Gosha Rubchinskiy is a Russian designer whose particular design theme has drawn a lot of our attention lately as his designs are not something you often see on a runway. Rubchinskiy sells his designs in stores around the globe to a very particular audience. His clothes are inspired by the Soviet Union and the non-fashion of that time. As a statement of his vision, Gosha’s first collection, released back in 2008, was named “Empire of Evil”, after Ronald Reagan’s anti-Soviet speech.
The Gosha Rubchinskiy client are aficionados of ironic casual, sports clothes, but we think that people who enjoy clothes that are different in general might like his designs.
Even though Rubchinskiy may be a niche, he expresses his vision and subdialect with extreme eloquence and clearness. What is most interesting is that Gosha does not seem to look to cause controversy or to provoke with his designs. While many designers look back at retro fashions, they are almost always inspired by Western fashion. Rubchinskiy, however, draws his inspiration from oppressed communist clothes of the Eastern Bloc, which Westerners only came in contact with during Olympic Games and other similar events.
Even though he has created different variations of this theme, Rubchinskiy has stayed true to this style for his fall-winter collection as well. The collection, which can be described as a vision of a dystopia recasts the institutionalized ugliness of the Soviet Union’s take on sportswear, seen through a loving prism.
The clothes from the collection featured the word “sport” written in Russian and Mandarin, as well as the flags of the Russian Federation’s and the People’s Republic of China’s flags on logo sportswear, which was meant to reflect the tension between the two superpowers.
Even though the clothes from this collection were quite tautological and literal, having such an approach does work, as the Soviet Union is, 24 years after its fall, still a big unknown to the world and a part of the world’s history that not many people discuss.
For the fall-winter 2015-2016 season, Rubchinskiy’s boys wore elastic-hemmed washed jeans, pants with high waists, knitwear as well as Russian/Chinese logo-printed sports gear. Their hair veered from mullets to buzz cuts, indicating that this is not a collection inspired by the bourgeoisie or by oligarchs. Moreover, the riff on the Tommy Hilfiger logo was an interesting a fine touch that commented about the universality of fashion as a flexible ideal. In a way, fashion is all about adaptation and this is what the designer was most likely trying to convey through his sartorial statement.
In the end, it can be said that this horrible-lovely collection is a great fashion statement, as it turns non-fashion into fashion and brings a new air to the catwalk. In a previous statement, Gosha said that “fashion is just part of this world I’m building”, referring to the fact that he is also a film maker and a photographer, and we are definitely captivated by his world and want to discover more of it! We definitely salute any fashion designer or label that goes beyond just creating clothes and accessories, as fashion is just a part of the very complex fabric that is life.
In the gallery below, you can flip through our favorite looks from the collection and read why we liked them!
Fraquoh and Franchomme
P.S. We want to hear from you! What do you think of this collection? Do you find it lovely or weird? Share your feedback, questions or thoughts in the comments below! For more articles on style, fashion tips and cultural insights, you can subscribe to Attire Club via e-mail or follow us on Facebook or Twitter!
8 replies on “The Gosha Rubchinskiy FW 2015-16 Collection in Review”
I’m so into this! Most of my everyday clothing looks like this: sporty, lots of sweats with dress-shirts or high-waist tailored pants with t-shirts. I feel like whenever I’m in the proverbial creative “zone” I tend to gravitate to outfits very similar to his aesthetic so thanks for putting me on to him! The sweatsuit in the top right corner in particular Is really messing with my soul so I might just have to recreate it and add my black suede trench coat and black combat boots.
We’re excited you are as excited about the collection as we are! Thank you for your input, we’re always happy to hear what people think!
F&F
Gosha Rubchinskiy is my favorite designer!
He’s a great designer!
Gosha can so make Russian stuff look good.
Yes, Soviet Russia better said!
Gosha ‘s brand is something authentic , it may seem ugly and not appealing .Then you start realising, that his clothes is not just weird but also pretty nice. The main disadvantage is price . Having poor quality and cheap materials , selling the synthetic jacket for 600 euros is a bit nasty. In addition, this designer obviously wants to “convey the spirit of Soviet epoque”, so I think that the fact that only 0,5 % of Russians can afford it, doesn’t make his price policy right.
Dear Alex,
Thank you very much for your comment.
We really appreciate your input and see it as food for thought. You make a good point about the prices of Gosha’s clothing being priced quite highly. Our opinion is that Gosha is not only creating Soviet-style clothing for Slavic people, he is also commenting on them by transforming them into high fashion. Therefore, the prices can also come as a cultural comment. Gosha is showing that, with the right mindset, you can transform even non-fashions such as Soviet clothes into designer pieces.
F&F