Russia Launches Its Own Fashion Council

Following in the footsteps of national fashion councils operated in key fashion markets such as the CFDA in America and the British Fashion Council in the UK, Russia has launched its own fashion council.

President and co-founder of Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Russia, Alexander Shumsky, made the announcement on Friday at the Russian Fashion Week which is held biannually in Moscow. "We have a lot of designers, but their business is very, very tiny," Shumsky told the press. "The idea is to teach them and promote them and help them to do business. A lot of designers are surviving from show to show."

The council will be lead by the elected honorary president of the Russian Fashion Council, fashion designer Slava Zaitsev as well as Shumsky. Several key fashion industry people are also involved and include Russian designers Alena Akhmadullina, Lena Karnauhova, and Julia Dalakian; industry experts Daria Yadernaya, the head of Esper Group, and the president of the Russian Public Relations Association Stanislav Naumov to name a few.

While actual specifics of the program have not been revealed what's known so far is that the council aims to bring together Russian fashion designers with local manufacturers and experts to further develop the fashion business in Russia by developing fashion education programs to support young talents. The council is also said to be working with Russia's Ministry of Trade to ensure easy international export of the goods, meaning that more Russian designers would be mad available in American local stores as a result.