Soviet and Russian fashion icon ‘Slava’ Zaitsev dead at 85
- Russia’s most famous fashion designer Vyacheslav Zaitsev was dubbed by the French the ‘Soviet Christian Dior’
- He counted several Russian movie stars and the ex-wife of President Vladimir Putin, Lyudmila, among his clients
Vyacheslav “Slava” Zaitsev, the couturier behind world-famous Soviet fashion that was often adorned with colourful Russian folkloric motifs, died on Sunday at age 85, Russian news agencies reported.
Born into a working-class family in 1938, Zaitsev’s first international recognition came in 1963 when the French Paris Match magazine wrote about his collection of overalls for female workers, according to a note posted on the website of his fashion house.
The RIA news agency reported that the bright, flowery jackets and skirts of the collection were rejected by the Experimental Clothing Factory for which Zaitsev worked.
The French press nicknamed him “Soviet Christian Dior” in the 1960s.
Watched closely by the KGB because of his contacts with Western designers and his flamboyant character, Zaitsev was initially refused permission to leave the Soviet Union and his first collections were shown abroad without him.
In 1962, Zaitsev’s first collection of clothes – a uniform for female workers that featured skirts with the flower patterns of traditional Russian shawls and multicoloured boots – was rejected by Soviet authorities.