Fashion event transpired within the cultural center "Rekord"
In the heart of Russia, the city of Nizhny Novgorod is witnessing a surge in local design and fashion industries. The recent "Russian Fashion: Between Value and Worth" forum, held at the "Record" cultural centre, brought together local designers and fashion entrepreneurs to discuss strategies for mass producing unique items and cultivating strong local brand identities.
One such designer is Yana Mikhrovskaya, the founder and creative director of a Nizhny Novgorod jewelry brand. Yana launched her brand in 2019, finding inspiration in the city's rich cultural heritage, particularly the Bezvodninsky Maiden Troika costume. For Yana, her brand and the costume remain closely connected, with the latter continuing to inspire her work on her jewelry line.
Another attendee was Nadezhda Andrianova, designer and founder of a Nizhny Novgorod clothing brand. Both Yana and Nadezhda share a common vision for the future of their local brands and Nizhny Novgorod as a whole.
The forum discussions focused on various strategies for local designers to thrive. One such approach is collaboration with scientific schools, universities, and companies. The government encourages these joint ventures, supporting all stages from project ideation to business launch and scaling. This cooperation can help designers access research, innovations, and production technologies, optimising mass production while preserving uniqueness.
Another key strategy is the development and protection of intellectual property, such as trademarks and patents. Russia has approximately one million active trademarks, and the number continues to grow, especially in light industries like fashion. Expanding lending opportunities secured by these intellectual properties can provide necessary funding for production facilities.
The digital revolution is also playing a significant role in the growth of local brands. Small and medium enterprises, including local craftsmen and designers in smaller cities like Nizhny Novgorod, can now reach customers through expanding online marketplaces. This digital presence allows unique items to gain wider visibility and demand beyond local markets.
Moreover, the integration of digital and technological innovations is streamlining production and creating distinctive designs at scale. Events like the Tech Friendly Weekend Festival in Nizhny Novgorod, which featured sessions on fashion, design, and marketing within a tech context, indicate the local emphasis on merging traditional design with digital tools, such as AI and modern manufacturing techniques.
Participation in initiatives like the Rising Russian Brands contest provides designers with opportunities to launch and promote their brands, reaching new markets and gaining recognition, thus facilitating growth and mass production scaling.
Dmitry Seregin, co-organizer of the "Russian Fashion: Between Value and Worth" forum, supports the growing trend of the penetration of Russian brands. He believes that the increasing purchase of Russian brands by Russians is logical and should be continued. Seregin is optimistic about the future of the Russian fashion industry, with local brands gaining more recognition and market share both domestically and internationally.
For designers like Yana and Nadezhda, the forum provided valuable insights and opportunities to connect with other local designers and industry experts. They are confident that by leveraging these strategies and the supportive local ecosystem, they can effectively mass produce unique items and cultivate a strong local brand identity.
- Yana Mikhrovskaya, a designer from the Nizhny Novgorod jewelry brand, sees potential in collaborating with educational institutions to innovate and produce unique items more efficiently, drawing upon the rich cultural heritage of the city.
- Nadezhda Andrianova, designer and founder of a Nizhny Novgorod clothing brand, believes that the protection of intellectual property rights such as trademarks and patents, and accessing funds secured by these intellectual properties, can support the growth of her local brand in the fashion industry.
- Dmitry Seregin, co-organizer of the Russian Fashion forum, praises the growing trend of local fashion and lifestyle brands expanding their reach both domestically and internationally, and encourages the purchase of Russian brands to further support their development in business, education, fashion-and-beauty, and lifestyle industries.
