Slava Zaitsev Moscow Fashion House - Provided via email by Slava Zaitsev Moscow Fashion House//wikimedia.org
The first and the most famous Soviet fashion designer Vyacheslav Zaitsev celebrates his 80th anniversary today on March 2, RIA Novosti informs.
His first fashion collection made at the beginning of 60s consisted of shirts and sleeveless jackets. The clothes were meant for female collective farmers. Felt boots painted with bright gouache colors, multicolored chintz prints and Pavlodar shawls did not appeal to the factory’s administration in Ivanovo where he used to work. Paris Match published Zaitsev’s designs making them known to such masters of the world fashion as Pierre Cardin, Guy Laroche and Dior designer Marc Bohan. Their meeting took place in three years when Zaitsev started his career in the Fashion House of the Union where he managed an experimental workshop and later he opened his own Moscow Fashion House.
People in other countries were deprived of an opportunity to wear his masterpieces – he was restricted to travel beyond USSR for almost 20 years. In the 80s his collections called The 1000th anniversary of the Christianization of Rus, The Russian Seasons in Paris were success at the most prestigious fashion weeks. They were demonstrated in France, USA, Germany, Italy and Japan.
At the beginning of 90s, Zaitsev’s collections were acknowledged the best at The Five Outstanding World Fashion Artists - Fashion World Tokyo Summit. The Russian designer left behind such fashion classics as Claude Montagnes, Donna Karan and Hanae Mori.
Fine arts make a good part of the designer’s life. His paintings are stored in Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow, in Museo del Prado, Madrid, and in other museums and private collections of the world.
Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev congratulated the people’s artist with his anniversary. Prime Minister has remarked that Vyacheslav Zaitsev not just became a discoverer of the Russian style, but he conquered the most prestigious world fashion podiums and satisfied the most demanding customers. “Your art means delicacy, attention to details, careful attitude to our folk and national traditions,” Dmitry Medvedev said.
Russkiy Mir
