In October Greece hosted an event, which was the first step to great changes in the fashion industry. The designer of Islamic fashion, Rusudan Kobyakova, was invited to participate by the originally Christian land.
- Rusudan, why was it you who got the invitation, Russia has many designers?
- I think this question should be addressed to the inviting party. I have participated in the RFW several times. Perhaps my works were noticed by the Greeks there. I’m grateful to all the organizing staff, but first of all, I’m grateful to God. I think the Greeks won’t take any offence, as they are highly religious people and follow their traditions strictly.
- How many performances and where have you shown?
- During my years of working I have had a huge number of performances. When I graduated from the Laboratory of Fashion of Vyacheslav Zaitsev, I presented my works at the biggest fashion platform of Russia – Russian Fashion Week.
- In the Greek program there was a forum of fur designers. What are your impressions?
- Yes, the first day we had the planned forum of designers from Russia, Ukraine and Belarus, and the Greek side was presented by a serious delegation, including the mayor of Kastoria. The president of the Fur Association, the owners of fur producing factories, the directors of the largest exhibition centers and fur designers. I remembered Steve Jobs at that moment, who said that details are as important as the general. Organizers think over all the details for the forum.
- Please, tell us about the key tendencies of this year.
- Fur is a premium category. Not all designers have facilities for working with fur. As for tendencies, colored fur and painted fur are trendy. One of key tendencies of recent years is that a coat shouldn’t be heavy. And of course eclecticism, as well as a mixture of fur and other fabrics, leather, lace.
- How did the audience react to the presented Muslim collection?
- I heard people applauding. Backstage many tried on my dresses and asked me about them. One girl said it is interesting that I created dresses for Muslims.
- But this one girl was Natalya Podolskaya (the Russian popular singer). Why didn’t you speak about it? And why don’t you say that many excited people came to you?
- Because it is shameless to vaunt and praise yourself. Why should I lie? Only one girl came, that’s what I said. Any lie comes to light one day. God cannot be deceived, as well as experts. I won’t tell fairytales that my dresses are worn by Arab princesses. If it is true, you will be first who gets to know about it.
- Why is your collection headlined “Strange worlds. Peaceful countries”?
- The collection is so called because this phrase is a key to the theme of the collection: streets, cities, countries, the world around us… For some people the world is perfect, for others it is strange, inexplicable, unreal. Some people are inspired by a certain city. I’ve chosen Paris and imagined an Eastern woman in the streets of the city…
- What worlds are interesting for you?
- I’m interested in our world, real, existing with all its variations. I dream about traveling and have time to express my impressions in new collections.
- What ideas are you going to implement?
- I have a joint project, it is being developed at the moment, it is devoted to inter-ethnic conflicts and the need to eradicate them. I was born in Abkhazia, but by father is Russian and my mother is Georgian. In my life I have met representatives of various ethnic groups. My first husband was a Chechen. I used to live with his relatives and managed to accept and understand their traditions and history. My current husband is an Abkhazian. Inter-ethnic conflicts are a hot theme in the world, it concerns me as well.
Interview by Olesya Palegina, Kastorya-Moscow. Exclusively to VK.
