Outlaw Moscow, a Russian label on the come-up, has broken into the scene with a capsule collection in collaboration with PUMA. 

To uncover all there is to know about the relatively young label, we caught up with the duo behind Outlaw Moscow ahead of their runway showcase – specially staged for the all-new PUMA Select store opening at Jakarta’s Senayan City mall.

Since Outlaw Moscow’s establishment in 2014 by Russian designers, Dilyara Minrakhmanova and Maxim Bashkaev, the label has worked hard to diversify its collections by combining Russian influences with design styles from a mixture of other cultures.

In other words, the designers hope to steer clear of the post-Soviet aesthetic which is a prominent feature in Gosha Rubchinskiy’s designs. In doing so, Outlaw Moscow hopes to bring something new to the table – or rather, a fresh perspective on Russia’s fashion sensibilities. The label name on its own is a reflection of that vision, but endeavoring to do so has not been without its challenges.

“Outlaw in our community refers to something unique and cool (which is a reflection of the label)”, explains Maxim Bashkaev. “But the greatest challenge with every collection is to keep doing what you believe in, even when others have their own opinions and thoughts which could misguide you,” he continues.

PUMA x Outlaw Moscow Fall 2018 collection

The PUMA x Outlaw Moscow Fall 2018 collection has been a commendable attempt to offer something different from the post-Soviet style people have come to expect of Russian labels, thanks in part to Gosha Rubchinskiy. After all, it took the designers two years to bring the collection to life, following their first meeting with PUMA’s Head of Select, Yassine Saidi.

Recounting the events that led to this launch, Dilyara explains, “Yassine came to Moscow and selected us for the collaboration. We readied the designs first in Moscow with the PUMA Select designers, before finalizing the entire collection in Germany. The production, shoots and everything else then fell into place.”

The pièce de résistance is a kimono-style infused with Russian influences

The collection represents the designers’ concept of embracing ethnic and cultural differences in an inclusive and not least, impressive, array of clothing, sneakers, and accessories. The hallmark kimono style bears testament to that: the Japanese traditional garment is fused with Russian ethnic floral print design – certainly not something that has been done before.

Outlaw Moscow is created by designers Dilyara Minrahkmanova (middle) and Maxim Bashkaev (right)

Outlaw Moscow is more than just a fashion label. The founders have plans to shape the brand to becoming a creative force that will revolve in various spheres, including but not limited to, fashion and film. While clothing will always be the key medium of expression of the vision that they hope to communicate globally, complementary films will be created alongside each release to deepen the storytelling.

“We want to show how clothes and people integrate with each other. Ultimately, it’s about spreading the word on our vision to a global scale,” says Maxim.

All this implies there is more to come from the burgeoning Russian label. Leaving nothing to guesswork, Maxim told us in no uncertain terms that there is a second PUMA x Outlaw Moscow collaboration due to launch in November this year. The release of the winter collection will be accompanied by, you guessed it, a film that promises to be “huge”. 

To find out more, watch the full episode of In Conversation With: Outlaw Moscow in the video embedded above.

Featured image: Outlaw Moscow

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