Russian fashion designer Zaitsev passes away

Legendary Russian fashion designer Vyacheslav Zaitsev has died at the age of 85, the press service of the Russian Academy of Arts said.

"He has died indeed," a spokesperson said, noting that Zaitsev passed away after a long illness.

Zaitsev, a Soviet and Russian fashion designer, is the People’s Artist of Russia (2006) and a member of the Russian Academy of Arts (2007). He was named an honorary citizen of Paris. In 2007-2009, he hosted a TV show "Fashion verdict" on Channel One. He designed dozens of collections and created stage costumes for a number of performances.