The article is dedicated to the biography and personal life of Vyacheslav Zaitsev - the Russian Dior, as they like to call him in Europe. 2018 was an anniversary year for the couturier; on March 2, he turned 80 years old. There is probably no person born in the Soviet and post-Soviet space who has not heard the name and surname of the fashion designer.

He was the first to introduce such concepts as “high fashion” and “designer clothing” in the Soviet Union.

Biography of Vyacheslav Mikhailovich Zaitsev

He was born in 1938, three years before the Great Patriotic War, and fully experienced all its hardships. My father went to the front, was captured, escaped and reached Berlin. This is an act of a hero, but for the Land of Soviets it is a reason to put an innocent person in a prisoner of war camp.

One day, when once again he and his mother were visiting their father in prison, robbers broke into the house. The woman ended up in the hospital, and Slava found a way out of the situation. Having a well-trained voice, he decided to sing near the store to earn food. A hard life tempered the character of the future fashion designer, his resilient character became characteristic feature in the biography of Vyacheslav Zaitsev. “Sunny boy” - that’s what his mother and those around him often called him.

When my father returned from the camp, he went to work in a local cultural park as a mass worker. Slava’s relationship with him and his older brother did not work out. The older brother tried in every possible way to break the younger brother; during games, using force, he forced Slava to pretend to be a fascist, tied him to the bed and mocked him in every possible way. The older brother never made it in life; he was imprisoned twice and so on.

Maria Ivanovna, the mother of the future couturier, passed away at the age of 72; she adored children. But if there was no need to worry about the fate of the youngest son, the eldest caused a lot of anxiety. This fragile woman, despite her hard work (she worked as a nurse and also did laundry for pay), remained surprisingly feminine until the end of her days. And for the grateful youngest son she was the standard of a real woman. Vyacheslav Mikhailovich likes to repeat that everything good comes from his mother. Everyone who follows the biography of Vyacheslav Zaitsev remembers and knows about this.

Textile College

He studied well and was an active member in school team, traveled with high school students to collective farms, helping to draw posters.

He didn’t stop singing. After graduating from seven-year school, Slava decided to become an operetta artist.

At some point, the biography of Vyacheslav Zaitsev could change dramatically. The boy's dream came true. He played on the stage of the Ivanovo Drama Theater, and the first role of the young talent was Dmitry Ulyanov - younger brother famous Vladimir Lenin. But he was not allowed to enter the music school, since he was listed as the son of an enemy of the people. There was nothing to do, and Vyacheslav Zaitsev entered the textile technical school of the city of brides.

During his studies, he played Seryozha in the production of Anna Karenina. There was a scene in the play when Anna, after a long separation, approached Seryozha’s room, who threw himself on her neck with the words: “I knew you would come!” Slava approached the role responsibly, but one day he fell asleep from fatigue and woke up only when the actress began to hug him. But even in his sleep, he croaked out the text of the words.

Faculty of Modeling

Creative potential played a huge role in the biography of Vyacheslav Zaitsev. In addition to the fact that he sang well, read poetry, and danced, at the technical school Slava also became addicted to drawing.

While still a junior, he began to depict figures of people in different clothes. Realizing that he could become a fashion designer, especially since he liked this profession, Vyacheslav Mikhailovich went to the modeling department.

He liked women's clothing, as did women themselves. And although, according to the couturier himself, he sewed mainly for fragile and slender models, he secretly admired plump, large women.

One day he and a friend dressed up in women's clothes, put on makeup, put on heels and went to a ball. No one recognized them as young men, otherwise everything could have ended in a fight. Vyacheslav Zaitsev explains his passion for outfits with the desire for beauty. He had a need to create a female image, to convey his own emotions and feelings associated with it. Most likely, the biography of fashion designer Vyacheslav Zaitsev developed this way because he adored his mother, then his wife and, finally, his daughter.

Fashion designer career

Having graduated with honors from a textile technical school, driven by a great desire to create new models, projects, and so on, Vyacheslav decided to go to Moscow. Implicitly, he was more than convinced of the correctness of his decision.

The young man entered the Moscow Textile Institute easily and on the first try. All five years he studied well and received a Lenin scholarship. After graduating from a university assigned to Babushkino near Moscow, he had to work at a workwear factory for three whole years.

“Sunny Boy” did not lose heart; thanks to his work, ordinary padded jackets and padded jackets turned into designer clothes, painted and updated. They were accompanied by felt boots that shone in an unusual color. This was the beginning of a successful career in the biography of Vyacheslav Zaitsev, whose anniversary was celebrated in 2018.

Soon the fame of the Soviet fashion designer leaked to the West. Famous fashion figures began to come to Babushkino, including Pierre Cardin. In the Soviet Union, he became widely known only after thirty years of experience. Only in the late eighties did Slava Zaitsev manage to travel to Paris, where his collection was a stunning success.

Wife and children in the biography of Vyacheslav Zaitsev

While studying in Moscow, he met his future wife, Marina, or, as he affectionately calls her, Marishka. She was in her third year when Slava entered college. A girl from a good family, energetic, strong-willed and able to be a leader. But these were not the qualities that the young man saw in her then.

They did amateur activities together. With several friends we created the Fashion Theater, sewed funny collections and organized shows, and started with small clubs and cafes. After a few months of dating, they got married.

The young couple gave birth to a boy, Yegor, who continues the profession of his parents. Vyacheslav Zaitsev, whose biography actually turned out to be successful, put his whole soul into both creativity and family. But, alas, the family idyll did not last long. Nine years later, the couple separated, and Marina did not allow the fashion designer to meet with her son for a long time. This did not have the best effect on their relationship.

At present, all confusion is behind us. Together with his son and Marusya Zaitseva, the granddaughter of Vyacheslav Zaitsev (read about the biography of the couturier in the article), they often meet, and in his granddaughter he sees his successor.

"Red Dior"

In old age, all those experiences, anxieties and actions committed in young and middle age are often imprinted on a person’s face. On the face of Vyacheslav Zaitsev you can see kind eyes and rays of wrinkles around them. He has a kind (as he likes to say, Mongolian) face.

The general public became closely acquainted with the master of fashion after the release of the program “ Fashionable verdict" Many people liked his extravagant outfits, lifestyle, and largeness of soul. This is why he is loved in the art world.

After Pierre Cardin and the fashion house Dior, famous in the sixties, became interested in Zaitsev, a meeting took place at the Kievskaya Hotel between the young aspiring fashion designer Zaitsev and Mark Boan, already famous in the fashion world. Slava came to the meeting in a fashionable tweed coat and was terribly nervous, while simultaneously presenting his own collection.

In 1967, he received the Grand Prix for the dress “Russia” and for this he was nicknamed “Red Dior”, although he himself could not go to the show, since he was restricted from traveling abroad.

Slava Slava Zaitsev

Unnoticed by the couturier himself, his fame spread among the actors. He began to receive orders from such actresses as Alisa Freindlikh, Galina Volchek, Lyudmila Maksakova. The elegant Vladimir Zeldin loved to dress for him, as did Mikhail Ulyanov.

In 1978, for the Sopot festival, he came up with an outfit for Alla Pugacheva, who was somewhat overweight (in her opinion). It was the famous hoodie, which at the same time hid all the imperfections of the figure and at the same time was feminine and elegant.

Almost all of Edita Piekha’s outfits were designed by Vyacheslav Zaitsev. Her dresses in the 60-70s were the standard of style and fashion. Many girls and women sewed similar outfits for themselves. Even Edita Stanislavovna’s hairstyle was designed by Vyacheslav Zaitsev. According to him, he sewed dresses not for a woman, the singer Edita Piekha, but for her songs.

Olympics-80

Not everyone knows that Vyacheslav Mikhailovich had to sew the costumes of Soviet athletes who took part in the 1980 Olympics, for which he was appointed head of the House of Life in Moscow. Already at the 84 Olympics in Sarajevo, our athletes received haute couture suits. Vyacheslav Zaitsev put hats with a visor on the athletes’ heads, and put his favorite Pavloposad scarves on the shoulders of the female athletes.

He sewed outfits for the famous couple of figure skaters - Natalya Bestemyanova and Andrei Bukin, for the Sovremennik Theater, where the leading actress was Marina Neelova, as well as Valentina Gafta and other actors involved in such productions as The Cherry Orchard, Three Sisters and etc. For other Moscow theaters.

Conclusion

Vyacheslav Zaitsev was loved and known by such legendary actors as Vladimir Vysotsky and Marina Vladi. He sewed suits for Arseny Tarkovsky and many others.

This man has never stopped and does not stop now. In 1971, Zaitsev was in a terrible accident, due to which he could have lost his leg, went through a time when he was banned from traveling, felt all the ill will of the authorities for his extravagant outfits, and so on.

As a result, we can say with confidence that at the moment, at eighty years old, our “Sunny Boy” is full of creative forces and is making plans for the future.

On the occasion of the anniversary of the great master, Polina Ukhanova, head of the Fashion Museum International Exhibition Center and curator of the exhibition “Nostalgia for Beauty. To the anniversary of the great master,” the site told about the main moments of Vyacheslav Zaitsev’s career and his ascent to the fashion Olympus.

Honorary Citizen of Paris and Ivanovo

Albert Pushkarev / TASS

Slava Zaitsev is a brand and a legend. Without exaggeration, he can be called the most famous Russian couturier of the second half of the twentieth century. The main feature of Vyacheslav Mikhailovich Zaitsev is his endless love for Russia, absolute, boundless devotion to the Motherland, which permeates all his work. It is not for nothing that the maestro’s most famous collections are “The Millennium of the Baptism of Rus'” and “Russian Seasons”.

The “Millennium of the Baptism of Rus'” collection, shown by Zaitsev in New York in 1987, revived the fashion for Russian style and luxury in Europe, which Western designers quickly adopted and introduced into their collections. For “Russian Seasons”, exhibited in Paris, in the late 1980s he was awarded the title of “Honorary Citizen of Paris” and a medal from the hands of Jacques Chirac himself. At the same time, in his native Ivanovo, Vyacheslav Zaitsev became an honorary citizen several years later.

Popular

For Zaitsev, the “national game” is a favorite and traditional game, which he has been passionate about since the very beginning of his creative career. Even during the times of the USSR, he called himself “a Russian man, a Russian artist,” emphasizing his “Russianness” and refusing to adapt to the narrow boundaries of “Sovietness.”

Unfortunately, this designer’s love for his country, for the national Russian culture and roots makes many people think that Zaitsev works only in the style of folk costume, color and ornamentation of Pavlovo Posad shawls, although this is far from the case.

At the exhibition at the Museum and Exhibition Center “Fashion Museum” “Nostalgia for Beauty. For the anniversary of the great master”, many images are presented that are made in a completely different way, in the classical style. Some outfits are inspired by the work of great couturiers of the early twentieth century: Paul Poiret, Coco Chanel, Elsa Schiaparelli. Zaitsev loves and understands history, creatively processing its symbolism and introducing it into his collections.

Ahead of time

Mikhail Metzel/TASS

Slava Zaitsev was always ahead of his time, which was especially noticeable in the Soviet era. He was the first who boldly, openly and very sincerely declared the existence of fashion and style behind the Iron Curtain, and proved that fashion exists in Soviet Russia, and at a very high, even couture level.

An important role in Zaitsev’s work also belongs to his Fashion Theater, a unique project that has been successfully touring the world for decades. Slava Zaitsev was the first in Russia to say that a fashion show is not only a demonstration of clothes, but also a show. In doing so, he anticipated the contemporary performances often staged by young designers.

Zaitsev played no less a role in the formation scientific approach and the development of interest in fashion in our country, initiating the first discussions on the paths and vectors of fashion development - in fact, the first fashion forums. Special attention he devoted his time to working with young people, emphasizing that fashion is created not only by the artist, but also by the street.

Red Dior

For more than 30 years, Vyacheslav Zaitsev has been called abroad nothing less than “Red Dior,” hinting at his impeccable taste, comparable only to the legend of world fashion - Christian Dior, whose works Zaitsev continues to be inspired to this day. Dior and Yves Saint Laurent are the favorite couturiers of the Russian fashion master. Slava Zaitsev is friends with many great fashion designers, including Pierre Cardin. The master's collections are shown on the best catwalks in the world - in Paris, New York, Delhi and others.

During the Soviet era, as artistic director of the Experimental Workshop and deputy artistic director of the All-Union Fashion House, he went “from Olympus to the stream,” creating a wide variety of models for various enterprises across the vast country, always distinguished by their ideal quality. He independently traveled to textile factories, selecting the best fabrics (silk, wool, staple, cotton) and synthetic materials that came into fashion during space exploration in the 1960s and 1970s.

Artist, sculptor, fashion designer

Like the best fashion designers of the twentieth century, Vyacheslav Mikhailovich knows how to “see” fabric, like a sculptor who is able to discern the beautiful Venus in a block of marble. He can imagine a roll of fabric - even the simplest, unpresentable one - as a luxurious outfit. Very subtly, almost intuitively, at the level of an artist, Zaitsev feels the harmony of colors and the plasticity of fabrics and materials.

Longtime customers and fans of the Slava Zaitsev brand admit that dresses, suits and jackets from Slava Zaitsev can be worn for decades - they not only do not go out of fashion, but also do not lose their shape, appearance and color. His clothes are impeccable in every sense - both aesthetic and functional, he is an absolute fan of his work and a workaholic striving for impeccability.

Nostalgia for beauty

Vyacheslav Zaitsev is a Soviet and Russian fashion designer, painter and graphic artist, teacher and professor. He is considered one of the best couturiers in the world.

Zaitsev literally became the creator of fashion in the Soviet era. It is interesting that Western fashion designers noticed the talent of the Russian master 30 years before his compatriots saw him.

Vyacheslav Zaitsev and Regina Zbarskaya

The first serious work in Zaitsev’s biography was the “Russian Series” collection, made based on folk motifs.

An interesting fact is that the collection included a dress called “Russia”, which received the Grand Prix at the World Fashion Festival. After this event, the Russian fashion designer began to be called “Red Dior”.

After the House of Models, Vyacheslav Zaitsev got a job at the Fashion House and soon became its artistic director.

Since 1982, he has published many new collections that have gained worldwide fame. His outfits appeared on the covers of various foreign publications.

Afterwards, Zaitsev created a design academy at the Fashion House. He continues to surprise the world with his collections, experimenting with colors and shapes.

Vyacheslav Zaitsev and sketches of his collections

During this period of his biography, the fashion designer awakens a special interest in painting and. As a result, he manages to paint many paintings that have nothing to do with fashion.

Zaitsev's paintings have been repeatedly shown at exhibitions in European and European countries. An interesting fact is that the Tretyakov Gallery exhibits 5 works by the master. Until now, the famous fashion designer continues to engage in artistic creativity.

It is worth noting that Vyacheslav Zaitsev created costumes for several Russian theaters. These outfits turned out to be so good that many Western directors wanted to collaborate with him.

In addition, the couturier designed costumes for popular artists and athletes.

Personal life

While still a student, Vyacheslav Zaitsev met Marina. The girl was from an intelligent and wealthy family.

In 1962, they decided to get married, as a result of which they had a boy, Yegor, who would later also become a designer.

When Zaitsev was working at, he was informed that his wife had decided to leave him. This news shocked him to the core. After the divorce, he remembered Marina for a long time.

Zaitsev did everything possible to see his son, since his ex-wife did not want Yegor to meet his father. This period of time was one of the most difficult in his biography.

After some time, Zaitsev began dating Inna, who worked at the House of Models. They began to live in a civil marriage, but soon realized that they did not love each other.

However, when Vyacheslav Mikhailovich was in a serious car accident and ended up in the hospital, Inna was constantly by his side.

An interesting fact is that the fashion designer was in intensive care for 9 days, after which he underwent rehabilitation for another six months.

After this incident, Zaitsev lived with Inna for about a year, but the matter never came to a wedding. The couple decided to finally separate.

Vyacheslav Zaitsev today

Not long ago, Vyacheslav Zaitsev admitted that he had been suffering from Parkinson’s disease for many years, and therefore was experiencing problems with his joints.

In 2016, the couturier had to undergo knee surgery. However, health problems did not prevent him from creating new outfits and appearing on television.

During the biography period 2010-2016. Zaitsev released 15 collections. He still collaborates with various artists, creating magnificent costumes for them.

is a Russian fashion designer whose name is widely known far beyond Russia.

Vyacheslav Zaitsev: biography

The famous designer was born on March 2, 1938 in Ivanovo, then still a city in the Soviet SSR. The fashion designer's father's name was Mikhail Yakovlevich, his mother was Maria Ivanovna, despite the difficult military and post-war years the parents were able to give the boy a good education, in September 1945, Slava Zaitsev was enrolled in the first grade of Ivanovo Secondary School No. 22, after graduating in 1952, Vyacheslav entered the Chemical Technology College. After 4 years of hard study, Vyacheslav Zaitsev finally received the coveted certificate of textile design artist with which he went to Moscow to enter the Moscow Textile Institute, which he graduated with honors in 1952. By assignment, Vyacheslav Zaitsev ended up at the experimental technical sewing factory of the Moscow Regional Economic Council in the city of Babushkino to the position of artistic director of this enterprise. Vyacheslav Zaitsev has been working in this position for quite a long time.

His first clothing collection was a line of special work uniforms for women in the region and villages, which was rejected by the party leadership, which did not prevent its publication in the Paris Match magazine, under a loud inscription saying that this man dictates fashion trends in the capital. It is thanks to this article, containing bright and colorful photographs of the collection that never became available to the public, that Vyacheslav Zaitsev is recognized abroad.

Vyacheslav Zaitsev: collaboration with Pierre Cardin

In 1965, Pierre Cardin and Marc Bohan (Dior) approached him, who came specifically to express admiration for the talent of the young Russian designer, who shortly before had nevertheless managed to achieve recognition in the union and receive the position of artistic director of the experimental technical enterprise of the All-Union Fashion House on Kuznetsky Most, abbreviated as ODMO.

Celebrities who arrived to meet the aspiring designer, including Guy Laroche, admitted that they did not expect to meet in Soviet Russia a man so imbued with the spirit of fashion, as was written about in the newspaper “Women’s Casual Wear,” which published an article under the loud title “Kings.” fashion".

But, despite the growing popularity among foreign colleagues, Vyacheslav Zaitsev could not obtain permission to leave the USSR until 1986, so he remained an employee of the ODMO for 13 years, developing sketches and sewing clothes for different layers population of the Soviet Republic. Over the years of his work as artistic director, Vyacheslav Zaitsev runs a show of collections called the “Russian Series” that have become incredibly popular in the Soviet Union and abroad, as well as a line of clothing created based on a folk motif from Ivanovo calico, which was considered at the time of 1960-1970 's one of the best fabrics for tailoring. These collections are deservedly considered one of the main ones in the design work of Vyacheslav Zaitsev, largely thanks to their creation, people began to talk about the master of fashion; finally, a well-deserved and long-awaited success came, accompanied by a storm of applause at fashion shows held in China, the USA, Japan, France and others states. The author himself was never present at these screenings; for the reasons already mentioned, the government was afraid of missing out on such valuable footage, and therefore access to the trips remained closed; one had to be content with the stories of eyewitnesses.

In 1967, Vyacheslav Zaitsev presented a new dress on the main podium of the country in Moscow, which received the name “Russia” in the collection. Buyers and critics liked the new product so much that it further increased interest in the designer on the part of Western colleagues, as well as the media, who dubbed Zaitsev none other than “Red Dior.” Western colleagues could not understand how such a legendary and gifted person could live and work in the Soviet Union, which was conservative and monotonous from their point of view. Confirmation of his growing fame was the publication in the Czechoslovakian fashion magazine “Kvety” of a review for 1974, dedicated to the 100 best artists in the fashion world, the name of Vyacheslav Zaitsev stood next to the name of the famous Christian Dior. In 1976, Czechoslovakian workers were pleased with the loud news that Vyacheslav Zaitsev agreed to cooperate with the Yablonek company, which organized the production of a series of jewelry he personally designed.

A few months later, Zaitsev held the first clothing shows under the auspices of this company in the cities of Jablonec, Brno and Karlovy Vary.

Vyacheslav Zaitsev: career

After his departure from ODMO, Vyacheslav Zaitsev did not take a break from work, immediately getting a job at factory No. 19 of custom tailoring and starting work on fashionable clothing collections for the Fashion House, which at that time was planned to open in Moscow on Mira Avenue. After the opening, which happened in 1982, Vyacheslav Zaitsev was appointed to the post of chief artistic director of this organization, and 6 years later in 1988, director of the entire institution. Vyacheslav Zaitsev remains in this position to this day, with the help of the inexhaustible resources of the Fashion House, creating his endlessly beautiful clothing collections, such as Pret-a-Porter and Haute Couture.

No longer a young designer, he is constantly in search of something new and previously unused, impressing colleagues and the public with his skill and good taste. Among the most popular and noteworthy collections of the fashion designer are the following:
1. “1000th anniversary of the Baptism of Rus'” (1987-1988);
2. “Russian seasons in Paris” (1988);
3. Collection of clothing models from European fabrics (1988);
4. Collection of men's fashion models (1989);
5. Collection of women's clothing models from domestic fabrics (1990);
6. “The Agony of Perestroika” (1990-1991);
7. “Awakening” (1995-1996);
8. “Plague” (1995-1996);
9. “How Young We Will Be” (1996-1997);
10. “Temptation” (1997);
11. “Event” (1997-1998);
12. “Turning through the pages of memory” (1998-1999);
13. “Epiphany” (1999) – the first fur collection in Russia;
14. Collection of ready-to-wear and Couture for the spring-summer season 2000-2001 (1999);
15. “Secrets of Harmony” (2000);
16. luxury ready-to-wear 2001 (2000);
17. “Dedication” (2001);
18. ready-to-wear 2002 (2001);
19. “Invasion” (2002);
20. Ready-to-wear 2003 (2002);
21. “Divertimento” (2003);
22. ready-to-wear 2004 (2003);
23. “Nostalgia for times gone by” (2004);
24. “Improvisation” - ready-to-wear 2005;
25. “Secrets of temptation” (2005);
26. ready-to-wear de luxury 2006 (2005);
27. “Game with...” (2006);
28. “Phantasmagoria” (2006);
29. “Origins” (2008).

It was these collections of Vyacheslav Zaitsev that aroused the greatest interest in him among the public and critics, and made his name well known even to those who actually have nothing to do with fashion.

Vyacheslav Zaitsev: creativity

The invention of new images and their subsequent implementation takes a lot of time and effort from the designer, however, he finds the strength to devote part of his life to another type of art - drawing. Vyacheslav Zaitsev is fond of painting and drawing, his works are not a continuation of fashionable subjects, they have their own history, since the designer’s easel painting has already occupied place of honor among paintings by contemporary artists. To paint pictures, the artist most often uses pastels, pencils and felt-tip pens, believing that the current world needs to be painted using modern materials. Vivid paintings primarily reflect the emotional mood of the author, his emotional experiences, joys and sorrows, which is why they turn out to be quite sensual and meaningful, making the viewer think.

Today, Vyacheslav Zaitsev is not just a celebrity, a world-famous designer, but a person who is always ready to help. Thus, at the special request of the government, the designer designed and developed a series of fashionable and comfortable uniforms for Russian police officers, which earned them endless gratitude.

The designer also worked on creating stage costumes for movie, theater, and music stars, and produced a whole series of costumes for athletes, ice dancers, and many other collections.
Vyacheslav Zaitsev outlined his views on fashion and life back in 1980 in two books at once, which became the most widely read in the Soviet Union. The first book was called “This Changeable Fashion”, the second “This Changeable World of Fashion”. In 1992, the book “Nostalgia for Beauty” appeared in the world. English language, dedicated entirely to the creative path of Vyacheslav Zaitsev. In 2006, I was able to read and enjoy a new book about the famous designer “Slava Zaitsev. Secrets of Seduction,” this book is perfectly illustrated and rather resembles an album of personal photos of a celebrity.

The designer, popular all over the world, is never tired of being invited to all kinds of fashion shows, to judge juries and the like. For example, in 2009, the fashion designer became one of the main judges at the international fashion festival “Provincial Style”.

Vyacheslav Zaitsev: personal life

Vyacheslav Zaitsev was married, but the marriage broke up and now he and his ex-wife Marina Vladimirovna lives separately, meeting only at joint dinners at the family table. Only one child was born from this marriage - son Yegor Vyacheslavovich, who is currently also a designer. The designer also has two granddaughters – Marusya and Nastya.

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Name: Vyacheslav Zaicev

Middle name: Mikhailovich

Place of birth: Ivanovo

Height: 170 cm

Zodiac sign: Pisces

Eastern horoscope: Tiger

Occupation: fashion designer, painter

The future fashion designer spent his childhood during the war and in conditions typical for that time. Vyacheslav's father went to the front and his mother, a simple and hardworking woman, was forced to raise her son alone. Maria Ivanovna dreamed of the stage, and she was a gifted person. She failed to realize her dreams, because of this she instilled an interest in the beauty of nature, the world around her, reading, folk songs, and Vyacheslav.

In 1945, Slava Zaitsev began studying at the Ivanovo secondary school, and in 1952 he continued his studies at the Chemical Technology College. In 1956, he was awarded a diploma with honors as a textile artist. The profession chosen was traditional for this city, since it guaranteed work in the calico capital.

However, Vyacheslav Zaitsev liked to draw since childhood. And at the technical school he was distinguished not only by his skills, but also by his diligence. Strict teachers set difficult tasks for students. They demanded not only the expressiveness of the lines on the fabric and the fullness of the design, but also the “revival” of the ornament. At the same time, while completing tasks, the future fashion designer kept wondering how fabrics with his design would look on the finished products.

Vyacheslav decided to develop his skills and knowledge in the capital - at the textile institute. He arrived in Moscow in 1956 and was completely different from local applicants. He had different ideas about life, people, art. Zaitsev was immediately accepted into the Faculty of Applied Arts, specializing in clothing design. In the capital, the future fashion designer understood that he had to rely only on himself, so he began to combine work with study. And when I had free time, I went to exhibitions, theaters and museums.

At the educational institution, Vyacheslav Zaitsev learned not only the mastery of applied textile art as a professional calligrapher, but also studied drawing as the basis of graphics. In addition, Slava copied old foreign and Russian masters, painted antiquity and Egyptian frescoes, as well as medieval ornaments and Persian miniatures. This is what I used when working on the first models.

Already at the institute, Vyacheslav acted as a fashion designer and demonstrator of his clothes in one person. Often he surprised fellow students and teachers with unusual things in silhouette and color combination. Soon this style began to come into fashion.

Under Zaitsev's close attention was Russian folk art. The fashion designer traveled to ancient cities and studied the essence of art: proportions, color combinations, rhythm, raw humanity and major color scheme.

In the 50s of the last century, all artists had a meager idea of ​​​​world fashion. The necessary information was obtained from foreign magazines. I received the publications during classes at the Theater Library. It was then that Zaitsev met famous fashion masters. He was interested in Paul Poiret, Gabrielle Chanel, Christian Dior.

The designer wanted to base his diploma on elegant clothes. However, he was given women's business suits. Zaitsev coped with his task perfectly.

Vyacheslav graduated from the Moscow Textile Institute in 1962 and was assigned to the city of Babushkin at the Experimental Technical Garment Factory of the Moscow Regional Economic Council. He was the artistic director there. The designer immediately began to develop a collection of clothes for working women in the region and villages. The style and color scheme began to destroy stereotypes about the image of working women, and after discussions the models were rejected. However, the line was later published in the magazine “Paris Match” along with an article entitled “He dictates fashion to Moscow.”

In 1965, following an article by Mark Boan and Pierre Cardin, they found Vyacheslav Zaitsev. And before the meeting, the fashion designer showed himself excellently, and he was invited to the position of artistic director of the experimental and technical workshop of the All-Union House of Clothing Models in the capital. Parisian couturiers got acquainted with Zaitsev's work and recognized him as an expert. As a result, the article “Kings of Fashion” was published in the publication “Women Wear Daily”.

Zaitsev worked at the Fashion House for 13 years and ended his career there as deputy artistic director. Over a long period, the fashion designer has done a lot of work to create seasonal collections for light industry enterprises of the Union and the CMEA countries. A group of artists led by Zaitsev took into account the level of industry, the quality of fabrics, the climate of the regions, as well as the age of consumers.

And at the same time, the fashion designer worked on his own models. In 1965-1968 they showed the famous “Russian Series”, in 1976 collections from Ivanovo calico, as well as consolidated collections in America, Japan, Canada, France, Yugoslavia and Italy. It is worth noting that all shows took place without the participation of the fashion designer himself.

At that time, Vyacheslav Zaitsev was perceived abroad as the leader of Soviet fashion; he was nicknamed “Red Dior” in the Western press. In 1974, according to the version of the Czechoslovak publication “Kvety” in the “Review of Fashion for 100 Years”, Zaitsev took pride of place in the gallery of portraits of famous fashion artists. The designer's name was on a par with Paul Poiret, Gabrielle Chanel, Frederick Worth and Christian Dior.

The fashion designer left the fashion house due to the fact that under the system of multi-stage councils, state standards and the fashion industry, the original plan is distorted, models become obsolete in production before reaching the consumer.

Vyacheslav Zaitsev began to engage in education, introduce people to the aesthetics of clothing, write, perform and hold fashion shows, drawing attention to fashion issues.

It is worth noting that back in 1969, after viewing Zaitsev’s clothing collection for women at the New York Museum, the fashion designer was offered to open the artist’s fashion stores in all countries. This proposal was rejected by officials.

In 1970, the artist began working with famous pop and theater artists. These are Muslim Magomayev, Tamara Sinyavskaya, Joseph Kobzon, Edita Piekha, Alexander Strelchenko, Alla Pugacheva, Lyudmila Zykina, Philip Kirkorov, “Time Machine”, “Na-na” and others. After the Fashion House, Zaitsev moved to a tailoring factory and began working on the assortment of the new Fashion House, of which he became artistic director in 1982. After 6 years he became director. Later, the Fashion House was the first European-style Fashion House in the country and was given the name of Vyacheslav Zaitsev.

The country's first professional fashion theater opens in the Fashion House. The theater begins to safely tour cities around the world. In 1996, Slava Zaitsev was the president of OJSC Moscow Fashion House of Zaitsev. The Fashion Laboratory (for promising fashion designers), as well as the Model Agency, began to operate under his management.

The most famous collections of the fashion designer: “1000th anniversary of the Baptism of Rus'” in 1987-1988 (Paris, New York), “Russian seasons in Paris” in 1988, clothing models from European fabrics in 1988 (Munich), men’s models in 1989 (Florence), women's clothing made from domestic fabrics in 1990 (Tokyo).

In Moscow, in Russian cities, as well as in neighboring cities in the 90s, the collections “The Agony of Perestroika”, “Nostalgia for Beauty”, “Dreams”, “Memories of the Future”, “Awakening”, “Plague”, “How we will be young”, “Temptation”, “Event”, “Turning through the pages of memory”, fur collection “Epiphany”, ready-to-wear and haute couture.

Today, Slava Zaitsev heads the Fashion House and models clothes for Lyudmila Putina, Svetlana Medvedeva, leading Russian artists and athletes. In the summer of 2007, the fashion designer headed the program on Channel One “Fashionable Sentence”, where he worked until mid-2009.

Vyacheslav Zaitsev was married to Marina Vladimirovna Zaitseva (the marriage ended in divorce).

He has a son, Yegor, who also became a designer, and granddaughters, Marusya and Nastya.