Doha Fire Station hosts Russian designers

A fashion show by Tatyana Parfionova, showcasing works of internationally acclaimed Russian designers, highlighted the Russian Seasons exhibition at the Doha Fire Station yesterday.
The event forms part of the Qatar-Russia Year of Culture 2018, organised by Qatar Museums, also featured a retrospective exhibition by Vika Gazinskaya and installation by Krestetskaya Strochka.
“Last week we organised the very first Qatari designers fashion event in Moscow, called ‘Qatari Seasons’ and now we presented ‘Russian Seasons’ in Doha. It is a big honour to curate both of these projects as part of the QM initiative,” project curator Fro Burimsky said.
“We are delighted to display the works of two incredible designers in the modern space of Doha Fire Station, which is equally as exquisite, original and recognisable as the garments on show,” the curator noted.
Dignitaries and guests attending the event had the chance to see an exclusive demi-couture collection by Parfionova, created for the show. She is a well-known Russian fashion designer who established her own fashion house in 1995, becoming one of the symbols of Saint Petersburg, and now it is seen as a platform for her various artistic initiatives.
Alfardan jewellery provided unique natural pearls pieces form the private collection of Hussein Ibrahim Alfardan, chairman of Alfardan Group, both from the historical troves and high-end collections.
“I am very happy to be here and this collection has been exhibited a year ago in Moscow in my native city in a department store.
It was part of celebrating my brand’s 10th anniversary last year,” Gazinskaya told reporters, adding that the curator decided to bring this exhibition to Qatar as part of QM’s Year of Culture.
The Russian designer said she is displaying 22 dresses from her ‘fall/winter 18/19’ while the rest are from different collections, selecting the more artistic and unique pieces and being used for special occasions.
“I have clients in the Middle East, and I am hoping to be back here (in this region) after some of our private meetings,” she said. Gazinskaya, an internationally acclaimed fashion designer, street-style icon and one of the trendsetters nowadays, is well-known for voluminous structured designs, whimsical bright patterns, hand-stitched details and use of luxurious materials, sourced from suppliers in Italy and France.
Her designs can be seen on the most influential celebrities from around the world, including Leandra Medine, Veronika Heilbrunner, Natasha Goldenberg, Elle Fanning, Giovanna Battaglia and many others.
Gazinskaya’s exhibition will be open to the public at the Doha Fire Station until  October 23 while Parfionova’s collection was on show for a day. Meanwhile, guests also had the opportunity to see rare samples of an authentic folk craft – Strochka – a material manifestation of the spiritual culture of the Russian people, which has been representing the Novgorodian land since 1860.
For more than a hundred years, the masterly craftsmanship of this delicate embroidery has been passed down the generations, carefully maintaining its traditions while also looking for new methods.