Russia’s Underground Culture = Gosha Rubchinskiy Rise to Fashion Stardom

Gosha Rubchinskiy’s rise to fashion stardom is partly due to our cultural voyeurism and quasi exotification of all things Russia. He’s not exactly known for groundbreaking fashion, however he sets himself apart by framing his collection around a generation of disaffected youth culture who wear Fila, Reebock, Off White , Palace and aspire to wear Vetements. “It’s about Moscow now and how they dress there. It’s about boys – the boys who come to the parties, the boys from Moscow, they’re real and we had to bring them to Paris,” says Gosha. His connection with young Russians is visible in all of his work in his shows, and as subjects for his photography and campaigns . As a videographer, he also documents his own runway shows, and casts young teens who actually represent the brand and wear the look daily. This mindset, plus the liberal plastering of his logo on other coveted street wear brands is what sets Gosha Rubchinskiy apart. Every garment features Gosha Rubchinskiy’s name printed in cyrillic text underneath other sportswear brands which has lead to him becoming one of the most coveted brands in Paris,

When it came time for him to ship his first order, Gosha found himself in debt over customs and shipping costs. Yet despite the financial setback, his raw talent attracted the attention of Comme des Garcons, President, Adrian Joffe, who offered to manufacture and help distribute his line. As a fashion influencer in Paris, Gosha’s meteoric rise is also due to his working relationship with Lotta Volkova, a stylist and friend of Demna Gvasalia of Vetements. The unlikely trio have found success in Paris with Gosha walking in Vetements AW 16 show in the now infamous DHL t-shirt.

For his Spring 2017 Men’s show in Milan shown in an abandoned tobacco factory, Rubchinskiy opened the show with a bare chested, buzzcut teen wearing a pinstripe suit. Other model’s with the similar buzzcuts came out wearing FILA sweatshirts with Gosha’s name in printed in cyrillic text. The designer took the look to even further extremes with Sergio Tachini tracksuits that resembled Olympic Russian athletes. And without fail every tank top, pair of shorts, and socks all prominently displayed his logo in graphic print. Although the show stuck to its street wear roots the velvet jacket and many of the suits were among the most outstanding pieces in the collection. The tailored suits worn over bare skin echoed an undercurrent of sexuality.

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