Fashion collection inspired by Mezen painting was presented at the RUSSIA EXPO

The co-author and creative director of the knitted clothing brand Laina Chaika told how and why Moscow designers adapt folk northern painting to modern fashion trends at the stand of the Arkhangelsk region.

The young Russian brand came into being as a result of the creative union of creative designer Alla Balagura and producer Laina Chaika. Inspired by the unique color schemes and graphic elements that are characteristic of Mezen painting, they created the Mezen Winter collection.

The initial idea was to create a national sweater with authentic ornaments reflecting the cultural code of the country, similar to the world-famous Norwegian sweater with reindeer. The designers found such a Russian reindeer along with a horse in Mezen painting.

"When we started studying Mezen painting, it turned out that it is so rich in various natural symbols that they can be redesigned into openwork and knitted into cardigans, - said Laina Chaika. - The idea was to reformat traditional folk art, to adapt it to modern fashion trends, so that such clothes could be worn every day".

The designers first presented Northern painting in Paris in November 2023. At the show, dedicated to the influence of cultural codes of nations on the formation of international fashion, the collection gathered admiring feedback from the professional community.

In Russia, the collection was first presented at a fashion show in St. Petersburg on January 26 this year.

Alexandra Usacheva, Deputy Director General of the Governor's Center of the Arkhangelsk Region, told the guests of the exposition about the importance of such projects for the preservation and dissemination of the cultural heritage of the North.

"Synthesis of traditions and the present is an integral element of the development of creative industries, - she noted. - Today society has a demand for updates and innovations, but in this desire for the new, we need to be able to preserve folk culture. This project is a perfect example of how this can be realized".

In conclusion, the visitors were told about further plans for cooperation between the brand and the Arkhangelsk region, which include a fashion show in the capital of Pomorie, as well as a joint project with the Governor's Center for designers of the region.