Gosha Rubchinskiy has turned the whole world onto Russia; if you’ve seen style-conscious teenage boys (and a few girls) sporting cyrillic sloganeering and clothes that look like the wardrobe to a remake of Christiane F, he’s either directly responsible or an inspiration behind the style. So it makes sense that Gosha (as he’s invariably called) would choose, at some point, to show in Russia itself. His winter 2017 show was… well, very very wintry, staged as it was in the snowy, subzero environs of Kaliningrad, a key Russian port on the Baltic sea. Which means snow, and sailors, and sub-zero temperatures. It was minus 20 the week before. But more than a few few brave souls made the trek across the frozen tundra: well they might, as Gosha is one of the most interesting menswear designers out there right now. They weren’t disappointed. Gosha staged his show in a brand 19th century building, formerly home to the city’s stock exchange but now the Regional Centre of Youth Culture. And youth culture is, of course, what Gosha is all about. Influenced by his own heritage, and by Russia’s upcoming role as host of the 2018 FIFA World Cup, Gosha unveiled a collaboration with Adidas, for football and fashion fanatics alike. The sporty stuff was emblazoned with cyrillic letters- spelling “Football”, obis, and sometimes “Gosha Rubchinskiy” and even “Russia” which Mr Gosha has new er done before. Is he an ardent footie fan? Not really – but he does like anything that can bring folks together. Like a rousing football game, or a really great fashion show.
