Style file: Designer Vika Gazinskaya joins Russia's fashion revolution

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Vika Gazinskaya is a driving force in Moscow’s style revolution. Now she is joining forces with Swedes & Other Stories, says Rebecca Gonsalves.

Much has been made of the so-called Russian revolution in fashion these past few years – but it’s not just a case of designers courting customers with plenty of roubles to flash as an influx of designers, stylists, journalists, bloggers and models proves the country has come a long way from its state-rationed sartorial past. And so, once obscure Russian names are becoming gradually more familiar to those who enjoy seeking out interesting additions to the style world. 

One such name is Vika Gazinskaya, a finalist for the inaugural LVMH prize supporting young designers for her Moscow-manufactured eponymous range. Gazinskaya cut her teeth with a year-long placement at glossy magazine L’Officiel Russia followed by a stint working as a stylist for MTV, before creating her debut collection for spring/summer 2007. Known for her voluminous shapes and light touch, the vegetarian designer eschews the use of leather and fur for ready-to-wear collections she presents during Paris Fashion Week. Fans of Gazinskaya’s rarefied designs will be pleased to learn that they are about to get accessible, thanks to a collaboration with & Other Stories, the Swedish brand that has proved a welcome addition since it reached these shores just over a year ago. “I really wanted to give people the opportunity to get my prints at an affordable price,” says Gazinskaya of the crayon strokes, colourful polka dots and pencil-line dandelion prints, which are resplendent across classic dresses, trousers, tops and scarves as well as wedge court shoes.

The bold silhouettes of the designer’s main line are not eschewed entirely – red and black dresses are perfect for the formal events of summer, while a crisp belted mac is given an interesting twist with the addition of a circular cape.