Slavic-Inspired Style Pushing the anti-Russian Pendulum

16.01.2024

One of the major recent global trends has, oddly enough, become a fondness of the Slavic-inspired style and even some Russian hit songs. It seems to be largely at odds with the Western authorities’ sweeping attempts to ban Russian culture. Experts offer different explanations, but one thing is certain: the Russian style has yet again become the talk of the town.

Ever since the special operation started in Ukraine, the West has been actively calling for a ban on Russian culture. Everything that has to do with it has been subject to political limitations, including canceled theatre tours and stage productions based on Russian literature. In a bizarre move, Russian restaurant signs were often removed and the Russian salad renamed to avoid any mention of Russia.

But for all of the Western authorities’ attempts to ban anything reminiscent of Russia, the youth has taken an interest in the Slavic-inspired style that has become hugely popular in the winter season. Famed bloggers and celebrities are wearing long fur coats, ear flap hats, and wool head scarves, while the slavicgirl and slavicbimbo hashtags are now all the rage on social media.

This trend was kickstarted by a 20-year-old hit song by the Russian pop singer Katya Lel that went viral on TikTok. Women from different countries clad in fur coats and large fur hats are dancing to the ‘djaga–djaga’ tune.

The trend caught on with the celebs’ children. For example, Ever Gabo Anderson, the daughter of actress Milla Jovovich and filmmaker Paul Anderson, uploaded a video showing her dancing to the song.

Music producer Maxim Fadeev took to Telegram to say that the song topping the charts on Spotify and Shazam points to people’s unwillingness to have the Russian culture banned. ‘Today, amid a broad attempt to cancel everything that connotes Russia, a Russian-language song has made it big in international music charts,’ he emphasised.

In an interview, journalist and music producer Ilya Sagliani claimed that all things Russian and Slavic have become fashionable in the West as they follow the Russian culture. According to him, the Katya Lel sensational song’s popularity owes to the fact that it ‘hit the spot with their market and mentality’.

‘The Western market seamlessly adapts to some Russian hit songs, and that’s why they are gaining popularity. A particular song just hits the mark with the local youth. However hard Western authorities try to sanction our country or cancel our culture and artists,

‘Russia will always prevail. It’s plain impossible to cancel such a large country,’ says the producer.

After making a splash online, the fur coats, hats and Slavic-themed patterns have transitioned offline. In early December, American rapper and designer Kanye West attended a launch event for Amina Muaddi’s first pop-up store in Dubai. With him was his wife Bianca Censori flaunting a trooper-style fur hat. Many social media posters associated it with Russia.

Weeks later Russian designer Gosha Rubchinskiy who had shot to fame with his ‘post-Soviet suburban hooligan’-style collections was named head of design at Yeezy founded by none other than Kanye West. According to the rapper, ‘the arrival of this legendary Russian designer at Yeezy, the pre-eminent global brand in music and fashion, is a milestone in design history’.

One of the first Russian celebs to have picked up on this trend was TV hostess and journalist Kseniya Sobchak. She wrote in her Telegram channel that ‘both covert and overt references to the whole gamut of the Slavic and Russian style’ had been a fixture in many collections. ‘Several up-and-coming European designers are openly promoting Slavic chic,’ added Sobchak.

In his interview, political scientist Dmitry Raevskiy explained the West’s sudden fondess of all things Russian and Slavic, saying that action equals reaction. ‘This ban on the Russian culture was clearly forced, and that’s exactly how people around the world viewed it. And now that the forcefulness and the pressure have been somewhat let up, the pendulum has swung in the opposite direction.

‘The way I feel it, people will be increasingly drawn to all things Russians because those Anglo-Saxon bans have prompted the opposite effect. People’s fondness of Russians worldwide will grow,’ the expert believes.

Gleb Kuznetsov, director of the Expert Institute of Social Studies, also says that the bans are attractive in a sense that ‘the forbidden fruit is always the sweetest’. However, he does not see this growing fondness of the Slavic-inspired style in the West. ‘It rather points to cultural appropriation where one culture mindlessly adopts elements of the other,’ he opines.

According to him, it is not the first time things like that have happened. ‘During the Crimean War, Europe, which was openly antagonistic to Russia, was enamoured with stereotypically Russian elements as they wore fur coats and bear fur hats. But it did not mean they took an interest in our culture or supported our policies,’ Gleb Kuznetsov adds.

Style expert and TV host Vladislav Lisovets maintains that the current trend may be explained by a longtime ban on fur garments that were considered mauvais ton. As a result, many Western brands dropped fur pieces from their collections.

‘First, people have got sick of those down jackets. Second, the new styles centred around crude athletic wear. The elegance and subtlety were left out. And they are staging a comeback these days. The global trends show us that, for example, 70-plus-year-old Italian women are still wearing fur coats and this type of hats,’ the expert shares.

He stresses that, on the one hand, this global trend is undoubtedly redolent of Russia, but on the other hand, French brands often features similar designs of hats and coats. Moreover, fur coats are popular in Europe with its cold winter seasons. According to Lisovets, the recent online obsession with fur coats and ear flap hats does not prove a revived interest in Russia. Instead, it just looks ‘fun’ to those who rarely experience sub-zero temperatures.

To be able to look stylish as opposed to tacky, the fashion expert recommends pairing fur pieces with modern clothing. These looks will ooze femininity, elegancy and brazenness. ‘You can opt for knee-high cowgirl boots or any other rugged-looking footwear. Your ensemble may include a pair of wide or flared denims. A fur coat will complement some modern trends too,’ Vladislav Lisovets concludes.

By Tatiana Kosolapova

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