Russia and Spain are the new kids on the block fashion

  According to the stereotype, are ultra-rich in Russia particularly interested in international brands - whether real estate, newspapers and football teams - but fashion tells a different story. Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week this year, Russia (MBFWR), which was held in Moscow in March showed that home designers increasingly try to define their own aesthetic - and local consumers take note.

Alexander Shumsky, who founded the Russian Fashion Week in 2000 (Mercedes was a sponsor in 2011), says that five years ago, "it would have been very difficult to say what the Russian fashion, and, background, nobody buy it is not. "Well, he said, a certain aesthetic cohesion arises.

The shows this year very different in terms of size, quality and fanfare, but the dominant themes were dark winter in Russia, ethnic patterns and snowy wilderness.

Alena Akhmadullina is one of the names of the. Most established fashion from Russia, selling both the United States and France, as well as his country For Fall / Winter 2013 they sent fur capes and heavy coats, colorful knitwear, and clothes covered in wolf prints. Urate Gurauskaite, editor of InStyle Russia described the result as "fantastic prints, colors, cut and devotion to traditional Russian fairy tale."

Lilia Poustovit who worked to develop in Western Europe before returning to "national mode" in Ukraine, projected a tough femininity on the podium, matching boots with long, soft polka dot dresses and geometric motifs stars for his eponymous line - which also showed , Ukrainian Fashion Week in Kiev.

"He looked like a student in the library," said fashion consultant Mariam Koberidze. "Romantic but with a strong personality."

Keburia Ria, a young Georgian, lives and works in Paris, embraced Spiritualism "post-materialist" with Japanese origami style hats. But his fellow Georgian designer established models Bessarion made of white lilies in black caps farmers and so blue and bright red suits Industry, coats and skirts in a collection that is both reminiscent of life in Eastern Europe and the Soviet avant-garde early campaign.

Fyodor Golan, the fashion house in London Fyodor Podgorny and Golan Frydman is based, won applause for strict local sewing with fancy head model combined with something that looked like was a perfectly symmetrical sphere and blue butterflies surrounded snowflakes. "The aesthetics here are refined, but also our ability to more in Russia that produce allowed to sell us next to European brands," says Polina Kitsenko that monitors the purchase of stores podium mode.

However, neither Kitsenko still his team felt the need to participate in the local fashion week, a common feeling in the local press.

"The glossy magazines still mainly on external designers, but there are more and more attention here," says Gurauskaite. "Russian designers are now getting 10 percent of the area in the magazines," she said, pointing out that this compares with almost nothing in 2009.

"People need to come together and create the unique trends," says Koberidze "This is the generation of the 1990s that established rules and stores. Those who have become very rich very quickly, in order to show better was summarized by Versace with a huge logo. But there comes a new generation. "And now they have to buy something new.

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"There is so much good news lately," says Lucia Cordeiro, director of Asociación de Creadores Moda de España (ACME), shows the beginnings of Madrid-based Delpozo label at New York Fashion Week this year. "It marked a turning point for the Spanish fashion," Cordeiro said.

While the high-street brands such as Zara and Mango, Camper footwear brand names and historical Balenciaga and Paco Rabanne have a high level of awareness, there are relatively few brands of well-known contemporary Spanish designer Agatha Ruiz de la Prada, Custo Barcelona and Loewe.

But things could change. In Delpozo, Emilio de la Morena there a clothing designer for women based in London, whose spring / summer collection featured layers and ruffled skirts in red, white and black.

Then there are the Cortefiel group only Spanish designer, Carmen March, creative director of the high-end line, Pedro del Hierro, Madrid was excellent. The group is the second largest group of apparel Spain. It is in 65 countries, running 1,900 branches and four core brands - Cortefiel (urban fashion for men and women), Springfield (young, casual styles); Women'secret (linen) and Pedro del Hierro (contemporary fashion for women).

There are also Amaya Arzuaga, which shows the Spanish Embassy in Paris, think, own asymmetrical designs of pop star Fergie and Lady Gaga favors that are sold in Japan, the Middle East, Europe and the United States states.

After Fashionfromspain.com, an initiative of the ICEX, the agency of trade and investment is the Spanish government, the most important trend in the Spanish fashion their expansion abroad. In 2012, exports reached € 15.6bn, mainly thanks to the brands in the stores abroad to open. By ICEX, the Spanish fashion industry employs 200,000 people directly and generates the industrial production of more than € 13.5 billion home.

"Spain used to be far behind other countries," says designer Agatha Ruiz de la Prada. "This has been around for the last 15 years, rotated, the government investment in the Fashion Weeks and the promotion of Spanish designers." Ruiz de la Pradaherself now has flagship stores in Paris, Milan, New York, Madrid and Barcelona.

Custo Dalmau, the creative force behind Custo Barcelona, ​​which was launched in 1981 to life and shown in New York since 1997, believes that it is only the beginning. "Spain is a country with many cultural interests and fashion is one of them," he said.

Cordeiro: "We are optimistic that we will reap the fruits of the labor of many years of paving the future for the next generation of designers future of education is the key.".