Five Designers To Know From Russia Fashion Week

Thanks to stars like Demna Gvasalia and Gosha Rubchinskiy, post-Soviet fashion is garnering more international attention than ever. But there’s much more to the region’s design scene than a few superstar names. At Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Russia, which just wrapped up in Moscow, we saw collections from a handful of designers poised for global success. Here are the names to know.

Alexandr Rogov

You may not have heard his name, but Alexandr Rogov is a big deal in Russia, with a successful career as a stylist and his very own TV show. Now, he’s trying his hand as a designer. Following a favorably reviewed catwalk collection last season, he’s back with a more finely-tuned and wearable sensibility. It was a quirky mix of athleisure separates (sweatshirts, tracksuit-inspired trousers), and feminine styles (mini skirts with ruffles, silk dresses, prim blazers) in a pink, teal and purple palette that felt particularly of the moment. No surprise, Rogov had fun with the styling, adding stretchy logo-ed bands to waists, hems and heads. While at times the show felt a little derivative (those logo-ed bands owe a little something to Dior, the ruffles to Saint Laurent), Rogov’s items will have undeniable appeal in stores - which is no small thing for an emerging designer with an eye on solvency. Particularly cool - and destined to sell out - were the sweatshirts and T-shirt emblazoned with the word “hate” in glitter, and the matching denim jacket and trousers stitched with sequins.