Find the new article The Conversation by Polina Talanova, PhD student at the Sorbonne Business School!
The fashion industry has been profoundly affected by sanctions against Russia in recent years. Most Western brands have left the country, and local brands no longer have access to Western markets. Bypassing sanctions through third-country imports, developing local companies and attracting players from countries with little previous presence on the Russian market: like other economic sectors, the world of fashion is changing, but the Western model continues to fascinate in Russia.
In 2022, Valentin Yudashkin was excluded from the Paris Fashion Week program. This renowned Russian designer, born in 1963, passed away the following year, in May 2023.
Waiting for Russia's eventual return to the community of nations, fashion life continues in the country. Prior to 2022, Moscow Fashion Week was sponsored by Mercedes-Benz. For the past three years, the Moscow government has taken over the organization of a fashion week that is now independent of Western partners (last edition in August 2025). In addition, a BRICS+ International Fashion Federation was created following the organization's Moscow summit in October 2024. Against a backdrop of high tensions, fashion is becoming a political object in its own right - far beyond its artistic or economic dimension.
The end of a golden period for Western brands in Russia
Western retailers quickly invested in (previously closed) Russia when it opened up to democracy in the 1990s. The new millennium was marked by a certain glamour and extravagance, both in clothes and attitudes. It was a time of the nouveau riche and glitter aplenty. An era summed up by the Russian word perebor ("to ring all the church bells at once"), in other words the idea of a style that didn't hesitate to "overdo it" - an aesthetic described by journalist Evelina Khromtchenko in 2008 in her book "Russian Style".
Today, all that carefree attitude is long gone. Two examples among many demonstrate this. In the winter of 2023, young girls in Western Europe and the United States started a trend on TikTok and Instagram, that of the Slavic Girl, which quickly became very popular. Fur, diamonds, high heels and flamboyant make-up: this phenomenon caused a stir around the world.
In November 2022, the House of Dior was criticized for adopting a set design in one of its campaigns that incorporated Russian-inspired elements, presented in a Slavic-style setting with snow and birch trees. These elements led to a series of negative comments on Instagram. Shortly afterwards, the facade of a Dior boutique in Kiev was covered in graffiti accusing the brand of supporting Russia.