Volchok (Russian: ВОЛЧОК) is a Russian streetwear manufacturer.

Volchok
Company typePrivate
IndustryClothing manufacturing
Founded2014; 10 years ago (2014) in Saint Petersburg, Russia
FounderVasily Volchok-Rusakovich
Headquarters,
Websitehttp://www.volchok.ru

History

edit

Volchok was established in 2014 by Vasily Volchok-Rusakovich who previously worked at 2×2 TV Channel and dealt with Soviet vintage clothing via online store.[1] Inspired by the success of a friendly local streetwear manufacturer Volchok-Rusakovich made 200 black tees with "Юность" (Youth) print that made the brand popular among locals.[2] The huge media attention reached Volchok in October 2016 when L'Officiel Russia former editor-in-chief Evelina Khromchenko [ru] and Vogue Russia fashion editor Olga Dunina both wore those "Юность" black tees at a cocktail party in Galeries Lafayette.[3][4]

Design

edit

Volchok designs t-shirts, sweatshirts, pants, socks, cloaks, coats and other apparel for men and women while most models fall under unisex.[5][6] Clothing is (mostly) fabricated locally in Russia so it remains affordable to regular customers.[7] According to Volchok-Rusakovich his company is also a social platform for young people as the simple design with laconic black and white color palette is intended to be a medium for messages, transmitted via prints and slogans.[8] Volchok's most notable designs are based on Cyrillic slogans such as "Вера" (Hope), "Юность" (Youth) or "Моя оборона" (My Defence), "No Tsars No Gods".[9][10] However some collections introduced a more complex graphic work. At the 11th Faces & Laces show in Moscow in August 2017 Volchok presented a collection named after the Final Fantasy game series that included drawings made in tradition of Japanese animation. Volchok FW 2018—19 collection presented at Futurum Moscow show in Museum of Moscow on the last day of Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Russia in March 2018 included prints of birds and other wild creatures.[2][7] Volchok's references are picked from the Russian underground culture even when the messages themselves are political: the SS-2018 collection presented at MBFWRussia in October 2017 was dedicated to complicated political relations between Russia and Ukraine.[5] Volchok-Rusakovich describes the brand's nature as "Russian Gothic" while fashion magazines consider it an example of post-Soviet aesthetics.[1][11]

Reception

edit

Volchok was among the first Russian streetwear brands to take part in major fashion shows.[8] Since 2016 it has participated in seasonal Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Russia events and Pitti Uomo exhibition in Florence, Italy in January 2018.[12] Volchok received numerous special mentions in Vogue, L'Officiel, Fashionista and other fashion magazines as well as New East-focused The Calvert Journal as a notable representative of Russian fashion scene and part of the Russian fashion new wave.[13][6] Following MBFWRussia in March 2018 i-D reporter Rae Witte called Volchok FW 2018—19 collection the most interesting streetwear collection of the shot and The Fall contributor Dee Moran acknowledged Volchok as a potential rival Gosha Rubchinskiy.[14][15]

Stores

edit

Volchok runs stores in Moscow (Khlebozavod #9 [ru]), Saint Petersburg (Berthold Center) and in Kyiv.[16][17][18][19]

References

edit
  1. ^ a b ""Либо рэп, либо техно": как одеть школьников и миллениалов во всё черное и стать модным дизайнером" [Either Rap or Techno: How to Make Students and Millennials Wear Black and Become a Fashion Designer] (in Russian). Дождь. October 13, 2017. Retrieved 2018-07-03.
  2. ^ a b ""Оттепель, «Волчок" и еще 5 сильных российских брендов streetwear" [Ottepel, Volchok and 5 More Strong Russian Streetwear Brands] (in Russian). Harper's Bazaar. August 11, 2017. Retrieved 2018-07-03.
  3. ^ Ирина Ларина, Римма Исмагилова (October 10, 2016). "Поколение "ЮНОСТЬ"" [The Youth Generation] (in Russian). Evelina Kromchenko blog. Retrieved 2018-07-03.
  4. ^ "Коктейль Walk of Shame x Vogue Россия в Galeries Lafayette" [Walk of Shame x Vogue Russia cocktail party in Galeries Lafayette]. Vogue. October 3, 2016. Retrieved 2018-07-03.
  5. ^ a b "Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Russia SS 2018" (in Italian). Vogue. November 6, 2017. Retrieved 2018-07-03.
  6. ^ a b Angela Han (October 31, 2017). "Made in Russia: The New Generation of Streetwear Designers". HuffPost. Retrieved 2018-07-03.
  7. ^ a b "Our Favorite Collections from the Second Half of Moscow Fashion Week". Fashionista. March 19, 2018. Retrieved 2018-07-03.
  8. ^ a b Ксения Обуховская (October 27, 2017). "Почему российская уличная мода увлеклась панельками и 90-ми" [The Reason Russian Streetwear Became Enthusiastic about Panel Buildings and the 90th] (in Russian). Buro 24/7. Retrieved 2018-07-03.
  9. ^ Юлия Ли (April 28, 2016). "От носков до худи: 10 российских марок уличной одежды" [From Socks to Hoodies: 10 Russian Streetwear Brands] (in Russian). Wonderzine. Retrieved 2018-07-03.
  10. ^ Anastasia Fedorova (August 8, 2016). "5 Post-Soviet Brands on the Rise". Amuse. Retrieved 2018-07-03.
  11. ^ Elsa de Berker (October 30, 2017). "Meet 5 Underground Designers Making Waves at Moscow Fashion Week". Fashionista. Retrieved 2018-07-03.
  12. ^ Алина Малютина (January 17, 2018). "Дневник Pitti Uomo-2018: как дизайнеры из Петербурга и Москвы вывезли русскую моду за рубеж" [Putti Uomo-2018 Diary: St. Petersburg and Moscow Designers Bring Russian Fashion Abroad] (in Russian). Собака.ru. Retrieved 2018-07-03.
  13. ^ Sasha Raspopina (June 23, 2016). "Spelling it out: why Cyrillic slogan streetwear is the new punk uniform for post-Soviet teens". The Calvert Journal. Retrieved 2018-07-03.
  14. ^ Rae Witte (March 28, 2018). "5 young russian designers who aren't gosha". i-D. Retrieved 2018-07-03.
  15. ^ Dee Moran (March 26, 2018). "Mercedes Benz Fashion Week Russia FW 18/19". The Fall. Retrieved 2018-07-03.
  16. ^ Andrey Berezkin (March 5, 2018). "Khlebozavod #9 – Reintegrated industrial spot". Spotted by Locals. Retrieved 2018-07-03.
  17. ^ Оля Чуковская (March 16, 2017). "15 новых магазинов одежды, аксессуаров и товаров для дома" [15 New Fashion, Accessories and Home Goods Stores] (in Russian). Афиша Daily. Retrieved 2018-07-03.
  18. ^ Сергей Сурепин (September 23, 2017). "Российский бренд "Волчок" — об открытии магазина в Киеве" [Volchok Brand from Russia — on Kyiv Store Opening] (in Russian). DTF Magazine. Retrieved 2018-07-03.
  19. ^ "Volchok". In Your Pocket. Retrieved 2018-07-03.