In October 2014 St Petersburg will be in the center of world fashion. From the 9th till the 18th of October the city will host Aurora Fashion Week. This time the festival celebrates its first jubilee – ten years in the fashion industry. There are usually two sessions – in April and October – both taking place in key cultural spots of the city such as St. Michael’s Castle or central exhibition hall ”Manezh”. Besides this, each session is carried out within a major cultural event. The aim of the present festival is to show the links between fashion and contemporary arts. Thus, a special cultural program emphasizing this connection was worked out for the festival. The fashion show itself will last for three days, from the 16th to the 18th of October. The organizers chose an iconic building of St Petersburg for the show – the House of Leningrad Trade. It was the first shopping mall opened in the city during the Soviet period.
Among the designers who are taking part in the current festival are Russian and international fashion stars. For example, Yuri Pitenin – a young man of great likelihood who represents the Saint Tokyo brand. In his work he uses motifs of European and Asian styles. Another promising designer is Dasha Sel’yanova. Originally from St Petersburg she works in London where she founded the brand called ZDDZ. Aurora Fashion week is not the first big event of international scale for the designer. Dasha Sel’yanova has already participated in New York and Paris fashion weeks.
The festival will be marked by a pre-premier screening of the film by Bertrand Bonello ”Saint-Laurent” which is dedicated to the French fashion guru. For those who are interested in the history of fashion it will be tempting to participate in the presentation of the book by Marina Skul’skaya ”Fashion. The most human art.” And, of course, the best way to put the acquired knowledge into practice is to go shopping. More than a hundred of the city shops will open their doors at night on the 11th of October offering attractive prices and discounts.