Vyacheslav Zaitsev - biography. Vyacheslav Zaitsev struggles with a serious illness Zaitsev fashion designer personal life

Vyacheslav Zaitsev is a famous domestic couturier, who was the first in our country to open his own Fashion House, and built a real empire of style, bearing the name of the master. Today, at 79 years old, the talented author is still in the ranks, able to sew for any age, and creating masterpieces of image and taste with his own hands.

Wikipedia: Vyacheslav Mikhailovich Zaitsev - fashion designer, designer, academician of the Russian Academy of Arts, is the Laureate of the State Prize of the Russian Federation, as well as two government awards.

The legendary couturier, who invented many clothing collections, is also known as a magnificent creator of paintings and graphic works that are the property of the Tretyakov Gallery.

Childhood and youth

Slava Zaitsev was born on March 2, 1938 in the city of Ivanovo, where the future celebrity spent his childhood and youth. Mom, Maria Ivanovna, was a worker in a weaving factory, and dad, Mikhail Yakovlevich, was an entertainer in the city park of culture.

When the boy was eight years old, his father, a former prisoner of war, was given 10 years in the camps, and the family received the status of enemies of the people. As the couturier himself recalls, that time was difficult, hungry, but not devoid of joy. Very optimistic and cheerful, Slava was not only an excellent student and an exemplary member of the Komsomol, but also the only support for his mother, who was ill for a long time.

The future celebrity disappeared in the evenings in the Ivanovo Drama Theater, sang with his mother in several choirs, and dreamed of entering a music school. But the stigma of the son of an enemy of the people did not make it possible to do this - they did not take the documents. They were accepted only to the chemical-technological Ivanovo technical school, after which, with honors in 1956, the guy acquired the profession of “textile artist”. Following the advice of teachers who saw the talent of a young man, the designer leaves for Moscow to continue his studies, and enters the Institute of Textiles.

Personal life

The capital received the Ivanovo provincial not very affectionately. There was a catastrophic lack of money, and Slava had to earn extra money as a servant in order to make ends meet. And all his free time the student was lost in libraries and museums, studying the history of domestic and foreign costume.

Loneliness in the capital did not last long - a turning point in his personal life came when Slava met and fell in love with Marina, his classmate. Having played a modest student wedding, the young people settled in a cramped rented room in a communal apartment. A year after the start of family life, the son Yegor was born, who later followed in the footsteps of his father, becoming a famous designer. Like his father, who has been struggling with inertia and system in fashion all his life, Yegor creates clothing collections designed to fight glamor.

Unfortunately, after 9 years of marriage, the marriage broke up, leaving a deep wound in the heart of Vyacheslav Mikhailovich from separation from his son. So without marrying a second time, the artist devoted himself entirely to the cause of serving art and people. Today Vyacheslav has two granddaughters, the eldest of whom, Maria, continues the family tradition, studying at the Fashion Laboratory created by the couturier.

Start of professional activity

Vyacheslav Zaitsev, who graduated with honors from the institute, was full of big plans and creative ideas. But the distribution forced the guy to work at the Babushkinsky experimental clothing factory as an artistic director. Dreaming of creating beautiful things and coming up with many bold sketches, the artist had to sew uniforms for workers.

The young author, who does not tolerate mediocrity, in his first works tried to paint traditional padded jackets and felt boots with bright colors. The first collection of picturesque overalls created was rejected by the management. In those gray, dull times, when a standard was set for everything, the authorities did not need either freethinking or innovation.

Slava was sent to the workshop to sew clothes from stale fabrics, having been removed from the post of head. But this did not stop the talented fashion designer. From old illiquid fabrics, the artist managed to sew such things that the quality of the material did not play any role.

Confession

Despite the fact that the collection he created did not find recognition among his compatriots, the very first show of the fashion designer turned out to be so unusual and memorable that the young man's talent was noted abroad.

From Wikipedia about Vyacheslav Mikhailovich Zaitsev: the French magazine Paris Match, which published his collection, spoke about the designer as follows - “Zaitsev dictates fashion in Moscow” .

Thanks to this article, the German and American press began to overcome the master, which played into the hands of fame. Three years later, Slava was spotted by the French couturier Pierre Cardin (Dior), who, having attended the show of the collection, noted him as a worthy rival in his profession. But, since all contacts with foreigners were taboo for citizens of the USSR, they got to know each other better only in 1965.

Subsequently, after 25 years, it was Slava Zaitsev who became the first Russian fashion designer to whom the Parisian Maison de Couture granted the right to participate in world high fashion shows. But up to this point, it was still necessary to go through the thorns of the Soviet era and the perestroika period, which fell on the very heyday of the fashion designer's work.

Work in the All-Union House of Clothing Models

The authorities of the Soviet Union, realizing the value of a fashion designer for the image of the country, offered the master to head the team of the All-Union House of Fashion Models, becoming the artistic director of the ODMO. From now on, many movie stars and celebrities have become clients of the fashion designer.

Wikipedia: the result of the designer's work in the House of Models was the creation of the famous collection "Russian Series" from Ivanovo calicos based on folk motifs (1976), and other works shown abroad.

But international shows, so significant for the creative success of the author, always took place, alas, without the participation of Zaitsev, since the authorities were afraid to let the Russian celebrity go abroad. It was then that the artist began to be perceived in the West as a leader in the world of Russian fashion, giving him the name "Red Dior".

But recognition and success did not save from trouble. Shortly after breaking up with his wife, in 1971, a famous fashion designer gets into a terrible accident. After being chained to a hospital bed for half a year with broken legs, loss of vision and concussion, the young artist nevertheless tried to paint. Wikipedia does not mention Vyacheslav Zaitsev's illness, but then only a great love of life and a desire for creativity helped him get back on his feet.

Theatre

Having overcome a serious condition and depression, Vyacheslav became interested in theatrical business - he began to create costumes for many theatrical productions, which brought him closer to famous theater and film actors. In the eighties, the couturier even made costumes for the Broadway theater, which staged the production of the musical "Sophisticated Ladz".

The designer's recent works include costumes for the production of the famous play The Queen of Spades at the Maly Theatre. In "Sovremennik" he is also a co-author-scenographer of the production of "Three Sisters" by Galina Volchek.

The designer worked on the style of the form of domestic athletes at the Olympics - 80, and the popular Na-Na Bari Alibasov group also owes Vyacheslav Mikhailovich their costumes.

Painting

Repeatedly held individual exhibitions in different countries (America, Estonia, Belgium), allowed the canvases to become famous not only in their own country. Many paintings are in private collections, five works from a number of works of graphics and painting are exhibited in the Tretyakov Gallery.

Own fashion house

After thirteen years of work in the ODMO, tired of fighting the system, Vyacheslav Mikhailovich left there as a deputy artistic director. The motivation was simple: ideas, projects, and the models themselves are distorted, not reaching the buyer, by multi-level norms and advice.

Despite the fact that creativity and fashion collections were very popular abroad, the couturier did not think to leave. On the basis of factory No. 19 of individual tailoring, he began to work with orders from the Fashion House, located on Mira Avenue. First, he became its artistic director, and then - the permanent director, elected by the collective votes of the team. It is here that the most popular collections in many countries, recognizable by their special style, are created to this day.

Zaitsev today

Today, the audience at the shows of Vyacheslav's fashion collections applauds standing and with tears in their eyes. The Parkinson's disease that struck the couturier and problems with the joints make it difficult for the legendary fashion designer to move. He is supported by his ex-wife Marina, his son and granddaughters, and the master himself does not lose courage and hope for recovery.

In his Fashion Laboratory, Honored Professor Zaitsev has been graduating young designers for many years, teaching them looseness, courage and the ability to defend their own position. Despite his venerable age and his ailment, the couturier is young at heart and full of plans to create a new competitive team of Russian fashion designers.

He has a huge house, which is always open to friends, and Vyacheslav Mikhailovich himself considers himself a happy person, as he has done a lot and still dreams of doing it. For half a century of work in the fashion industry, the couturier dressed and taught to feel the style of thousands of people - famous and ordinary. By the way Vyacheslav Mikhailovich once said to himself, not without irony: “I will calm down only when all the women are dressed luxuriously, and the men - like me,” one can foresee that his contribution to art and fashion will surprise more than once.

To the anniversary of the great master Polina Ukhanova, head of the International Exhibition Center “Museum of Fashion” and curator of the exhibition “Nostalgia for Beauty. To the anniversary of the great master, ”said the site about the main moments of Vyacheslav Zaitsev’s career and his ascent to fashion Olympus.

Honorary citizen of Paris and Ivanovo

Albert Pushkarev / TASS

Slava Zaitsev is a brand and a legend. Without exaggeration, he can be called the most famous Russian couturier of the second half of the 20th century. The main feature of Vyacheslav Mikhailovich Zaitsev is his endless love for Russia, absolute, boundless devotion to the Motherland, which pervades all his work. No wonder the maestro's most famous collections are the Millennium of the Baptism of Russia and the Russian Seasons.

The Millennium of the Baptism of Russia collection, shown by Zaitsev in New York in 1987, revived in Europe the fashion for Russian style and luxury, which Western designers quickly adopted and introduced into their collections. For the “Russian Seasons”, exhibited in Paris, in the late 1980s he was awarded the title of “Honorary Citizen of Paris” and a medal from the hands of Jacques Chirac himself. At the same time, in his native Ivanovo, Vyacheslav Zaitsev became an honorary citizen a few years later.

Popular

For Zaitsev, the "game of nationality" is beloved and traditional, which he has been fond of from the very beginning of his career. Even during the Soviet era, he called himself “a Russian person, a Russian artist”, emphasizing his “Russianness” and refusing to adapt to the narrow boundaries of “Sovietness”.

Unfortunately, this love of the fashion designer for his country, for the national Russian culture and roots makes many people think that Zaitsev works only in the style of a folk costume, color and ornamentalism of Pavlovo Posad shawls, although this is far from the case.

At the exhibition in the Museum and Exhibition Center “Museum of Fashion” “Nostalgia for beauty. For the anniversary of the great master ”there are a lot of images that are made in a completely different way, in a classical style. Some outfits are inspired by the work of the great couturiers of the early twentieth century: Paul Poiret, Coco Chanel, Elsa Schiaparelli. Zaitsev loves and understands history, creatively reworking its symbolism and introducing it into his collections.

ahead of time

Mikhail Metzel/TASS

Slava Zaitsev was always ahead of his time, which was especially noticeable in the era of the USSR. He was the first who boldly, openly and very sincerely declared the presence of fashion and style behind the Iron Curtain, proved that fashion exists in Soviet Russia, and at a very high, even couture level.

An important role in the work of Zaitsev belongs to his Fashion Theater - a unique project that has been successfully touring the world for more than a decade. Slava Zaitsev was the first in Russia to declare that a fashion show is not only a demonstration of clothes, but also a show. In doing so, he anticipated contemporary performances, which are often arranged by young designers.

Zaitsev played an equally important role in shaping the scientific approach and developing interest in fashion in our country, initiating the first discussions on the paths and vectors of fashion development - in fact, the first fashion forums. He paid special attention to working with young people, emphasizing that fashion is created not only by the artist, but also by the street.

Red Dior

For more than 30 years, Vyacheslav Zaitsev has been known abroad as "Red Dior", hinting at his impeccable taste, comparable only to the legend of world fashion - Christian Dior, whose works Zaitsev continues to be inspired to this day. Dior and Yves Saint Laurent are the favorite couturiers of the Russian fashion master. Slava Zaitsev is friends with many great fashion designers, including Pierre Cardin. The master's collections are shown on the world's best catwalks - in Paris, New York, Delhi and others.

In Soviet times, in the position of artistic director of the Experimental Workshop and deputy artistic director of the All-Union House of Clothing Models, he descended “from Olympus to the stream”, creating various models for various enterprises of a huge country, always of perfect quality. He independently traveled to textile factories, selecting the best fabrics (silk, wool, staple, cotton) and synthetic materials that came into fashion during the conquest of space - in the 1960s and 1970s.

Painter, sculptor, fashion designer

Like the best fashion designers of the 20th century, Vyacheslav Mikhailovich knows how to "see" the fabric, like a sculptor who is able to see the beautiful Venus in a block of marble. A roll of fabric - even the simplest, unpresentable - he can imagine, imagine as a luxurious outfit. Very subtly, almost intuitively, at the level of an artist, Zaitsev feels the harmony of colors and the plasticity of fabrics and materials.

Longtime buyers and fans of the Slava Zaitsev brand admit that dresses, suits and jackets from Slava Zaitsev can be worn for decades - they not only do not go out of fashion, but also do not lose their shape, appearance and color. His clothes are impeccable in every sense - both aesthetic and functional, he is an absolute fan of his work and a workaholic striving for impeccability.

- Russian fashion designer, whose name is widely known far beyond the borders of Russia.

Vyacheslav Zaitsev: biography


The famous designer was born on March 2, 1938 in Ivanovo, then still a city in the Soviet SSR. The fashion designer's father was Mikhail Yakovlevich, his mother was Maria Ivanovna, despite the difficult war and post-war years, the parents were able to give the boy a good education, in September 1945 Slava Zaitsev was enrolled in the first grade of Ivanovo secondary school No. 22, after graduating from which in 1952, Vyacheslav enters the chemical-technological college. After 4 years of hard study, Vyacheslav Zaitsev finally received the coveted crust of a textile drawing artist, with which he went to Moscow to enter the Moscow Textile Institute, which he graduated with honors in 1952. According to the distribution, Vyacheslav Zaitsev got to the experimental and technical clothing factory of the Mosoblsovnarkhoz in the city of Babushkino as the artistic director of this enterprise. Vyacheslav Zaitsev has been working in this position for a long time.


His first collection of clothes was a line of special working uniforms for residents of the region and the village, rejected by the party leadership, which did not prevent its publication in the Paris Match magazine, under a loud inscription that said this man dictates fashion trends in the capital. It is thanks to this article, containing bright and colorful photos that the collection has not become available to the public, that Vyacheslav Zaitsev is recognized abroad.

Vyacheslav Zaitsev: collaboration with Pierre Cardin


In 1965, he was approached by Pierre Cardin and Mark Boan (Dior), who came specifically to express admiration for the talent of a young Russian designer, who, not long before, nevertheless managed to achieve recognition in the union and get the position of artistic director of the experimental and technical enterprise of the All-Union House of Fashion Models on the Kuznetsk bridge, abbreviated as ODMO.


Celebrities who arrived to meet the novice designer, including Guy Laroche, admitted that they did not expect to meet in Soviet Russia, a person so imbued with the spirit of fashion, which was written in the newspaper Women's Casual Clothes, which published an article under the loud title - "Kings fashion."


But, despite the growing popularity among foreign colleagues, Vyacheslav Zaitsev could not get permission to leave the USSR until 1986, therefore he remained an employee of the ODMO for 13 years, developing sketches and sewing clothes for different segments of the population of the Soviet Republic. During the years of his work as artistic director, Vyacheslav Zaitsev holds a show that has become incredibly popular in the Soviet Union and abroad, collections called "Russian Series", as well as a clothing line created on a folk motif from Ivanovo chintz, considered at the time of 1960-1970 's one of the best fabrics for tailoring. These collections are deservedly considered one of the main ones in the design work of Vyacheslav Zaitsev, largely thanks to their creation they began to talk about the master of fashion, finally, a well-deserved and long-awaited success came, accompanied by a storm of applause at fashion shows held in China, the USA, Japan, France and others. states. The author himself never attended these shows, for the reasons already mentioned, the government was afraid to lose such a valuable shot, and therefore access to trips remained closed, one had to be content with eyewitness accounts.


In 1967, Vyacheslav Zaitsev presented a new dress on the country's main podium in Moscow, which received the name "Russia" in the collection. The novelty was so liked by buyers and critics that it further increased interest in the designer from Western colleagues, as well as the media, who dubbed Zaitsev none other than Red Dior. Western colleagues could not understand how such a legendary and gifted person could live and work in the conservative and monotonous from their point of view Soviet Union. Confirmation of the growing fame was the publication in the Czechoslovak fashion magazine "Kvety" of a review for 1974, dedicated to the 100 best artists in the fashion world, the name of Vyacheslav Zaitsev stood next to the name of the famous Christian Dior. In 1976, Czechoslovak workers were pleased with the loud news that Vyacheslav Zaitsev agreed to cooperate with the Yablonek company, which organized the release of a series of jewelry he personally designed.


A few months later, Zaitsev holds the first fashion shows under the auspices of this company in the cities of Jablonec, Brno and Karlovy Vary.

Vyacheslav Zaitsev: career


After his departure from ODMO, Vyacheslav Zaitsev does not take a break from work, immediately getting a job at factory No. 19 indposhiva and starting work on fashion collections for the Fashion House, which at that time was planned to open in Moscow on Mira Avenue. After the opening, which happened in 1982, Vyacheslav Zaitsev was appointed to the post of chief artistic director of this organization, and 6 years later in 1988, the director of the entire institution. Vyacheslav Zaitsev remains in this position to this day, with the help of the inexhaustible resources of the Fashion House, creating his endlessly beautiful clothing collections, such as Pret-a-Porter and Haute Couture.


No longer a young designer, he is in constant search for something new and previously unused, striking his colleagues and the public with his skill and good taste. Among the most popular and noteworthy collections of the fashion designer, the following can be noted:
1. "1000th anniversary of the Baptism of Russia" (1987-1988);
2. "Russian Seasons in Paris" (1988);
3. Collection of clothing models from European fabrics (1988);
4. Collection of models of men's fashion (1989);
5. Collection of models of women's clothing from domestic fabrics (1990);
6. "The agony of perestroika" (1990-1991);
7. "Awakening" (1995-1996);
8. "Plague" (1995-1996);
9. "How young we will be" (1996-1997);
10. "Temptation" (1997);
11. "Event" (1997-1998);
12. Leafing through the pages of memory (1998-1999);
13. "Insight" (1999) - the first fur collection in Russia;
14. Collection of ready-to-wear and haute couture spring-summer 2000-2001 (1999);
15. "Secrets of Harmony" (2000);
16. Luxury ready-to-wear 2001 (2000);
17. "Dedication" (2001);
18. ready-to-wear 2002 (2001);
19. "Invasion" (2002);
20. Ready-to-wear 2003 (2002);
21. Divertissement (2003);
22. ready-to-wear 2004 (2003);
23. "Nostalgia for the times gone by" (2004);
24. "Improvisation" - ready-to-wear 2005;
25. "Secrets of temptation" (2005);
26. ready-to-wear de luxe 2006 (2005);
27. "Playing with ..." (2006);
28. Phantasmagoria (2006);
29. Origins (2008).


It was these collections of Vyacheslav Zaitsev that aroused the greatest interest of the public and critics in him, made his name well known even to those who actually have nothing to do with fashion.

Vyacheslav Zaitsev: creativity

The invention of new images and their subsequent implementation takes a lot of time and effort from the designer, however, he finds the strength to devote part of his life to another art form - drawing. Vyacheslav Zaitsev is fond of painting and drawing, his works are not a continuation of fashionable subjects, they have their own history, since the designer's easel painting has already taken pride of place among the paintings of contemporary artists. For painting, the artist most often uses pastel, pencil and felt-tip pen, believing that the current world needs to be painted using modern materials. In bright pictures, first of all, the emotional mood of the author, his emotional experiences, joys and sorrows are reflected, which is why they turn out to be quite sensual and semantic, forcing the viewer to think.


Today, Vyacheslav Zaitsev is not just a celebrity, a world-famous designer, but a person who is always ready to help, so, at the special request of the government, the designer designed and developed a series of fashionable and comfortable uniforms for Russian police officers, which earned them endless gratitude.


The designer also worked on the creation of stage costumes for movie stars, theater stars, music stars, made a whole series of costumes for ice dancing athletes and many other collections.
Vyacheslav Zaitsev outlined his views on fashion and life back in 1980 in two books at once, which became the most widely read in the Soviet Union. The first book was called "Such a changeable fashion", the second "This changeable world of fashion." In 1992, the book “Nostalgia for Beauty” appeared in English, devoted entirely to the creative path of Vyacheslav Zaitsev. In 2006, I was able to enjoy reading a new book about the famous designer Slava Zaitsev. Secrets of the Temptation”, this book is beautifully illustrated and rather resembles an album of personal photos of a celebrity.


A world-famous designer is constantly being invited to all kinds of fashion shows, to judging panels, and the like, for example, in 2009, the fashion designer became one of the main judges at the Gubernsky Style international fashion festival.

Vyacheslav Zaitsev: personal life


Vyacheslav Zaitsev was married, but the marriage broke up and now he and his ex-wife Marina Vladimirovna live separately, meeting only at joint dinners at the family table. Only one child was born from this marriage - the son of Yegor Vyacheslavovich, who is also a designer at the moment. The designer also has two granddaughters - Marusya and Nastya.



Zaitsev Vyacheslav Mikhailovich - Russian fashion designer, theater costume designer.
He is fond of painting, his works were exhibited in many art galleries of the world. Author of several books on fashion and style.

Color graphics by Vyacheslav Zaitsev






Painting by Vyacheslav Zaitsev

About his easel work, Zaitsev himself said this: “My painting is impulsive, full of faces, images-symbols unexpected for me, replete with exits to the astral world, the surreal world, in which I find answers to questions that torment me, unspoken grievances, disappointments, anxieties. , emotional upheavals, unexpected actions; sometimes these are dreams realized in drawings, poems, sometimes visions in the night.

"It was the 90th year. Then a new era began in my life - the Fashion House was formed, a stable life began. Since then, I give all my pain to the paintings. Is that why all the faces on my canvases are strange, suffering? For me painting is the liberation of the soul."

I go into loneliness.
I open the door, I hurry
Light a heat emitting lantern.
The stream of its rays hastens
Warm me up and comfort me.
But I know how hard it is.
It's hard for me, it seems to be the same for others.
But the one, the other, the loneliness of my soul
It can only be understood externally.
Leave, I'll be left alone again -
And all over again.
But it is clear that God has ordained this path for me.
Humble myself and I will live

Vyacheslav Zaitsev

Experts call Vyacheslav Zaitsev's paintings psychedelic. It must be said that Zaitsev's paintings are valued by connoisseurs and have a high market value. There was even such an unpleasant episode in the life of the artist and his paintings: Zaitsev's country house was robbed, and it was the paintings that were stolen. Fortunately, then everything was found, but the most unpleasant thing in all this was that the robbery was organized by a person from the inner circle of Vyacheslav Zaitsev - a person with whom he collaborated and whom he trusted very much.

Psychedelia (psychedelic) is a culture of liberated consciousness. Initially, psychedel was strongly associated with psychotropic substances, now it can be consumed in its pure form, without doping. As the art theorist Pavel Pepperstein said: “Psychedelic should not be reduced only to psychotropic drugs. There is a psychedelic of everyday life, it is easy to be convinced of this. "highlight" various zones of the psyche, creating the effects of asymmetric enlightenments, illuminations. Thus, we see that drugs (cocaine, heroin, alcohol, etc.), contrary to popular belief, are not welcome in the psychedelic movement.
Psychedelic, as an art, was born in the 60s of the last century, with the advent of the famous drug LSD. At that time, the new hallucinogen was extremely popular and was considered a harmless guide to the world of one's own expanded consciousness. The development of psychedelia was influenced by surrealism, dadaism, hippie, punk, and rave subcultures.
The epithet "psychedelic" is now applied to all kinds of art, for example, cinema, visual arts, music, literature, even sculpture and design are psychedelic.

Behind the shoulders of the famous fashion designer and artist solo exhibitions in Russia, USA, Belgium, Estonia ...
His works of art are in the collections of major museums, galleries and private collections, and the title of People's Artist of the Russian Federation and full member of the Russian Academy of Arts speaks for itself.

Vyacheslav Zaitsev was born on March 2, 1938 in Ivanovo, in a working-class family.
In 1945 he entered the Ivanovo secondary school.
In 1952 he entered the Ivanovo Chemical-Technological College.
In 1956 he graduated from the Faculty of Applied Arts of this technical school with honors.
In 1956 he came to Moscow and entered the Moscow Textile Institute.
In 1962 he graduated with honors from the institute with a degree in fashion design and, according to the distribution, was sent to the city of Babushkin to the "Experimental and technical clothing factory of the Mosoblsovnarkhoz" as artistic director.
Since 1962, he has been working at the experimental clothing factory of the Mossovnarkhoz, heading an experimental group in the all-union "House of Models on Kuznetsky Most".
Ten years later, Zaitsev starts all over again in a small atelier, which later develops into the Moscow Fashion House.

His first collection of overalls for village workers impressed everyone with its brightness and courage - Zaitsev offered colored padded jackets, skirts from colorful Pavlovsky Posad shawls, he even painted felt boots with gouache before the show.
The collection was not accepted, but a photo report about it was published by foreign publications (including the magazine "Paris Match"). So the name of the Russian fashion designer became known to the famous French couturier and the whole world.

In 1965, the leaders of world fashion - Pierre Cardin, Marc Bohan and Guy Laroche called Vyacheslav Zaitsev "an equal among equals", and later the French press would dub him "Red Dior" in recognition of his talent.
Since then, Vyacheslav Zaitsev has been the undisputed leader of Russian fashion.

In 1980, two books by Zaitsev were published: "Such a changeable fashion" and "This many-sided world of fashion." In the same year, Vyacheslav Zaitsev creates costumes for the participants of the Moscow Olympics, for which he was awarded the Order of the Badge of Honor.

In 1982, he was the first to open his Fashion House, and in 1988 he became its elected President.

Zaitsev was the first and for a long time the only one of the domestic fashion designers who put a name label on clothes.

Simultaneously with the opening of the Fashion House of Slava Zaitsev, the dream of a fashion designer to create a Fashion Theater was realized. The artist strove for a spectacular form as the most convincing in promoting his creative credo, as well as the goal that Slava Zaitsev set for himself: in direct communication with visitors to clothing demonstrations, to talk about beauty, good taste, the ability to find one's own style, about the rules of behavior in society .

In 1988, Madame Carvin, the head of the famous Fashion House, invited Zaitsev to show the Russian Seasons in Paris collection in the fashion capital. The master was waiting for a triumph and, as a result, the award by Jacques Chirac of the Gold Medal of the city of Paris and the title of honorary citizen of Paris.
The following year, Vyacheslav Zaitsev was named "man of the year in the fashion world."
Then, at the "World's Top Five Fashion Designers" festival held in Japan, he was recognized as the winner.


In 1992, Vyacheslav Zaitsev was the first of his colleagues to release, together with the French company "L´Oreal", his own perfumes "Maroussia" (Marusya) and "Authentic Maroussia" (Real (genuine) Marusya), which are extremely popular in the West.

Perfume Vyacheslav Mikhailovich so named in honor of his mother, whom he loved very much.

“During the war, my father was drafted into the army, and all the hardships of life fell on my mother, a simple and hardworking woman. In her younger years, my mother dreamed of a stage and was a gifted, sensitive and receptive person. That is why she had a very big influence on me, having aroused from childhood an interest in the world around us, in the beauty of nature, reading and folk song. I always sang, danced, was a clockwork boy, participated in amateur performances at school and in a technical school, spent evenings. People around called me "sunny boy."

Egor Zaitsev

And in 1993, his only son Yegor, by the way, also a fashion designer, had a daughter, Masha. As the happy grandfather said: "She was born already with her perfume."


My Marusechka - music and lyrics by Gerd (Gerard) Vilnov
Sings - Pyotr Leshchenko

In 1994, for the first time, Vyacheslav Zaitsev holds the Nadezhda Lamanova Competition for Young Fashion Designers. (Nadezhda Petrovna Lamanova (1861-1941) - a well-known Russian and Soviet fashion designer, theater costume designer. She had the title of "Supplier of the Court of Her Imperial Majesty." She stood at the origins of Russian and Soviet fashion of the 20th century).

Zaitsev leads the competitions "Exercise" (teachers and students of sewing colleges and lyceums), "Golden Needle", the festival "Velvet Seasons" in Sochi.

Despite his enormous employment, Vyacheslav Mikhailovich conducts multifaceted creative work with young artists, fashion designers and designers. His work is truly ascetic work.


Throughout his creative activity, Vyacheslav Zaitsev reveals himself as an extraordinary, multifaceted person who loves his native land, its nature and folk art, in which folk costume is not the last


From 2007 to July 13, 2009 - the host of the television show "Fashionable Sentence" on Channel One.

Vyacheslav Zaitsev holder of the Order of the Badge of Honor, the Order of Merit for the Fatherland IV degree, People's Artist of the Russian Federation, Honored Artist of the Russian Federation, Laureate of the State Prize of the Russian Federation. And it's all one person!

In addition to everything previously listed, Vyacheslav Zaitsev writes poetry, is engaged in artistic photography - a talented person is talented in all his manifestations.

Models are somewhat unexpected - I would say so.)))
In these works, the oriental theme is clearly present with its bright colors and bliss.


Fantasy on the theme of "Polovtsian Dances" from the opera "Prince Igor" by Alexander Porfiryevich Borodin
Performed by Paul Mauriat and his Orchestra




Photo painting by Vyacheslav Zaitsev

Collection Autumn-Winter 2009-2010


A collection of dresses from Russian linen - all fabrics from which the products of the collection are sewn are Russian-made


Evening dresses, coats and, especially, hats show the signature style of the great fashion master

The collections of Vyacheslav Zaitsev are replete with accessories, so it is not surprising that the master turned his attention to shawls and scarves. Shawls from Zaitsev are flowing silk with a bright pattern, mostly geometric shapes.
But scarves can be not only an addition to the outfit, they can become the material from which these outfits are sewn. An example of this is the models below, and the collection of folk-style costumes designed by Zaitsev for the Russian Song ensemble of Nadezhda Babkina.
Fashion designer Zaitsev loves Pavlovo Posad shawls - this can be seen from his products, which are addressed not only to artists.










Do you think all this will wear?
I believe that all this should be sewn!


Sergei Nikitin to the words of Yuri Levitansky - Dialogue at the New Year Tree (waltz from the music to the film "Moscow Does Not Believe in Tears")
Singing - Tatyana and Sergey Nikitin


Valenki - Russian folk song
Sings - Lidia Ruslanova

Fashion history

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02.04.14 16:13

This Russian fashion designer has received so many awards and titles that you involuntarily begin to envy him. During his life, he went through many trials and difficulties, but he managed to achieve fame and success, no matter what. Meet Vyacheslav Mikhailovich Zaitsev.

Biography of Slava Zaitsev

Childhood and youth of the future fashion designer

The boy was born on March 2, 1938 in the city of Ivanovo. His childhood passed in difficult conditions, since at that time the war began. His father had to go to the front, and the care of his son fell on his mother's shoulders.

In 1945, Vyacheslav entered the secondary school. In addition to schooling, his mother Maria Ivanovna instilled in him a love of knowledge. By nature, she was a gifted person, although she was not able to fully reveal her talent. But she passed on some of her abilities to her son.

At the age of 14, Vyacheslav enters the Chemical Technology College, where he continues his studies. In 1956, he received a diploma in the specialty of a textile drawing artist. And after 6 years he graduated from the textile institute in Moscow. After that, he is hired to work in a garment factory.

Zaitsev's innate talent

As you know, Vyacheslav Mikhailovich loved to draw from childhood. This ability came in handy while studying at a technical school and institute. Firstly, he had a talent for this, and secondly, he worked hard to develop his abilities.

In those years, Zaitsev studied drawing as the basis of graphics, began to copy Western masters, and was engaged in drawing ancient figures, Egyptian frescoes, etc. All this skill came in handy at the time when he began to create his first models.

At the factory, Vyacheslav Zaitsev creates a collection of workwear, which was immediately rejected. However, later Pierre Cardin himself and Mark Bohan find Zaitsev to express their gratitude for the invention of that unique collection, which did not find its application in the USSR.

Already at this time, the fashion designer showed his best side, creating fashionable women's clothing for the capital and the region. He is invited to work in the experimental technical workshop as an artistic director.

For all the time of his work, the talented fashion designer created many seasonal collections that were in great demand at light industry enterprises.

The years 1965-1968 were remembered for the fact that Vyacheslav Zaitsev demonstrated the author's collection called "Russian Series".

Since the 80s of the XX century, Zaitsev has continued to create various collections, which are shown not only in Russia, but also in Paris, New York and other major cities around the world.

TV presenter career

In addition to his main profession, Vyacheslav Zaitsev began to broadcast on television "Fashionable Sentence". The program shows viewers an almost real trial, in which its judges must fairly evaluate a person who is accused of not following fashion for a long time.

All the achievements of Zaitsev

It is difficult to list all the achievements of Vyacheslav Mikhailovich, since there are a lot of them. But it is worth saying that thanks to his innate talent and extreme hard work, he became not only a Russian fashion designer, but also a painter, People's Artist of the Russian Federation, professor of the humanities, TV program host, author of several famous books and just a wonderful person.

Personal life

Vyacheslav Zaitsev was married to Marina Zaitseva, but the marriage broke up, the reliable reasons are still unknown. From marriage there is a son, whose name is Yegor. He followed in his father's footsteps and became a designer. In addition, there are granddaughters Nastya and Marusya Zaitsev.

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