Dmitry, Moscow

We spoke to Russian Streetwear don Dmitry about the ups and downs of streetwear in Russia, how contemporary brands are behaving [and fucking up] over there, and - of course - adidas connection. 39-year-old Dmitry is a Moscow-based visionary, street culture don, curator, designer, researcher, and founder of Russia’s largest street culture and fashion festival, Faces and Laces. A key figurehead in the scene, Dmitry is a true OG of the culture, having played his part as an Original of Culture there for over 20 years… Now a creative and communications agency too, we were lucky enough to get time with him to chat business, brands and being in Russia. 

You’ve been doing this a long time, Dmitry!

I have. I’ve been watching and participating in the emergence of street culture in Russia since I was 15 years old. I’m 39 now…

A lot must have changed, right?

So much. I witnessed the decline of the ‘rave revolution’ in Russia in the late 90’s, and I launched my first party in 1997 – back then, street culture and clubbing culture were very connected. It was also a very active period in terms of brands entering the Russian market. To be honest, I am quite critical of the vast commercialisation of street culture here. In terms of my brand, Faces & Laces, we try to remain independent, as that gives us our freedom. We don’t have sponsors, but we have partners with equal rights and opportunities. It is becoming harder and harder each year, as the market is very aggressive, so we don’t have much room for risk. We also try to stay away from government support as I don’t want them to use my project for their own end!

This sounds like it can get tough. What keeps you going? What do you love about what you do? 

Whoa, such a hard question. I love that I really engage with a culture that I love. I am not pretending. Thanks to my work, I get to interact with people who are creators of culture, and this is super important for me. When I was young it was important for me to know my idols - I wanted to understand what sort of people they were, and this has been reflected in everything I do today. I started to bring different, iconic people to Russia to understand them and to show them to people like myself. This is a big happiness for me. I travel a lot; I visit the places where these people work on their creations. And when I experience those places I feel a lot of inspiration. Working with artists, creating local stories and projects, and developing projects for Russia – these things are all super interesting for me. I may not have a huge commercial success, but I invest a lot in the culture, and in the future looking back I won’t be ashamed of my activities. I am proud of what I do. 

You should be proud! That all sounds incredible. What is it that’s appealing to you about street culture, about underground culture?

Underground culture to me is much more interesting to me than mass culture. It’s livelier - especially when commercialisation just devours everything it sees. It might be a bit odd to hear this from a person who works a lot with brands, but that’s the paradox I’m in. On the one hand I work with brands, and on the other hand I do things embedded in real culture so that I can feel that I am part of this culture. I don’t just exploit it. 

And how would you define ‘streetwear’ as a realm, globally, and in Russia?

If we talk about classical streetwear as defined by Western culture, everything is clear; it is skateboarding, it is hip hop, it is punk, it is even surfing. It’s fashion that came out of subcultures. Because it came from the West, the main centres for it are places like New York, London, Paris, LA… but not Russia. When we talk about streetwear, certain classical images come to our mind, and they are not usually associated with Russia. Stüssy is sun and surfing, Vans is skateboarding, Neighborhood from Tokyo is biker culture. So, in its classical understanding, streetwear is more about Western subcultures that have developed since the start of the ‘90s till the Internet commercialised everything and replaced these more sincere processes that had happened on the streets …

So, what is streetwear now, do you think, in Russia?

Streetwear in 2021 for me is something which is really happening on the streets; it is a collection of the various aesthetic choices and preferences of people who want to associate themselves with true street culture, including here in Moscow and St Petersburg. Streetwear is about style and culture, rather than about global fashion. I always had a difficult relationship with fashion, as it has no relation at all with what is going on in the streets. Streetwear is related to the actual streets people live on, to the local cultures, local people’s aesthetic choices– all of these things are streetwear for me, without clichés and without marketing twists and active exploitation by brands. But I am not criticising; everyone has their own thing and their own commercial aims. 

This ‘melding’ of fashion and streetwear is something we talk about often at PSEUDO… It sounds like the industry can frustrate you, sometimes…

Yes, I have some frustrations related to street culture. I think contemporary street culture has lost its heroes – the ones that were advancing it. In Russia especially, street culture has sort of lost its connection with its own DNA. The commercialisation of street culture has led to there being many clichés, and that has pushed away the people who did not want to stay within this commercial field. There are not many individuals in Russia who have done something truly meaningful at this intersection between commercial and underground. Corporations have over-exploited street culture and this has led to negative reactions from the artistic communities…

What is it that those artistic communities are saying?

Their frustrations - and mine - are related to brands using empty images to build a visual identity. It is very easy to sell these images to the young generation. It is something which is used by many brands and corporations here. When I see this exploitation, I get bad feelings because it sort of discredits the culture that I love. Brands distort the reality; they take the subculture, reuse it and sell it to the young generation. And so this generation consumes a very distorted type of subculture.The consumers then think that this brand and that brand are representatives of the culture, but this is not so. The consumers also think that the brands will help them build a true visual identity and let them into that culture, which is also not true! I’m critical of the brands, not the young consumers. 

This is super interesting. Why do you think this happens, in Russia?

Because Gen Z here in Russia don’t really fact-check, and there are not many people who can share knowledge. In Russia there is a gap - a disconnection between, let’s say, my generation and the younger one. In the West, there is not so much of a gap. I try to show the true culture within my projects, but there are not many people in Russia who have similar aims. Not many people are interested in true knowledge about the culture. Who needs this knowledge, when everyone is pursuing commercial gains?

Can you think of any specific examples of a brand fucking up in Russia and pursuing profit over culture?

For example, Vans – they came from the skateboarding culture. But each time they try to do something skate-related in the culture we witness a fiasco each and every time. We see that they are not truly interested in skateboarding here in Russia and it’s all about sales, sales, sales. They tap into skateboarding because it is in the brand’s DNA, but there is no feeling of a sincere desire to invest into the culture. That’s what I don’t like - when a big corporation uses the most popular models, reuses them again and again, and does not dig deeper. Us people in the culture, we wait for some true interpretation - a true investigation into a certain period or part of the culture, but this is not happening. 

Moving on from frustrations for now – although everything you’re saying is incredibly interesting – is there anything you’re seeing that excites you, or gives you hope?

What I like is that the local Russian culture of streetwear finally has formed as a result of a 10-year process; brands, communities, and designers with their own visions have emerged and established their presence. It is distinctive from what’s going on in the West. We have our own values, our own tendencies, our own authentic vision of culture. 

We love that! Can you tell us more about that?

It is clear that Russia, just like other countries, absorbs Western culture. It is not ‘plagiarism’, more that Russia absorbs culture, digests it, and then creates its own product. In Japan, for example, this process has happened in a more organised manner. In Russia it is happening in a chaotic way, and this makes the results also a bit chaotic. So, we do have this realm of Russian streetwear. It does exist, and I like it; it has its own trajectory for development, which is quite different from Western mainstream brands and projects. I like that we have that freedom. There are projects with quite radical political statements. Clothing is also some sort of a media. More and more we are communicating our thoughts through our outfits. Many claim that Russia stands at the beginning of this path. I disagree! We have been on this path for quite a long time. 

What do you think has allowed this change over time?

The internet and technology. Digitalisation enables the new generation in Russia to create something without having to go through intermediaries, because you don’t need them now. There is community, and there is its audience – no intermediary is needed. There is direct communication. You’re not forced to enter some mass field, or get some mass acceptance and recognition, or commercial recognition, anymore.

Do you think that’s important – for a culture to protect itself, and not get consumed by a mass audience?

A lot of what is going on in the underground subculture is not entering the mass field, and I love that. So yes, I’d like it to stay there. I am very sensitive about what I eat, and what I wear, for example. Not because I am a super snob, or because I want to look very fashionable. It is not about fashion. I just want to be a person from the culture who really represents and loves this culture, without extra associations or clichés. I don’t want to over-impress. I just want to be a person from my culture, where my outfit is a reflection of what I have in my mind, and my experiences, my interests, and my views. 

Is that what originality is, to you – a reflection of those things?

Yes. Originality is the desire to be yourself in the culture and to not betray or cheat on yourself. A lot of things are going on - new fashions, new agendas. Being original is to stick to your own views. It has to be a sincere process. If you are free and sincere in your intentions, and you set a goal to make a sincere product, you will be original anyway, because your thought is your thought, your idea is your idea; it is no one else’s.

And is it possible for a brand to be original?  

It’s of course an issue for some brands: to what extent can one re-use and exploit their heritage? It is, of course, very important, to work with the brand heritage and DNA. History and historical knowledge are very important, but there needs to be a balance in everything. Aggressive commercial marketing means that the over-exploitation of heritage is taking place. Investment into the future is also very important. OK, you can take the historical background, invest into some new directions, technologies. Some brands do this. But en masse, most companies seem to just repeat what has already been said, and this kills any desire to connect [at least for me]. 

So what is important, when harnessing originality, especially in Russia?

The freedom and desire to talk about the local scene are important. I live in Moscow, and I desire to talk about Moscow, and to present it the way I live and feel it. I want Moscow to be associated with being progressive, cool, and contemporary. I want Moscow to be distinctive. And I see my mission in supporting and promoting my region and the talented people here. I also value education when it comes to originality. Education means that, on the one hand, you know the history, and on the other, you are not afraid of an experimental approach, to use new technologies, and to be able to work with information and be open to the world.  If you combine all of these things, you will get a product that will truly be different from all other products. 

Why is that?

Because that product will be sincere. I know I’m using very broad and philosophical words here, but I’ve seen a lot of projects here in Russia in fashion, music and culture, that had good start but that led to nowhere. This is because when there is a project emerging with a desire to monetise very quickly but without a relevant path in the culture, there cannot be success. For me, it is not an original project. It falls into a zone that people just do not want to connect to. Simple instruments for mass audiences block knowledge about the culture. Not everything is defined by money; good projects grow from a respect for the audience and their surrounding world, not because of economic growth

What brand springs to mind as having been more about the money, rather than any kind of culture?

Bape. Unfortunately, the founder of the Bape brand sold it many years ago, and the brand lost all of its connections with the core culture. They became just a mass phenomenon, and a very commercial one. Bape came to Russia officially and they opened a corner store at TSUM [Russia’s luxury department store]. It was not only that they were late by like, 15 years, but I was also surprised that a lot of young people rushed to buy their things. I thought, “guys, you have the internet, and the opportunity to learn what is happening in the world. Don’t you understand that this is a very commercial story, and there isno cultural or intellectual statements behind this brand?” But the new generation in Russia is not really interested in this. This is a sad example of how it is easy to buy Bape - which does not have any authentic message - and link yourself with street culture. This is the kind of thing I try to fight against. 

Can you think of any brands you’ve seen that have done well in Russia, in this area?

An example of good interaction from a big brand is when Uniqlo works with very niche underground artists, and features them to the global audiences, not just within Japan. They used to do collaborations with people like Jon Takahashi inside of Japan, but later they started to show these collaborations to the whole world. I like that. 

In terms of Russian brands, there is a collective called A.D.E.D – a collective of five graffiti artists who have gone into exploring other fields like fashion and contemporary art. They’ve produced a very successful clothing brand as a way of communication their ideas; it is their media. And their brand does really come from street culture. They did a collaboration with Virgil Abloh and KM20 store. I pay respect to Virgil that he noticed this little collective from Moscow and gave it the opportunity to do something bright. For A.D.E.D. it was a huge step forward. 

I also love a group of guys called Bogema Leningrad – an artistic community from St Petersburg who make clothing and jewellery.I love their approach, their charisma, their philosophical interpretations and delicate engagement with contemporary rap, but I also love that they promote the place they live. Another good community from St Petersburg – and by the way St Petersburg is a very creative place, very underestimated, there is a lot of sincere creative energy – is a store called Renegade. They’re not very commercial, but they do a lot of events and parties that are important for the culture.When someone travels to St Petersburg, I recommend visiting their store. It is a mix of Berlin, Scandinavia and Japan. They sell niche brands they bring from different parts of the world. It is hard to be independent, of course, but they stick to their values. They understand the true visual identity of the street culture, and their ultimate aim is not to earn more money, but to promote the culture. 

And how about overseas?

In Dubai there is a fair called Sole DBX [we interviewed the founder, Rajat, as part of this project, you can see his interview here] which is a very good project, and very commercial one - there is a lot of money there. In general, the Arabs are very famous for their quality and production. The guys started doing this project long after we launched ours, and before doing their project they came to Moscow to see ours. I found this very interesting, and so cool that they connected with us. If Faces&Laces was a commercial project, it would turn into something similar to the Dubai one. But there is no street culture there. There is a world of luxury brands which want to have a friendship with the world of street culture, but there is no street!

Let’s talk a little bit about adidas in Russia, and how you’ve seen them more in this streetwear and subculture space. First, what are three words you’d use to describe adidas?

Tradition, Germany, Football. Maybe adidas wants to distance itself from it, I don’t know, but adidas in Russia plays a big role in football culture. In Russia this is our main sport, and our country is historically linked to adidas. It was one of the main brands that came to the Soviet Union. I’d also have to mention the project adidas did with Russian designer Gosha Rubchinsky. It was a very successful project - something like this had never happened before in the history of Russian fashion. I think it was a really lucky moment, both for adidas and for the designer. I also would add general culture – we should not forget how much adidas did in the cultural field, in musical culture. This is very important. 

And what role does adidas play in street culture in Russia? 

adidas is well connected to street culture of course. At first, Russia absorbed the values of culture that adidas promoted in the West, such as hip-hop. My whole life I’ve witnessed that if a person wanted to associate themselves with Hip Hop, they just needed to buy white Superstars. Later, the association became more connected to football culture. Sub-culturally, adidas is linked historically to Russia. Open any fashion magazine and you’ll see that adidas has the top spot. In ads, shootings, ratings, photos of Western musicians – and this all has influenced the sense of style in Russia enomously. adidas also entered the Russian market quite early, and this had an enormous advantage for them. In the ‘90s here in Russia, Nike were overly expensive. adidas was also an elite product, but it was possible to get; they were more accessible. adidas was a way for people to self-identify within the subculture. 

These insights into adidas in Russia are fascinating. And what happened to that?

Again, the Internet. Brands started to copy each other. There is overproduction. There is much more choice on how people can dress and what they can associate themselves with. It is harder for big brands to operate in this environment, I think. What happened is that big brands have lost their connection with micro communities, and I say this from personal experience. When there is a party and the kids who really have a role in their community are coming to it, I look at how they dress and what they wear. I look at why and how they select their outfit. Especially, I look at how skaters dress. Skateboarding is still a subculture which is very much alive. I mean, we don’t see break-dancers on the streets, but I see a lot of skaters. I see that many guys wear adidas while skating. Nike, much less. 

So what does adidas need to do?

I said earlier about heroes; adidas needs to find the heroes, the designers, who have a connection with a culture and with a generation. One problem is that Nike has attracted an army of designers and projects into their work and just killed the market. They attracted everyone they could and erased the opportunity for all other brands to work with those artistic figures. This is a very aggressive corporate behaviour. I don’t like the way Nike commercialised this very niche field. The attempt to buy everything really pushed away those who are deep in the culture. adidas in this sense was not that aggressive, and maybe it has protected the brand from a number of faux pas. adidas has the opportunity to work more accurately, and pay attention to new names, and those who are lesser known. Nike just sort of, covered themselves with such a vast amount of projects that now they are lost in this world of culture.

We couldn’t agree more… Aside from behaving less aggressively, is there anything you’ve seen from adidas already that you liked?

adidas actually brought Mark Gonzales to Moscow for some skateboarding events and we at Faces&Laces did an artistic project with him. I have one of his artworks in my office. Big thanks and respect to adidas for that, because while it was not initially connected to skateboarding, it really outplayed a lot of other brands, especially during that Faces&Laces fair, and brought a really cool skateboarding project on board. This is a very, very good example of what adidas should be doing. adidas also had this very cool project Boiler Room, which they brought to Russia at the height of electronic music. It was a connection between the global world and Russia and was a really cool project

That’s fantastic that you had the opportunity to work with Mark. Now, we’re almost finished, but before we wrap up, what are your predictions for the future of streetwear in Russia?

My main prediction is that there will be the decentralisation of Moscow and St Petersburg in Russia. I say this with 100% certainty. We have the Internet now, and so living in a distant place does not limit your abilities to do cool stuff. I’ve see some cool internal processes in Russia. Russia is still a developing country, and we are just starting to build internal links. And these links are not between Moscow and a regional city, but between the regional cities themselves, such as projects between Novosibirsk and Khabarovsk, for example.  Decentralised cities are a future trend here, which became possible thanks to these micro communities. 

And how would you summarise what you hope for Russia, in terms of the future of the culture?

In Russia, not many are capable of being proud of what we do here; of our local processes. This is a very subconscious thing. And I know we have cool people and cool artists, but not many people know about them. Sooner or later, it will change, but I want us to be proud of the results we have now. I respect anyone who does something in Russia, because I know it is super difficult. In Russia there is street culture; it exists, it is sincere, it is authentic. And it has a future. 

Thank you so much, Dmitry. Any parting words for adidas?

Very few brands have the opportunity in Russia that adidas does. In Russia, adidas has very little subcultural risk, because the trust in the brand is huge, it is historical. For other brands it is harder to fight for an audience. But in order to preserve this credit of trust, it is important, I am reiterating, for adidas to pay attention to local processes and specificities. If they continue to look carefully at the demands of the local audience here, I can assure them there will be sincere and positive results.