The "Fashion" zone by the RUSSIA Department Store at the National Centre

Visitors to the National Centre can explore the connection between architecture and fashion trends in the new "Fashion" section. This spring season showcases works by students of the SERGEY SYSOEV Fashion School at A. N. Kosygin Russian State University, as well as the autumn-winter 2024/25 collection by designer Sergey Sysoev himself.

Yevgenia Makarova

The designer drew inspiration from a magnificent example of metamodern architecture in Moscow — the multifunctional Zaryadye complex with its park area. The dome covering the open amphitheater not only served as inspiration for a dress from the young designer's collection but also became an integral part of the piece. A print of the dome’s image is placed on the lower part of the skirt, while the glass volume of the roof is reflected in the semi-transparency of the fabric with soft curves.

Lev Khlebnikov

Romanticizing the panel high-rises of the 1990s, the young designer sees them as more than just inhabited monuments of the socialist era and objects of cultural legacy. As a representative of the Homelander generation who grew up in a typical district of a typical city, the young designer feels nostalgic for the cozy box-like apartments with 2.5-meter ceilings, where crystal and carpets were symbols of luxury. The beauty of uniformity and repeated patterns is reflected in the designer’s unique prints, one of which is presented at the exposition.

Alexandra Popadyko

The cape dress look is inspired by the architecture of the House on Kotelnicheskaya, built between 1938 and 1952. Just as Stalinist architecture blended monumentalism with avant-garde to illustrate the power of the Soviet regime and the superiority of the victors, the young designer’s dress, crafted from men's suiting fabric, tells the story of a woman's triumph — a strong and radiant creation. The exaggeratedly sharp shoulders, combined with precise proportions, are not so much a homage to the fashion trends of the late 1940s as they are an emphasis on the scale of ambition and achievements of the modern woman.

Alisa Getalova

The black dress with a sharp shoulder line is inspired by the architectural concept of brutalism: a color palette combining dark gray and black, straight repetitive lines, exposed structural elements, and a lack of refinement. Beneath the deliberately prominent zippers cutting through the dress lies the reliability and honesty of a slightly cold, entirely unwelcoming, uncomfortable, and imperfect girl...

Ksenia Dukhanova

All collections by this young designer are dedicated to the theme of space. Placed on a voluminous white coat, the print of an original rocket sketch echoes one of the tallest monuments of the USSR — a 108-meter steel rocket with a titanium smoke trail, standing at the main entrance of VDNH. The designer considers real superheroes not only those who launched humanity’s space era — creating satellites, designing spacecraft, and traveling to orbit themselves — but also those who brought to life the colossal, curved monument "To the Conquerors of Space": the great engineers, designers, and architects behind our country’s space achievements. Embroidered patches featuring original sketches continue the story of space exploration in the language of fashion design. The upward trajectory of the rocket serves as both a metaphor for the designer’s own life philosophy and a visualization of the potential of Russia’s fashion industry.

Diana Koltashova

The storyline of this outerwear collection is built around a house in the village of Kunara, Sverdlovsk region. The structure was created by a simple blacksmith, Sergei Ivanovich Kirillov, who dedicated 13 years of his life to its decoration during the peak of the USSR’s fight against architectural excess from 1954 to 1967. Sergei Ivanovich transformed a dark and gloomy izba into a fairy-tale tower. The vibrant and life-affirming world of fantasy, brought to life through the hard work and hands of an ordinary person, continues in the designs of this emerging fashion designer. The house’s colorful façade inspired the palette of the collection, its intricate carved ornaments were translated into jacket and puffer coat prints, and the house’s wrought-iron decorative details — pioneers, doves, and flowers — were reimagined as accessories. Embossed floral motifs, crafted using the traditional trapunto technique, are scattered across the garments as voluminous decorative elements. What began as a naïve fairy tale in a simple blacksmith’s home has evolved into a heroic epic and a part of the history of Russia’s contemporary fashion design.

SERGEY SYSOEV FW 2024/25

Photographs taken during a walk through VDNH have been masterfully transformed into signature prints for the seasonal collection. Still lifes featuring the natural bounty of the Soviet republics, stucco molding in the Stalinist Empire style, and bronze sculptures — all of these elements tell the story of the iconic architects, sculptors, and artists of the grand 1950s in the USSR. The façade of VDNH’s largest building, the Agriculture Pavilion ("Ukrainian SSR"), is adorned with a ceramic panel depicting grains, vegetables, fruits, and floral decorations. These details have been reimagined as prints on coats and dresses in the designer's collection.

From the author

SERGEY SYSOEV Fashion School KOSYGIN UNIVERSITY is the exclusive school of fashion artist, PhD in Art History, and professor Sergey Sysoev. Here, the renowned designer shares his professional experience, engaging successful fashion industry insiders in the educational process. The best students receive the opportunity to take their first professional steps on the country’s leading runways and expositions.

The study of architecture is an essential part of developing a fashion designer’s professional competencies. Following similar principles of form creation, both architecture and costume reflect the philosophy of their time, affirm concepts of harmony, perfection, and the aesthetic ideal of their era through unique stylistic solutions.

For a long time in art history, architecture was considered the primary style-forming element, with other art forms adopting its new styles. At that time, fashion was not recognized as an independent creative discipline in academic classifications.

By the late 20th century, as architecture lost its universal voice and ceased to express the individuality of its creators, it was fashion that began to generate stylistic trends, speaking a new, accessible visual language. The protagonists of the fashion movement in the second half of the 20th century were designers who had received an architectural education or were deeply immersed in the study of architectural trends, or who emerged from the architectural field: Christian Dior, Pierre Cardin, Pierre Balmain, Gianfranco Ferré, Tom Ford, Rei Kawakubo, Hussein Chalayan, Virgil Abloh…

Thus, when a fashion designer turns to architectural sources, it opens new avenues for discovery — revealing overlooked details, drawing unexpected parallels, and generating innovative stylistic solutions.