to complete the online line in time. If these factors finally connect and the necessary show is added to the public in the face of serious buyers and journalists from around the world, it is possible that Russian fashion will begin to be associated with someone other than the already famous Vika Gazinskaya and Uliana Sergeenko and command respect not only from fans street blogs. Ok, fold aside the world market and alignment with the big four major Weeks - local goals have at least other goals. Competently needs to work in the local market, because it is not half filled, and the Week, connecting producers and buyers, will help you sell.