![]() ![]() I messaged Valentino Facebook page but received no answer in two days. After all they authored a collection that features vyshyvanka (a long shirt with baggy sleeves and ornaments in white-red-black colors), zhupan (a plain long coat), and keptar (a fur-lined waistcoat). I wondered if Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pierpaolo Piccoli, the designers behind the Valentino collection, have ever heard about Ukraine. And as rude as seeing any piece of Eastern European national clothing as Russian. Belarus in time of his birth was part of Russian Empire, indeed, but calling him Russian is as inaccurate as calling an Irish person a Brit. In fact, Chagall was a Belarus Jew who immigrated to France. The brand claims that the inspiration for the collection came from the works of modernist Marc Chagall, who they deemed Russian. There one can pre-order haute couture dresses, including those with trademark Ukrainian red embroidery, which were hardly “inspired with Russian countryside.”īut when we trace the background of Valentino collection, it becomes clear that its authors have offended another culture too – Belarussian. I couldn’t help but notice that Valentino website has a Ukrainian version with. In this context, Valentino’s mistake couldn’t have worse timing. Russian state (and before that, Soviet Union and Russian Empire) has a history of denying to acknowledge that Ukraine’s culture is separate and independent from the Russian one. One of the aspects of the ongoing Ukraine’s separatist conflict, that was inspired and supported by Russia, has been an argument over the intensity of the connection of the two countries. The mistake seems especially rude when put in the political context. “Do you know that Ukraine is a separate country with totally different ethnic traditions (including the embroidery) which Valentino has so successfully used?” Ukrainian Olena Kutsenko wrote under a photo that featured a Valentino collection look with traditional Ukrainian embroidery that was cutlined as “Russian-inspired.” There is a new openness in terms of mentality.Ukrainian commentators reacted at once, resenting over the misattribution. “Even in terms of relationships, people are more open, and it seems like there is a will to restart. “I also went to Saint Petersburg and I truly feel that Russia needs to be rediscovered, culturally speaking,” he said in an interview. It was Piccioli’s first time back in Russia in about a decade, and he said he perceived many positive changes. “However, in Russia, we believe that we can grow in many categories.”Īmong those with strong potential is men’s ready-to-wear and accessories, according to Sassi, who is in talks with Tsum to afford more visibility to Valentino in those areas. It’s a big business along with bags and shoes,” he said. ![]() “In Russia, because of the climate conditions and the love for the fashion aesthetics, an important segment is fur coats. ![]() Sassi noted that Russians continue to spend healthily in its Paris and Milan boutiques, although tax-free spending has been in decline for years. Valentino is the second marquee Italian brand to host a big event in Moscow this year, following Giorgio Armani’s mega event last April, suggesting heightened interest in the vast market. “In three years, we have tripled our revenues in Moscow, where the biggest part of the Russian fashion industry is concentrated,” he said, noting that Russians are spending more locally, prompting Valentino to raise its profile in high-traffic locations. While the economic crisis, ruble devaluation and Western sanctions have curbed rich Russians from traveling, and dampened consumer sentiment, Sassi said the picture for Valentino is bright. Chipperfield maintained many original decorative elements of the Metropol site, preserving them with a lime wash, exalting them particularly in a “Historical Room.” The Metropol boutique, developed with British architect David Chipperfield, exudes a palazzo atmosphere with its familiar pebbled surfaces and rich blend of woods, stone, marble and soft carpets. A women’s wear boutique in Barvikha Luxury Village bowed in spring 2015. Today, Valentino counts four boutiques in Moscow, having added a men’s and women’s unit last June on Kutuzovsky Prospekt and a women’s boutique in the luxury Vremena Goda mall last April. ![]()
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