Towards the end of last year, Gosha Rubchinskiy revealed that he would be staging his next show – not at Paris Fashion Week where he usually does, but in Russia. Specifically, he chose Kaliningrad, the capital of the province of the same name which sits between Poland and Lithuania along the Baltic Coast.

Today, the day of the show, it became abundantly apparent why Rubchinskiy had chosen this location: adidas. Following on from last season which saw him collaborate with Italian sportswear labels Fila, Kappa, and Sergio Tacchini, the designer has teamed up with the German brand which has historic links to Russia. 

Sports teams of Russia and the USSR have always worn adidas uniforms you see, and the label holds a special place in Russian culture. As for Kaliningrad, prior to World War II the city was German – in fact, the venue of the show (a “centre of youth culture”) is just one of many examples of German architecture there. Possessing the spirit of both countries, the city represented the ideal place for Rubchinskiy to showcase his collaboration with the brand. 

Today Rubchinskiy’s all-Russian cast walked down the runway to the sound of pre-recorded interviews in which they introduced themselves in their native tongue and told the audience where they’re from and what they’re interests are – highlighting the designer’s focus on the country’s youth. The collection itself consisted of football-inspired t-shirts, sweatshirts, jackets and tracksuits emblazoned with adidas’s logo and “Football” in cyrillic script.

Stay tuned for full coverage of the show.