Everything You Need to Know about Gosha Rubchinskiy
Gosha Rubchinskiy Revives Dead Stamps
Not so long ago, Fila was not just a thing of the past, but a relic from a past millennium. The Italian label, which is known for its sportswear, especially tennis gear, was simply no longer in.
But, after a couple of years, the distinctive logo can be seen once again on t-shirts, hoodies, and shoes. And, this is true not only on photos on the Internet, but also on people in the park, at ice cream parlours, and at the rink. We have one person to thank for this: Gosha Rubchinskiy.
In 2016, Russian designer Gosha Rubchinskiy had a collaboration with Fila, and that collaboration instantly revived the label. Fila hoodies in their typical colours were combined with jeans, or white hoodies were donned with black trousers and gold chains. Of course, the classic fisherman's hat was not missing either.
Although the fashion was mostly presented on male models, there were also pieces for women in the collection, such as a black miniskirt with red and white colours on the side or a crop top in black and white.
But, 2016 was simply not the beginnings of Gosha Rubchinskiy, because that started much earlier.
Who exactly is Gosha Rubchinskiy?
Georgiy Aleksandrovich (or Gosha for short) Rubchinskiy was born in Moscow in 1984. At a young age, he already wanted to work in the fashion industry and started working in make-up and hairdressing during his studies, which brought him into Russia's fashion circles.
He takes his fashion inspiration largely from the fall of the Iron Curtain and Russian street and youth culture. Time and again, his experience with the development of his collections also provides him with new inspiration.
This influence of Russian culture is evident in his work and with it, he brings current and past Russian iconography to the rest of the world, whether through on the catwalk or through photos.
Gosha is not only a designer but also the founder of several fashion labels. Among them is probably the most famous ГОША РУБЧИНСКИЙ (Cyrillic spelling for Gosha Rubchinskiy). Under his label of the same name, he has been publishing mostly menswear since 2008, and that has mainly, but not exclusively, helped shape Russian youth culture. Although he announced in April 2018 that the label as we know it will no longer be continued, he also announced that something else will be taking its place.
His fashion shows sparkle with authenticity and this gives him a huge influence in streetwear. When you look at his first collection, which was in fact first featured at Moscow's Sokolniki Stadium, you would understand why. Instead of the usual models, the models were actually skater boys and tattooed boys.
The collection consisted of sweaters and face masks with spikes and the prints on the shirts and sweaters had something of a hardcore and death metal aesthetic. All of this was presented by 16-19 year old boys, who ran on the tracks of the stadium to the rave music of the '90s.
The main graphic element of Gosha's first collection was an embroidery of a two-headed eagle fused with a roaring bear and supported by two assault rifles. Underneath that is the lettering империя зла, which is Russian for "Empire of Evil". The whole thing is an allusion to Ronald Reagan's speech of 1983, when he called the Soviet Union, "The Evil Empire" and called for America to surpass the military capabilities of the Soviet Union and raze it to the ground.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3LqZADqxpvs
It is indeed a joke that takes the West's fear of Russia to heart, but at the same time reflects the profound search for a new national identity. This collection brought Gosha Rubchinskiy and Eastern Europe itself, to the attention of Western fashionistas and labels. And, in part, his fashion is now also helping the current generation to develop a new identity.
Gosha Rubchinskiy's Other Works
Since the first collection in 2008, Gosha has continued to design. His second collection called, Growing and Expanding, was shown in an orthodox church that was converted into a gym during the Soviet era. The church is located in a Moscow suburb and the models were young men and teenagers, just like in the first collection. The performance included the boys doing sports continuously.
His third collection, The Sunrise is Not Far Behind the Mountains, consisted of three parts: a video, which was shot in St. Petersburg, a photo book, and the actual collection. The title of the collection is a metaphor for better days, which are drawing near.
In 2010, he presented his fourth collection, Slave, as part of an installation at the Fashion East Menswear Week. There, he staged a teenager's bedroom with a lonely teenager, full of hope and dreams for a better future. As with his previous collections, he captures one of the themes that youth culture in post-Soviet Russia is very much concerned with.
But, Gosha didn't get everything up and running on his own. He met the head of Comme des Garçons by chance in 2012. He met Adrian Joffe at dinner with friends and had no idea who he was. Adrian asked Gosha what he does and he said he tries to make clothes. Then, Adrian said that they should meet the following day.
When they met, Gosha showed him photos and it so happened that they were delivering a collection to London. The collection was sold out within a week and all the money was spent on logistics. Adrian wanted to sell more, but there were no more pieces available and Gosha said he wasn't interested. So, they thought about how they could work together and step by step, they got to where they are now—with Comme des Garçons producing clothes for Gosha Rubchinskiy.
Gosha also supports the youth in following their own artistic vein. In 2016, he founded the label PACCBET (pronounced Rassvet) together with Tolia Titaev. Tolia, a professional skater, wanted to start a skate brand and create something new. Gosha liked the idea. The name of the brand, which was already visible on some t-shirts before the foundation, means "sunrise" and stands for a new generation of skaters.
He has also collaborated with other major labels and released joint collections. Some examples are with adidas, Burberry, or Kappa.
Gosha Rubchinskiy x adidas
To coincide with the 2018 football world championships in Russia, Gosha and adidas have launched a capsule collection. The project was launched to mark the first World Cup in Russia and the collection included everything from jerseys to shorts to footballs, all of which had the markings of both brands. To match the collection, there was also a sneaker that they shared—the Gosha Rubchinskiy x adidas NMZ sneaker.
The collection was available in all Dover Street Market stores and online to coincide with the start of the World Cup on June 14th. The joint collection was not the first and hopefully would not be the last.
One of his most recent collaborations was with Burberry. For Gosha, this collaboration was very important as Burberry was one of the first major Western brands to move into Russia after the fall of the Soviet Union. They were also very popular in the '90s—a time that inspired Gosha anyway. In fact, it was so popular that even Boris Yeltsin himself was seen wearing a Burberry scarf.
While his first collaboration with Burberry for the Spring/Summer 2018 collection was influenced by football and rave, the second was a focus on what makes Burberry, well, Burberry. The answer to this is their coats with Burberry's distinctly unique checkered pattern and simply their outerwear in general.
Gosha Rubchinskiy - Short and Sweet
Gosha is a talented artist who knows how to reflect youth culture so well. With his influences from the time of the Iron Curtain and Russian youth, he has made a significant contribution to the streetwear of that time. One could almost think that the name Gosha Rubchinskiy is no doubt on everyone's lips.
And, although he is a much sought-after artist, he is not a representative or idol for the entire Russian youth. There are enough Russian youngsters who have probably never heard of Gosha Rubchinskiy, and the prices of his clothes are not exactly in line with the budget of a 19-year-old.
Nevertheless, he has a great influence on the particular subculture and streetwear style as a whole, which cannot be denied. We are curious to see what Gosha will bring to light now that he will be concentrating more on PACCBET and no longer on the Gosha Rubchinskiy brand as we know it.
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