The owner of the Grand-Prix of the contest was a Belarusian eighteen-year-old designer Pavel Kozin from Baranovichi, Belarus.
The northern capital has once again become a point of attraction for talented designers from all of Russia, and also from Kyrgisia and Belarus. Throughout the week in Saint-Petersburg State University of Industrial Technologies and Design the members of the jury judged more than 100 collections of the finalists, who were admitted to the final stage of the festival.
Alexey Demidov, rector of SUITD, president of the festival:
– For twenty-eight years within the walls of our university the Admiralty Needle international jury has been evaluating the collections of the best young designers. I always watch with interest after yesterday’s applicants become professionals in their sphere, and many of them create successful brands and become demanded designers. Among them is Olga Malyarova, whom we are truly proud of and have been promoting her for years!
The festival week was full of bright fashion shows, installations and exhibitions. This year, the participants of the festival presented their collections in new nominations «Digital Fashion», «Multimedia» and «Circular Fashion». The last one included such directions as ethical fashion, recycling, upcycling, customization, vintage and ethnic costume, that allowed talented designers to show their possibilities in mastering the skills of virtual reality and digital technologies in the sphere of clothing design.
At the festival opening on October 6th was presented a fashion-show «Beauty and Sport», a collection of souvenir sportswear designed by young designers of the Institute of Costume Design SUITD named «Fashion Start». The show was attended by the most titled university athletes – winners of competitions at the Russian and world level: Needles Cheerleading Team – multiple winners and medalists of Russian and European cheerleading championships, Miroslav Eletsky – famous dunker of Russia, absolute champion of the Slamdunk contest of the European Union League 3x3. A striking moment of the show was the race of stunt motorcyclists Andrey Markov and Maxim Trifonov. The collection of youth clothes in the «Morphea» moto-style was presented by designer and SUITD graduate, laureate of the «Admiralty Needle» Polina Dobzhinskaya.
On October 7th at the «Boiling Point – PromTechDesign» was held the press-conference at which members of the international jury shared their opinions on the collections of «Admiralty Needle – 2022».
Fashion designer, commercial director of ALAV SRL Danilo Luigi Mercaldo, Milan, Italy:
– Today it is especially glad that the pandemic didn’t affect creative perception. A lot of collections in the bright color spectrum were presented.
International expert and image-maker of men’s style Alexander Belov, Moscow, Russia:
– All of the contestants, whose collections made it to the final, deserve special attention and support in media promotion and launching their own brands to the wide audience.
Curator of eco-fashion direction «Ecosofia», project of the presidential platform «Russia – the country of possibilities», creator of the first Russian glossy magazine «Fashion Collection», deputy of Meshcansky district of Moscow Marina Demchenko, Moscow, Russia:
– I always knew that Russia is a country of talents! It is pleasant that the Admiralty Needle is gathering young talents bit by bit and makes it possible to reveal their potential.
– The fact that the contest-festival took place, despite the adjustments that the current situation introduces, is already a huge victory for the organizers. As for the participants, it is glad to see a lot of collections that included ethnic motifs, both Russian and other peoples inhabiting Russia. I was especially pleased that young designers in these collections avoided the usual copying, and approached the national heritage in an exceptionally creative way. This time the winner’s collections were surprising exactly by the integrity of the idea, be it the mezen painting or the idea that manuscripts never burn.
Curator of design programs for the SRM exhibition Galina Istomina, Moscow, Russia:
– The architecture of Saint-Petersburg is a recognized benchmark of good style! Over the years the «Admiralty Needle» has become the same benchmark of fashion competition. Perfectly organized festival helps to find and support talented designers all over the country.
The organizer of the Republican fashion and photo festival-competition «Fashion Mill», the head of the fashion and design department of the national center of children and youth art creativity of the Belarusian Ministry of Education Igor Ivanov, Minsk, Belarus:
– The Admiralty Needle is a real professional event in the fashion sphere of Saint-Petersburg and the whole Russia. High level of the participants' competitive works, professional international jury, rich business program – all this makes the festival attractive for new participants from different countries and fans of fashion and art. It is not surprising that participants from Belarus aim to come here. Young Belarusian designers always take worthy places and demonstrate high-level fashion collections. I am glad that we have a fruitful professional collaboration, not only during the festival days, but throughout the year.
PR-director of «Intertkan’» and «Textile&Home» exhibitions, head of the Communications Department of Anti-crisis headquarters SOYUZLEGPROM, chief editor of the Fashion Technology project Vera Ivanova, Moscow, Russia:
– The color range of the presented collections is indicative. It was nice to see gentle pastel tones and bright life-affirming colors. It is nice that young designers are less concentrated on black, reflecting in their creativity the obvious need for comfort, tenderness and positive emotions. It should be noted that starting from this season the contest become a Festival, it inspires confidence in the development of fashion in this direction.
Co-founder, executive director of Kazakhstan National Fashion Week and young designers competition «New Generashlon-Open way» Botagoz Aldongarova, Almaty, Kazakhstan:
– The Admiralty Needle Festival is an exchange of creative energy and a look into the nearest future that excites, intrigues and delights.
Expert in fashion and fashion industry, head stylist and designer of Eleganzza company Tatiana Ivanova, Moscow, Russia:
– One of the most important tasks of the Admiralty Needle festival is to support young talented people who think outside the box, find new solutions and at the same time maintain their individuality. Fashion is a splash of festivity in the grey everyday life!
This year the contest is for the first time held with support by the «Fashion Network» Association, Fashion-ID platform and Konkurs.rf where every participant in open format can track their application status and share the experience of participating in a project. Anton Alfer, head of the project, talked about the importance of applying the latest technologies for creation, implementation and development of fashion design projects and brands in Russia.
The business program of the festival was presented in a new format. For the first time there was a fashion-battle between two leaders in modern fashion and design – Luba Popova (Milan, Italy) and Sergey Sysoev (Moscow, Russia). Recognized world experts shared their opinion and answered the questions that worry young designers, journalists and aspiring fashion-industry entrepreneurs.
For one evening the SUITD concert hall became a real theatre with a scene, decorations and unusual backstage. At the VIP show «Beauty. Fashion. Elegance» the young fifteen-year-old artist Lisa Anisimova and a first-year student of SUITD presented an immersive installation «In the light of the past» with reviving historical characters with the accompaniment of «Open Strings».
Sergey Cherupko, an artist of the Music-Hall theatre, performed famous arias and romances. Also there was presented a collection by the team of young designers from SUITD students – participants of the BUNKA Graduate Fashion Week (Tokyo, Japan) under the motto «Other fairy tales»: Alina Bulgakova, Elena Stasuk, Kira Orlova, Alina Berezina, Daria Kaluzhina, Sophia Kalarova, Mahym Orazmukhammedova, Veronika Petrova, Kristina Fairuzova, lada Yarunina, Anastasia Savina and Anna Balandina.
Fashion designer, laureate and winner of the Admiralty Needle 2016-2018 Asya Akinshina presented a new collection of dresses «the Garden». The fashion show was accompanied by a dance by Anastasia Kurskova, an actress, nominee and winner of international and Russian dance competitions.
The Grand Prix winner of the Admiralty Needle 2021 Ksenia Novikova, Ivanovo, Russia and Jan Gorkunov, Saint-Petersburg, Russia, presented the NOVIKOVA fashion collection «A kiss in the forest». This is a unique creative collaboration between designers Ksenia Novikova and Julia Aleshicheva, better known as «Girl from 1938». The collection is dedicated to the work of an unusual embroiderer, a self-taught artist from Russia, a sensation in the world of contemporary art.
The students and soloists of the vocal and direction faculty of the Saint-Petersburg State Conservatory named after N.A. Rimsky-Korsakov gave the audience a wonderful mood with the performance of an aria from the opera «La Traviata» by Giuseppe Verdi.
Multiple winner of the Admiralty Needle, SUITD graduate Olga Malyarova presented new collection of unique couture evening gowns «Superstar».
Unusual design of SUITD concert hall has reflected the design concept of the main theme of the festival: synthesis of fashion, art and design. Mirrors, rich сolors of the podium and 3D walls of metal structures immersed the audience in a bizarre world of theatre through the prism of fairy tale and time.
This year finding and the Grand Prix winner – designer Pavel Kozin, Baranovichi, Belarus with his collection «Biblioclasm» received a money prize of 500 thousand rubles for the development his own brand from the founder of the festival – Ƶ.