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Gosha Rubchinskiy

Designer, Gosha Rubchinskiy

His gritty approach to fashion design has made him a poster child for post-Soviet youth culture.

Biography

Alongside Comme des Garçons chief executive  Adrian Joffe , the Russian-born designer and photographer has turned his low-key graphic T-shirt business into one of the most sought-after street fashion brands of today. Rubchinskiy launched his self-funded eponymous fashion business in 2008. Despite no formal fashion training and scarce financial resources, with the help of friends Rubchinskiy rented show spaces like sports stadiums, which would hold up to 600 attendees. However, the designer produced his garments in small quantities and would give them out to friends, meaning his business fell short.

In 2009, Anna Dyulgerova, the former Russian Vogue fashion editor turned creative consultant, selected Rubchinskiy to show as part of Cycles & Seasons, an alternative fashion week in Moscow. A presentation staged at a church-turned-Soviet sports hall attracted the attention of international media and buyers, but the label couldn’t process the requests due to lack of inventory. However, it did land him an invitation to London Fashion Week, where he presented a 12-piece collection.

Back in Moscow with no money or team, Rubchinskiy became depressed and put his label on hold. In 2012, he met Comme des Garçons president and Dover Street Market founder, Adrian Joffe, who wanted to stock Rubchinskiy’s products in his store. Today, Rubchinskiy is responsible for the creative side of the business, including the design of the collections, but the business entity and Gosha Rubchinskiy trademark is wholly owned by Comme des Garçons, which also manages its production, sales and marketing.

Rubschinskiy showed his Spring/Summer 2015 collection during Paris Fashion week in June 2014. In 2016, he presented his Spring/Summer 2017 collection at the Pitti Uomo tradeshow in Florence.

He has also collaborated on two collections with Burberry. 

Today, Gosha Rubchinskiy has about 150 stockists worldwide and the designer, together with friends Demna Gvasalia and stylist Lotta Volkova , is credited with challenging the status quo around fashion design. Today, Rubchinskiy’s gritty approach to fashion design has made him something of a poster child for post-Soviet youth culture and gained him international recognition among fashion insiders and streetwear enthusiasts.

Vital Statistics

Nationality

Russia

Location
Russia
Member since
2016

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What is The BoF 500?

The people shaping the global fashion industry, curated by the editors of The Business of Fashion, based on nominations and on-the-ground intelligence from around the world.