HSE Design Students Present Collection during Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week

At this year’s Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week, students from the HSE School of Design debuted their latest collection, which included diverse colour schemes, prints, and fabrics that all reflected the web-punk aesthetic known for its different shapes and flat design.

‘Participating in MBFW was of course a very risky, but important step for us; after all, on top of being our first public show, it occurred at the country’s main fashion venue. Not only did we present our final collections, which is standard for a design school, but we also displayed the works of second- and third-year students in the HARD collection,’ says the head of the School of Design’s fashion department, Anzor Kankulov, who is also the Editor-in-Chief of Port Russia. ‘We not only wanted to put our accomplishments on display, but we wanted to show the “why” behind it all. The School of Design’s main objective is to seek out and bring together young talent and to educate people to have a new, contemporary approach towards fashion and design. We are all about a fresh view and a new energy. We’re about what is happening around us right now in this very moment. And I believe you can see all of this in our students’ first collection. It’s bold, fresh, and modern,’ he adds. 

Fashion Week not only allowed students to showcase their accomplishments, but they got a sense of the backstage atmosphere. They gained experience in working with famous designers at a prestigious fashion event.

‘A few of my designs made it into the show, the most conceptual of which were two shirts with port wine on them. The inspiration for my designs came from Russian rockers, the 80s, and the work of Viktor Tsoi,’ comments second-year student Natalia Motienko. ‘The show turned out amazing, and I think this was a huge step forward for both the School of Design and for each student who participated.’

‘Selecting pieces, styling, rehearsing, working at the Moscow Manege – I still can’t believe I did it all,’ says second-year student Maria Zabuslaeva. ‘My clothes were bright rainbow coloured and influenced by Pink Floyd, which used light dispersion on the cover of one of their albums,’ she adds.

‘We went from being nervous and worrying to having fun and just enjoying the moment. The show definitely brought everyone together. We did of course get a little tired from the intense preparation we had to do for the show, but this kind of exhaustion is always welcome,’ admits second-year student Tatiana Katarova. ‘I’m glad my work made it into the show, but it was even more interesting to look at the stylization of others’ work as a whole. All of the pieces came together in a completely different way than what was expected, and this was where the real magic lay!’

‘As for the clothes, the concept behind two of my pieces (a skirt and a denim kimono) comes from the Japanese art of Kintsugi, which is when you take broken vases and “glue” them together with golden glue, thereby giving them a special history and beauty. For my pieces, I dyed them and cut them up before sewing them together with golden thread, and at the show we mixed them with rainbow dispersion prints,’ second-year student Tatiana Kossovskaya notes. ‘What else can I say – Fashion Week at the Moscow Manege is memorable, and it really inspires you. Now I want to work more and participate in more shows. The most interesting thing, though, was seeing the work of our instructors, which was a completely different level of instruction,’ she concludes.

The instructors dubbed the show an experiment, an adventure even, but a genuine and honest adventure that made it engaging. ‘This wasn’t a final concert. It wasn’t a milestone or a finale. The show was a statement. The experience and assistance of the organizers, along with students’ drive, made our first, and very loud, statement something that is professional, fresh, and bold. It showed who we are and where we are headed,’ comments Ekaterina Sycheva, School of Design Professor and Rusmoda designer. ‘Now we just have to wait until fall to see part two; after all, it’s easy to be the dark horse and do well your first time off, but it’s much harder to maintain your enthusiasm, energy, and nerves in order to get everyone together and make an even more convincing and unapologetic statement a second time,’ she adds.

 The fashion department of the HSE School of Design opened in 2014. The department’s teaching methods are built on the principles of the world’s leading design schools, including Central Saint Martins, Polimoda, and others. From the very beginning of the programme, students are immersed in the industry to obtain a broad understanding of the fashion world – from retail and marketing to ideology and PR from a visual communications standpoint. Students are also involved in creating and branding collections, forming a fashion brand, merchandising, and setting up fashion design studios.