Two Cultures, One Brand: Saint-Tokyo

Prior to arriving in Moscow to attend Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Russia, I had but few expectations for my week-long adventure. This being my first time covering the international fashion event as well as my first time in Russia, I created a short, yet reasonable agenda. At the top of the list, next to eating homestyle borscht and gleaning outrageous Putin memorabilia, was attending Saint-Tokyo’s Fall/Winter 2017 runway show.

As one of Russia’s most anticipated fashion labels, the St. Petersburg-based brand is known for drawing large and decidedly young crowds. It’s no secret that youth drives fashion, and for an emerging brand striving to establish itself, youth is the key to building momentum. But how does one capture the attention of a demographic that supposedly has an attention span less than that of a goldfish? Instagram bait. In a bid to churn some preshow hype, the brand deftly created reversible black and white elastic bands bearing the brand’s name in bold print, and attached the simple, yet ingenious souvenir to the show invitations. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the accessory became an instant hit. Well before the start of the show, the Saint-Tokyo name pervaded Moscow’s Manege – the official venue of MBFW Russia – as attendees, donning their mementos as chokers and arm bands, embraced the marketing tactic as an adornment and an excuse to take another #selfie.

At the helm of Saint-Tokyo is designer Yury Pitenin, who is hardly the type to play it safe. In fact, it’s his penchant for brazen juxtapositions that make him stand out from his contemporaries. Born in St. Petersburg and raised in Tokyo, Pitenin aims to explore the duality of his upbringing through striking designs. Even the brand’s name, which is an amalgamation of the two places he holds dearest, evokes a collision of East and West perspectives.

For his Fall/Winter 2017 collection, the Russian native was inspired by Empress Maria Feodorovna who, after the overthrow of the Russian monarchy in early 20th century, fled from Russia to England on the HMS Marlborough. The most obvious allusion to the royal figure came in the way of a graphic t-shirt emblazoned with the name “Marlborough” in the signature Marlboro cigarette emblem. With a high-low approach, Pitenin’s contrarian creations mix imperial motifs and streetwear sensibilities for a visual impact akin to Japanese grunge streetstyle, with a tinge of punk femme à la Beth Ditto (former frontwoman of The Gossip). Almost every piece had the sense of attitude, personalization, and history.

From the first look to the last, it’s easy to see Pitenin – who cites Nicolas Ghesquière as ultimate style icon – has a knack for finding harmony in opposing elements. This season, the focus was on experimenting with contrasting textures and shapes. The result was splattered camouflage prints, lacquered lace, sleeve slits, underwear as outerwear, orange ruffles, lace-up details, and all kinds of unexpected silhouettes and proportions. Despite the collection’s apparent discord, every piece was wearable and not the least bit stale.

For Pitenin, versatility and wearability are indispensable factors in his brand’s DNA. “It’s important for me to create clothes that can be worn, not just costumes…pieces that [we] want to wear that are easy to style in many ways,” said Pitenin while wearing this season’s off-shoulder graphic puffer jacket of his own conception.

Though Pitenin has yet to hit his worldwide break, he’s already positioned as a driving force for Russian fashion. As Saint-Tokyo continues to develop on a global scale, Pitenin hopes to cultivate his local fashion scene as well as expand the brand to shoes, bags, and even a perfume in the near future.