Which famous designers were inspired by Russia and dedicated their entire collections to it?

What is Russian culture? For some, Dostoyevsky and Tolstoy, for others, the mysterious streets of Moscow and St. Petersburg’s magnificent parade grounds, for some, Diaghilev’s ballet and Tchaikovsky’s works. Our country’s rich heritage inspires musicians, singers, architects and, of course, designers. By the way, the latter, in the process of creating collections, especially turned to traditional wardrobe elements and cultural codes, and some even willingly collaborated with immigrants from the Russian Empire.

For example, Coco Chanel hired Russian embroiderers for the Chanel fashion house, Christian Dior called the model Alla Ilchun his talisman, and Paul Poiret was inspired by the costumes in Diaghilev’s Russian Seasons.

But that’s not all. History remembers many examples of the influence of Russian culture on Western designers. And today we will prove it. We have collected famous collections of Russian-inspired fashion houses and advertising campaigns of brands.

Karl Lagerfeld

In 2009, Chanel creative director Karl Lagerfeld presented the “Paris – Moscow” collection, which belongs to the Métiers d’art cycle and is dedicated to unforgettable points on the world map. Of course, Russia was one of them. And it’s not just about the embroiderers we mentioned earlier. Perfumer Ernest Beaux created the legendary Chanel No. She created 5 perfumes, Dmitry Pavlovich Romanov introduced her to important customers, and Count Sergei Kutuzov became the manager of the Chanel house. Therefore, Lagerfeld’s inspiration from Russian culture is quite justified.

Thus, in 2009, he managed to attract all the guests of the show into the majestic atmosphere of the Russian Empire. Models walked the catwalk wearing pearl kokoshniks, “folk” boots with fur trim and holding matryoshka bags or clutches in their hands. In short, Karl Lagerfeld harmoniously combined the DNA of the Chanel brand with the rich heritage of our country. By the way, the show was opened by Sasha Pivovarova.

Ralph Lauren

The next designer who had special feelings for Russian culture was Ralph Lauren. And there’s a reason for this. The American fashion designer’s parents came from the Russian Empire. His father immigrated to the United States in 1920 and his mother a year later. So, in 2013, Ralph Lauren presented a collection of fur hats, voluminous fur coats (like the intelligentsia of the early 20th century), Sweater trousers and, of course, accent earrings.

Pierpaolo Piccioli and Maria Grazia Chiuri

In 2008, Pierpaolo Piccioli and Maria Grazia Chiuri became the creative directors of Valentino (yes, the union of Miuccia Prada and Raf Simons is not the first in the history of fashion). And in 2013 they presented a collection dedicated to Russia. Inspired by the works of Marc Chagall. True, the designers did not quote the artist literally. Instead, they relied on traditional costumes, Russian folk embroidery, added an empire silhouette and borrowed the collection’s primary colors from the famous avant-garde artist.

Yves Saint Laurent

On July 26, 1976, at the Intercontinental Hotel in Paris, Yves Saint Laurent presented his famous “Russian” collection called Opéra-Ballets Russes, that is, “Russian Operas and Ballets”. In the hotel’s main hall, a catwalk was built specifically for the show, with models emerging from an arch decorated with white lilies. Models literally glided down the runway dressed like princesses from Russian fairy tales. By the way, professional make-up artists were also invited to this show for the first time. Previously (no matter how strange it may seem now) fashion models painted themselves. The source of inspiration was the last years of the great empire, Sergei Diaghilev’s “Russian Seasons” and Leon Bakst’s drawings.

Thierry Mugler

But Thierry Mugler shot one of the most famous advertising campaigns in Russia. But first things first. The designer first went to the USSR in 1985, the purpose of the visit was to meet Vyacheslav Zaitsev, the master of domestic fashion and Raisa Gorbachova’s favorite. Later, Mugler photographed the Russian designer’s collection for the French glossy magazine. However, he returned again a year later. This time I will shoot the same advertising campaign for my own brand. Mugler said he was very inspired by Moscow’s urban landscapes, avant-garde buildings and impressive monuments.