Irina Gerasimova, INTERIOR+DESIGN, spoke with new wave stylist Vika Salavat about how, thanks to her love for subculture and her desire to freely express herself, she can break out of the matrix of stereotypes and become an inspiration for a generation.
How do you become a stylist?
For me, my example is my mother and… Madonna. My parents had a second-hand store, so everything started in childhood. I have always been a subculture. After all, subculture is inseparable from fashion, but there is a fine line. Anyone who listens to good music, be it punk or hip-hop, is most often associated with fashion, because it is based on a certain taste. My experiments took place at an early age. When you are an adult, it is harder to find yourself, it is scary to make mistakes. But I don’t care anymore what anyone says or thinks – there will always be such people, this is the basis. The more you express yourself, the more someone will criticize you. Every person has unsuccessful images, if we are talking about style. But if you don’t try, you won’t know, so you have to remember that this is your life.
How do people react to your style?
I don’t think that I have extravagant looks to react in some unrealistic way. If I were Jenna Marvin, then yes. In this context, I dress quite normally, nothing supernatural, in my opinion. It is clear that for ordinary people even this is wow. I am a girl, not a guy, in our Russian society I am allowed more. In life, I walk the same way as I show in the blog, this is my clothing. I have no recipe for people’s complexes. Probably, for those who are afraid to walk alone in the same clothes, I can advise you to find friends and walk together. At school, I was the only non-conformist, they told me about my ears, about my teeth with braces, but I was never afraid of anyone. On the contrary, they were afraid of me.
What age did you get your first tattoo?
At 16. Since childhood , I have always had the right to choose. Of course, I was not allowed tattoos and piercings. I just went and did it, no one kicked me out of the house, of course.
Can public self-expression through style be considered art?
Considering that contemporary art is a very broad concept, perhaps it is possible. When the image is fully assembled, yes, it is a whole art, teamwork. But it is not just wearing clothes. You can remain a niche stylist so that no one knows you, find your clients, be friends with them and live well, but things are different for me. I love my business and I love attracting attention to myself, but I don’t want to become too popular. I don’t like that people violate personal boundaries then.
Do you see yourself in the role of a performer, for example?
I don’t. I just like clothes, I like to style, dress people, dress myself. I never wanted to go to a performance. I don’t even really watch anything new. I just re-watched Gaspar Noe’s films for about the fifth time, but I’m not the kind of person who looks for content. I used to watch something, but now I don’t have time for it. Work.
What is fashion today and how does it relate to your style?
Fashion is a business. When I started going to different fashion weeks, I was convinced of this more than once. The first time you watch the shows through rose-colored glasses, you get there inspired by this whole idea. In fact, brands do not do anything new. Basically, everything is focused on consumption. You can’t reinvent the wheel, but when I first watched New York Fashion Week, I was deeply disappointed.
Are people in Russia dressed better or worse than in other countries?
Young people in Russia look 100 times better than all of Europe put together. We have many more interesting, well-dressed people. When I return from Europe, not for work, but from ordinary trips where people don’t dress up, then when I come to Moscow or St. Petersburg, I think how beautiful our people are. We dress no worse, that’s a stereotypical idea. But everything is loose with the fashion industry, because no one is involved in it.
Can we say that a demand for style has formed in Russia?
Of course, look how popular interior designers, stylists, art spaces are now, how our stores are decorated, what kind of photo shoots brands do – there is nothing like this in Europe. In Asia, of course, there is. Aesthetics is our middle name. Fashion Week could be cool if we combine efforts and show YuliaWave, Ushatava, and so on. But for now, everyone calls the same thing – Viva Vox, Alexander Arutyunov and Fashion Week with Dolina in the tricolor. Although I think that the tricolor, and all the Russian symbols, and kokoshniks can be made interestingly and in a modern way. And the fashion week, at which Timati sings, is simply a disgrace. I won’t participate in something like this even for a lot of money.
Are there any examples from the industry that you’ve noticed lately?
One person can’t make big changes, it’s always a team effort. Every time I come to Kazan to visit my parents, I’m surprised at how quickly everything is developing there. A young, cool team has come who love the city and integrate something new into it. I want there to be more young people everywhere and for young people to make more decisions. And when adults hate everything new, it’s disgusting.
Do you consider yourself a person who inspires others?</strong >
Yes, I like it. Being in Russia most of the time, I want to continue going to fashion weeks in other countries to keep in touch with the world, which is logical for all areas of culture, including fashion, art, music or cinema. They are trying to impose restrictions on many things now – but how can you restrict something like that? I have a very young audience, and I am proud of it. I will continue to make youth content and keep in touch with these people. For me, the standard is Michele Lamy, who is 80 years old, but she still remains an idol for many, including the new generation.
