COLLECTIBLE PIECES RESEARCH SHOW
On October 30, 2025, Ushatava presented the Collectible Pieces collection as a part of its Research runway line, marking the brand's anniversary. It showcases the evolution of the shapes and silhouettes created by the fashion house over the course of its 10-year history. Held at the Garage Museum of Contemporary Art, the Collectible Pieces show is the first in the line of events organized in a partnership with this institute. The partnership will include a research project on the history of uniforms in Russia based on materials from the Garage archive. A new uniform for the museum's staff will be one of the outcomes of this collaboration. Ushatava will also support a public program dedicated to the influence of fashion on casual and workwear.
The Collectible Pieces collection is imbued with subtle references to Ushatava itself. In retrospect, the fashion house seeks to answer the question: what constitutes its DNA? Archives—the early samples, iconic models, and signature concepts—become a key research tool. At the same time, Collectible Pieces ushers in a new stage of experimentation through techniques the brand has never explored before. The collection captures the essence like a memory capsule and sends a message to our future selves.
The Collectible Pieces collection is imbued with subtle references to Ushatava itself. In retrospect, the fashion house seeks to answer the question: what constitutes its DNA? Archives—the early samples, iconic models, and signature concepts—become a key research tool. At the same time, Collectible Pieces ushers in a new stage of experimentation through techniques the brand has never explored before. The collection captures the essence like a memory capsule and sends a message to our future selves.
Showcasing the process and observing it from a distance is a technique the fashion house has regularly employed since its inception. It also became central to the preparation of the show venue. “We didn't build any sets, and when the first guests arrived, the chairs were stacked as if in a warehouse. We wanted to create a sense of slight unease among the audience: Where would the show take place? Where should they sit? We positioned the backstage in the lecture hall area so that the guests could watch makeup artist Fariza Rodriguez and hairstylist Dmitry Abramovich at work live through a display window. It was important to us to show the backstage and introduce everyone present to the team involved in preparing this show,” shares architect Vova Spakis.
The white plastic chair became the key element of the show's architecture and its conceptual symbol. “I like to find memory objects that are common to all and dissect them in a new way. Take the white plastic chair—I'm sure everyone is familiar with it. For me, it's an item from my childhood. I grew up in the 1990s and often spent my summers in Surgut and Sochi where white chairs were everywhere. I know this design all too well and feel close to it, and I think it resonates perfectly with the Garage space,” says Nino Shamatava, creative director of Ushatava.
The white plastic chair became the key element of the show's architecture and its conceptual symbol. “I like to find memory objects that are common to all and dissect them in a new way. Take the white plastic chair—I'm sure everyone is familiar with it. For me, it's an item from my childhood. I grew up in the 1990s and often spent my summers in Surgut and Sochi where white chairs were everywhere. I know this design all too well and feel close to it, and I think it resonates perfectly with the Garage space,” says Nino Shamatava, creative director of Ushatava.
The show soundtrack also reflected the process. Artists Kristina Karpysheva and Aleksandr Letsius, founders of the 404.zero audiovisual project, worked with the N'Caged vocal ensemble to create a live experimental musical background. Among the guests and heroes of the show were: Anna Mikhalkova, Ksenia Sobchak, Irina Golomazdina and Ivan Khokhlov, Natalia Kiknadze with her daughters Nina and Valeria Urgant, Anastasia Ryabtsova and Sergey Ryabtsov, Ksenia Chilingarova, Emma Turetskaya, Natalia Mastalerzh (Nowadays), Aleksandr Plotkin (SKNYPL), Stanislav Kozin and Marcelo Rueda (Kozeen + Rueda), Aleksandr Tsimailo (Tsimailo Lyashenko and Partners), Alisa Stezhkova (Cream Soda band), Kostya Maksimov (Obstoyatelstva band), Maria Malakhova (Iskrit), Elena Konchalovskaya, Masha Fedorova, and many others.
The show was conceptually divided into several sections, each dedicated to a distinct era in the brand's life defined by its shapes. Strict, monumental silhouettes reminiscent of cocoons gave way to more open, sensual, and streamlined ones. The show's finale featured dresses adorned with medals that Russian high schoolers get for good grades—a nod to high school graduations, which remain etched in memory forever. The final look addressed the guests. The dress the model was wearing had archival photographs attached to it. Each model's step set her dress in motion which got the photos scattered around the room. During the recall, the team picked them up and gave them away to guests as a memento of Ushatava, which celebrated its 10th anniversary in 2025.
Credits:
Creative Direction: Nino Shamatava @ninoshenka
CEO: Alisa Ushakova @allieushakova
Creative Production: Ekaterina Keylman @keylman
Architecture and Space Design: Vova Spakis @vovaspakis
Chair Design: Vasya Kononov Gredin @vkg_vkg
Key Graphic Design: Alexey Rybin @alrbin
Key MUA: Fariza Rodriguez @farizarodriguez
Key Hair: Dmitriy Abramovich @abramovich_hd
Soundtrack: 404.zero @404.zero, N’Caged @n.caged
Broadcast Direction: Ernest Yakovlev @ernestyakovlev
Art direction: Jana Simorot @janasimorot
Styling: Alina Frost @_alinafrost_
Key casting: Danil Belobraga @belobraga
Producer: Anastasia Moshkareva @anavarenevna
Photo: Bae @bae70000000
Backstage photo: Sulpan Aknazarova @aknzrva
Backstage video: Maria Serebrennikova @perloorla
Catwalk: Igor Strazhin
Guests photo: Nikolay Zverkov @zverkov_ko, Dmitry Kolesov @dmitrykolesov
Guests video: Natishta @natishta
Creative Direction: Nino Shamatava @ninoshenka
CEO: Alisa Ushakova @allieushakova
Creative Production: Ekaterina Keylman @keylman
Architecture and Space Design: Vova Spakis @vovaspakis
Chair Design: Vasya Kononov Gredin @vkg_vkg
Key Graphic Design: Alexey Rybin @alrbin
Key MUA: Fariza Rodriguez @farizarodriguez
Key Hair: Dmitriy Abramovich @abramovich_hd
Soundtrack: 404.zero @404.zero, N’Caged @n.caged
Broadcast Direction: Ernest Yakovlev @ernestyakovlev
Art direction: Jana Simorot @janasimorot
Styling: Alina Frost @_alinafrost_
Key casting: Danil Belobraga @belobraga
Producer: Anastasia Moshkareva @anavarenevna
Photo: Bae @bae70000000
Backstage photo: Sulpan Aknazarova @aknzrva
Backstage video: Maria Serebrennikova @perloorla
Catwalk: Igor Strazhin
Guests photo: Nikolay Zverkov @zverkov_ko, Dmitry Kolesov @dmitrykolesov
Guests video: Natishta @natishta