“Tell Anna Wintour”: about sneakers, star customers and the main problem of the Russian fashion industry, the founder of the brand “Revenge”

Recently, local brands are gaining momentum, weight and importance rapidly. Almost every week, new actresses with big ambitions and brilliant talents appear on the fashion scene. We always follow such projects closely, introduce you to the most promising ones, and boldly pass on Anna Wintour the names that are definitely worth knowing.

The new hero of our column is Albert Razilov, the founder of the “Revenge” sneaker brand. The young designer is only 23 years old and has already managed to replace the shoes of the entire domestic rap industry. Two years ago, Eldzhey was wearing sneakers signed by Yegor Creed, Scryptonite, Obladaet, Big Baby Tape, Lil Morty and Saluki devil. And also Nastya Ivleeva, Timati, Yulia Gavrina and others.

But our hero does not even plan to stop there. Not so long ago, it launched a second brand, Celestial, aimed at the Western audience. And he has already created a pair of unique sneakers for a Hollywood actor. What? Find out in our interview.

“Revenge”

The name came from my instincts. I realized that I wanted to “revenge” on foreign brands that turned into assembly line production and prove that we can also produce sports shoes at a very high level in Russia.

in 2020.

Smart casual + premium streetwear.

From sneakers.

For people who aren’t afraid to break stereotypes and try new things. The Revenge brand was created for those who appreciate Russian brands and want their development. In fact, I often come across the fact that people underestimate our designers and believe that if something is Russian made, it should be cheaper. This is so embarrassing. I want our society to be people free of such prejudices.

My journey in the fashion industry started at a young age. My mother and uncle were owners of a large Fashion Trade Group conglomerate, which included brands Gianfranco Ferre, Dolce & Gabbana, Philipp Plein and others. That’s why I was often there for buyers’ purchases and interviews with buyers and employees. I was immersed in these topics from a fairly young age, even doing my homework in the office. (Laughs.). I think even then I realized that I wanted to connect my life with fashion.

I wanted to broadcast my vision of the world through clothes. I also dreamed of finding like-minded people and creating a strong community. I felt incredibly proud when I told top artists about the sneakers and saw them wear them and celebrate the brand. After all, I did this with my own hands.

I love what Ruigi Villasenor, the founder of Rhude, has done. At certain moments I look at Mike Amiri (founder of the Amiri brand – Ed. note) and Craig Green (the founder of the Craig Green brand – Ed. note). I also really like what Greg Lauren is doing.

Surprise, horror, surprise.

in our symbol. Each pair of sneakers is created by a little devil depicted in the logo. All the crazy ideas and experiments come from him. And our “trick” is that we are making Russia’s first premium sneakers and devote no effort, time and resources to it. So the output is really cool models that are superior in quality to some Western brands.

I don’t want to set limits on this and I don’t want to think ahead. We can do whatever comes to mind. All this is enough for our imagination.

I’m proud of the project of our western brand, Celestial, by Hollywood actress Ezra Miller, who has played the Flash role in DC comics, Justice League and The Flash movies. We made special sneakers for him in a single copy. This is our first well-paid worldwide project. It is still hard to believe that such a local brand can attract the attention of stars of this size.

The main failure, and also one of the main successes, is the Hommie Dunks shoes, which we made based on several well-known silhouettes. Yes, the release was commercially successful, but that’s when I realized that instead of making money in fashion, you need to express your ideas.

Express yourself, show the audience your experiences and motivate them to move forward. Many underestimate the power of design and in vain. A good thing done with spirit can truly inspire new achievements to its wearer.

into the international arena. We already do this with the Celestial brand. You recently published a new broadcast for foreign audiences. And we will occupy almost the entire shoe market in Russia and show everyone what a premium sneaker brand is.

The ability to express yourself through clothes.

Creating a trendy meta universe. I want to “build” a store and sell real things in augmented reality using VR and AR spaces. This is of course very expensive and practically impossible. But I would try.

At Shia LaBeouf.

Bag in the form of a cigarette pack. (We remind you that smoking is harmful to health – Approx. ed.)

Philip Plein. But on the other hand, if it didn’t exist, people wouldn’t have an example of how not to do this.

Jacquemus bag and MSCHF astrobots.

ideologically. I treat prints on t-shirts like tattoos on my body – very responsibly. Everything I wear should reflect my inner worldview.

Shia LaBeouf. I like its inconsistency. His personality reflects our brand’s philosophy to some extent.