Analytical Study of pre-post-socialist Russian Costumes to Develop New Trends in the Global Fashion System.

Prior to the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, Russia isolated more than 200 million people living in the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) from the rest of the world (Crowley & Reid, 2000). After the fall of socialism, Russian market has experienced a boom in consumerism (Belton, 2002), and the fashion industry started to focus Russia’s unique market since it represents a vast territory to be conquered by the processes of economic westernization (Bartlett, 2011). Despite of the increasing attention to the Russian fashion, often times, it has been fabricated to evoke Soviet iconography and socialist visuals and was remoted from genuine ethnic dress. The ‘images’ of Russian fashion presented in Western advertisements and promotions has been misleading (Bartlett, 2006). Little is known about Russian’s traditional clothing attributes and how Russian cultures are depicted in the global fashion industry. Thus, we must understand political, social, and sartorial history of Russia in order to examine what key events and different factors contributed to shape the imagery of Russian fashion today.
In this regards, the purpose of the research is to examine traditional Russian costumes to develop new trends and position Russian market in the global fashion system. Specific research objectives include a) examine political, social, and sartorial history of Russia to analyze factors influencing traditional clothing attributes, b) identify Russian traditional apparel design techniques, c) combine ethnic, tsarist, and socialist values into contemporary Russian fashion, d) develop prototypes that promote Russian traditional apparel attributes and design techniques, and e) devise competitive strategies to position Moscow as a global fashion capitol (as to Paris, Milan, and New York). The Russian traditional clothing attributes can be used to develop product positioning and promotional strategies in the global apparel industry. Through the historic dress and textiles research, the results can contribute to the understanding of the past and offer insights into present and future trends (Reeves-DeArmond, Ogle, & Tremblay, 2011).