Vyacheslav Zaitsev: the success story of a famous fashion designer
Vyacheslav Zaitsev was born on March 2, 1938 in Ivanovo, which was already considered the textile capital at that time. Vyacheslav's childhood was spent in difficult conditions: his mother worked as a washer and cleaner, and his father had the status of an "enemy of the people" (he was later rehabilitated). For this reason, Vyacheslav's entire childhood passed without the participation of his father, whom he managed to meet only as an adult. Until that time, he had his mother's maiden name — Kokurin, and after his father's rehabilitation he changed his surname, becoming the now famous Vyacheslav Zaitsev. However, such a difficult childhood did not break the future fashion designer, but only strengthened his fortitude.
Admission to the university was also not easy for Vyacheslav. In 1952, he applied to the Faculty of Applied Arts at the Chemical Technology College in Ivanovo, where he graduated with honors from the course in the specialty "textile drawing artist". One of the best graduates of the university, he received a referral to the Moscow Textile Institute, which he also successfully completed in 1962, becoming a certified fashion designer with a specialization in Decoration and Design.
Vyacheslav created his first clothing collection for female workers, but his creation was heavily criticized. He demonstrated bright and colorful clothes, instead of the usual gray shapeless dresses, which the working people did not like very much, for this reason he was transferred to work in the Consumer Goods workshop.
However, help came from nowhere: somehow the correspondents of the famous Paris Match edition found out about Zaitsev's bold collection and wrote about him in their newspaper with the headline “He dictates his fashion in Moscow.” And literally in an instant, the whole West learned about the Glory of Zaitsev from Ivanovo, and his leadership changed its anger to mercy. An article in the magazine opened up the foreign market and opportunities for international cooperation for Vyacheslav, he created collections that were presented in Japan, the USA, Italy, Canada, etc. Abroad, he was already considered the main Soviet fashion designer and it was then that they nicknamed him “Red Dior”.
An important role in his work was occupied by work in the theater as a fashion designer. He created outfits for famous movies, dressed the Olympic team of our country, created uniforms for flight attendants, and of course created outfits for famous personalities. His clothes were worn by Alla Pugacheva, Valentina Tereshkova, Philip Kirkorov, Joseph Kobzon and many others.
Soon he founded his own fashion house “Slava Zaitsev”, which for 40 years has been creating unique outfits with traditional Russian elements. So, in 1989 in New York Vyacheslav Zaitsev presented the collection “One thousand years since the Baptism of Rus”, and in Paris presented his collection “Russian Seasons". A reference to his native country, traditional Slavic motifs have always been an integral part of Vyacheslav's creations.
In 2016, Vyacheslav Zaitsev was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease, for this reason he was forced to retire and take care of his health. In 2018, his last show was held. To date, the management of the fashion house “Slava Zaitsev” is handled by the eldest son of the fashion designer Egor Zaitsev.
To this day, the name of Vyacheslav Zaitsev remains a symbol of luxury and style. His work continues to inspire young designers, and his contribution to the development of Russian fashion remains invaluable. Vyacheslav Zaitsev is not just a designer, he is a legend whose name will forever remain in the history of fashion as a symbol of success and talent.
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