Russian Fashion Council Presents Global Talents Digital Day 1

Music

BY Mayfield Ngondonga

June 15, 2020

Russian Fashion Council Presents Global Talents Digital Day 1

On June 10 to 11, 2020, Global Talents Digital took place, the world’s first hybrid international online fashion project, which combined real designer collections along with the digital ones. Virtual and human models presented new fashion collections. Virtual Instagram celebrities delivered their personal digital collections. 50 participants from 20 countries showed their collections and works in an unconventional format of video presentations, some of them using AR technology and digital avatars. Fashion was complemented by animated visual art: 3D artists created some digital works especially for Global Talents Digital. Here are some of the designers who showcased their designs on day 1 of the shows.

ophelica

Taking inspiration from the fate of Shakespeare’s heroine, this young Russian brand by Regina Turbina created a fully-digitalized capsule collection, featuring make-believe materials – dragonskin and quicksilver-like fabric.Yet this is also a traditional collection in a sense, with classic-cut silhouettes and funky looks presented by featureless cyber-models.

Shimmering tracksuits and wide-cut jeans and shorts with tribal prints, glistening raincoats of metallic white and blue, heavy parkas and wide-brim floppy hats – everything in this capsule referred to major influence of the 90s. The coats and trousers were from the Yves Klein line, inspired by the famed French master’s palette of the deepest blue.

In terms of colours, psychedelic and tie-dye swirls were abundant, while metallic tones and textures clashed with furry chia-pet-like inserts on trousers and vests. This is fashion for the future looking into the past.

JAKE LIU (Australia)

Jake is one of the top emerging Australian designers (RMIT | Master of Fashion, a true master of multifunctional genderless garments. The entire mission of the brand is the deconstruction of modern gender, beauty and fashion stereotypes. Most of his garments are transformable and can be easily turned into a carrier bag, a warm blanket or a t-shirt.

This new collection titled “No, Everlasting Eternity” started out in 2018, when Jake was experimenting with streetwear. “I was interested in working with bodies that do not conform to the popular beauty standards, to study the interaction of the body and the garment. Having tried many ways to show that in a collection, I stopped on the simple act of distorting the silhouette – such as putting a backpack underneath a shirt,” says Jake.

Combining such methods with traditional fabrics – wool and cashmere, silk and crepe de chine, Jake created a wonderfully genderless and futuristic collection, which manages not to lose its streetwear roots. Wooly tops and shimmery asymmetric trousers, along with silky kaftans and corsets gave the whole collection a flamboyant 18^th century courtier feel. Adam Ant and Derek Jarman would feel right at home with these looks – multifunctional, fun and irreverent. This was just what we needed to kick-start this futuristic event.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UZuqDC3UCz4

CHAPURIN

The Russian fashion house of Igor Chapurin is on its 22^nd year of existence, and has a storied history and an avid following in Russia. A vast portfolio of both haute couture and prêt-a-porter collection follows Igor’s house, along with dozens of limited-edition capsule and accessory collections.

His newest creation was inspired by the Russian writer and Nobel prize winner Ivan Bunin’s work “Dark Avenues” (1946), which entangled fates and lives within a series of short stories. Coding the emotional feel of the book into the fabric for this collection was no easy task, but Chapurin handled it brilliantly, creating a perfect geometrical collection of dark hues and classic silhouetting. Heavy overcoats perfectly combined with light silken dresses underneath.

Tweed, velour, thin wool fabrics were coupled with many types of silk and linen. Faux leather and faux fur were also experimented with, as well as recycled cotton. In terms of colours, the designer used dark blues and greys, as well as rust tones and bright flashes of fuchsia.

Using a top-heavy silhouette for this collection was an ingenious move, as the heavy oversized sleeves on the outerwear offset the sleek dresses underneath. A perfect Fall/Winter collection for a fan of brutalist architecture, this was a no-nonsense offering of a perfect balance of classic style and purpose from CHAPURIN. As he himself puts it, “This collection is all about intelligence and sustainability.”

Egor Golopolosov ‘Composition’

The first of our many 3D-art presentations was up next, this time from the popular Egor Golopolosov, whose previous works could be seen in campaigns by Nike, Adidas, Disney, Coca-Cola, Coach, Esquire, and many other brands.

Egor’s art has always been inspired by the clash of street culture with art and fashion. His digital collage work is well-suited both for commercial design and for an art gallery.

His new film is a series of wild images, all bringing to mind his influences – street art and graffiti, bucket hats and hip-hop culture.

Florentina Leitner (Austria / Belgium)

Coming to us straight from the storied halls of Antwerp’s Royal Academy of Fine Arts and London Fashion Week, Florentina created a thoroughly modern fairytale collection for this event, taking direct inspiration from the story of Cinderella.

Structured like a medieval tourney, this short film by Marnik A. Boekaerts showed us a fun and punky gathering at an ancient castle – every model wearing flowery dresses, shimmery sky-blue catsuits and zebra-print or houndstooth accessories, all to take part in a series of wild sporting events, from tennis in the grand hall and a zumba class in the ancient chambers to tug-of-war in the lush gardens.

The fun prints featured dalmatian spots and doll heads, flowers and geometric shapes, all set against gentle blue or porcelain white. Combined with typically British designs – petticoat dresses, wide-shoulder coats and crimped skirts

OLA OLA

The new collection by Olga Ginzburg, who started OLA OLA in Saint-Petersburg in 2018, is a continuation of her genuine passion – merging fashion with art, and collaborating with Russian artists on her new creations.

Her new Spring/Summer 2020 offering is inspired by London, which comfortably combines classical architecture with contemporary high-rise buildings. A multi-layered collection of intricate prints and exquisite dresses, this new collection utilized a playful approach to textures (printed fabric, sewn or even sequined garments). Skirts were combined with trench coats and coats with long sleeve shirts, accessorized with wispy chiffon collars.

All in a summery and fresh palette – gentle blues, pinks and greys. The collection also sported AR-capabilities, with QR-codes available on the screen to allow viewers to try the garments on right away. Collection’s looks were digitized by graphic designer Bayyat Akerov.

BAYARTAEV

BAYARTAEV (created by Alexander Bayartaev in 2019) creates modern urban uniforms for a nomadic tribe. His brand combines simplicity and minimalism with constant unusual elements of deconstruction. This makes BAYARTAEV garments functional, versatile and not tied to fleeting trends.

His new collection, titled ‘File: Save Us: Mise En Abyme’ takes inspiration from the concept of things in themselves, recursive inversion, nesting, cocooning, dreaming within a dream, the “Save as” button, forced digitization, isolation, “placement into the abyss,” technological supervision, and freedom.

“The Great Quarantine facilitates digital dictatorship. This is a message into the open space of the Internet: digitize (save yourself) or you will be erased,” this is the comment the designer attached to the collection. The collection consisted of minimalist jackets, kimono pants and sweatshirts, Japanese-influenced black and white garments, as well as tailored black dress jackets and dresses, all featuring intriguing futuristic patterning and abstract tailoring on the lapels, which gave the whole thing a beautifully Asiatic look.

Prints such as the famed Windows 95 field wallpaper also made an appearance.

LINUS LEONARDSSON (UK)

Hailing from Stockholm but currently based in London, Leonardsson is a Master graduate of the Royal Academy of Fine Arts Antwerp. His work centers around the combination of fun and glamour with important social issues – first and foremost, demolition of gender expectations within fashion, and a push towards a fully sustainable industry. The core purpose of his collections is to create a feast and fantasy for the eyes that are relating and impacting the world we live in.

LINUS LEONARDSSON exclusively utilizes restored materials and tissue residues in his work, which guarantee low-level environmental pollution.

At the heart of his ‘Rave New World Collection’ are questions about traditional conventionalism in the context of luxury and elitism. The name is a reference to A. Huxley’s ‘Brave New World,’ which tells the story of an anti-utopian society with an established social hierarchy and traditions. In principle, the world described by Huxley is not so different from the modern society and the radical division existing in it. The collection raises issues of existing norms, presenting to the viewer the scenery in which the doors to secluded corners of the society swing open under the onslaught of opposing forces. Modern teens break into the world of cozy picnics in the garden and private clubs to turn it over. In this collection, a new ambitious generation calls for social responsibility.

Using bold printing, the 70s’ influence and an overall atmosphere of a party at the end of the world, the designer weaves together a beautiful chronicle of the last disco on Earth – all ABBA dresses and hysteric glamour.