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 Igor
Chapurin, 39, was involved in the world of fashion from a very tender age. He
is widely known to open public for his Haute Couture «Russian straw». And apart
from it he made popular Venetian fabric, Byzantine fanciful pattern and a color
palette so individual to artistic traditions of the Russian vanguard. It seems like
Chapurin inherited his passion to fashion. His grandfather was the first one to
open Soviet textile factories on production of linen, his father reorganized
sewing enterprises and his mother heads the large Russian knitting factory. Thus,
the future profession was doomed for Igor Chapurin, as the garment designer and
the fashion artist.
Chapurin started
his first press-conference saying, «When I was younger...». When he was only 2б he already succeeded in life.
Igor Chapurin was born in 1968; he graduated from the Vitebsk Engineering School
qualified in «women wear design» and worked as an artist-designer at the High
Class Fashion Salon in Vitebsk. In 1991 he was accepted as the first-year
student at the Institute of Engineering in Vitebsk. And he followed selfish
ends since he was planning to take part in the Competition of Young Designers held
to honor Nina Ricci and only students were allowed to that. And Chapurin was lucky,
he fell in the top ten winners and in December 1992 he visited Paris presenting
Russia at the Х International Festi val of Young Designers. The Competition was sponsored
by the UNESCO and such celebrities as Sonia Rykiel, Kenzo and Pierre Cardin
were presented in the jury. Paris newspapers published that another star is
shined in Vitebsk after Chagal.
After Igor was
trained in Paris, he was invited by the Company «Мах Мага». However he rejected
that offer. The young designer was offered rather alluring perspectives - he
proceeded to creating dresses for the Beauty Queens. So, starting from the year
1992 all Russian beauties competing for «Miss World», «Miss Universe», «Miss
Europe», «Miss International», «Miss Eurasia and Oceania», «Miss Russia» and so
forth presented evening gowns by Igor Chapurin. Dresses by Chapurin are likely to
bring luck and in 1993 Yulia Alekseeva was awarded «Vice-Miss Europe» in her elegant
outfit by Igor Chapurin made of 45 meters of green silk fabric with rococo elements.
Following such success Igor receives invitations to design seven evening gowns
for the finalists of the first «Miss Russia» Competition.
In October
1993 Elmira Shamsutdinova was awarded «Vice-Miss International» in the gown by
Igor Chapurin that brought her luck.
Fall-Winter
1994-95 is likely the most notable time in a designer's life. In December 1994 Chapurin
launched his collection at the International Fashion Holiday in Bulgaria. And February
1995 was quite significant in his biography to note: he first presented his
collection in Moscow. His debut was named ‘То Russia With Love' since then his
name was far more popular in the West than at home. The exhibition took place
in «Metropolis» Hotel. Roger Zeiler, the President of the French Committee of
Elegance who purposefully arrived to Moscow on this occasion not only
acknowledged his collection to conform the European requirements but also
placed order for thirty costumes for «Miss Europe-96» Show. And Tamara
Gverdtsiteli, the singer, requested that Igor Chapurin would make a dress for
her significant performance at Carnegie Hall. While working with this particular
collection Igor invented his know-how in embroidery. It was like, «I was short of
time, and there was no sense to hire more embroideress. And so I took fittings during
days and at nights I embroidered creating something new. And finally I managed to
combine golden items, beads and corals in one embroidery work. Later on I showed
my ready collection to embroiderers and found out that none of them could
repeat it. Since my embroidery was made beyond any fancywork canons. In
addition, Moscow got astonished by Chapurin when he dressed the dark-skinned
French model Eugenie in the Russian kokoshnik (Russian headwear) embroidered
with pearls.
In November
1995 Igor Chapurin successfully released another collection «Night Fashion:
today and yesterday». And this time Tatyana Vasilyeva, a popular artist of
Russia, strolled the stage along with other models wearing a dress by Chapurin.
December 1995
was a hot time for Igor: he designed models of outfit for the employees of «Rene
Garraud» boutique and cocktail dresses for presentation of Estee Lauder
products. Iren Golitsina, the Italian designer, showed a great interest to his works,
and there was time when she gained popularity by creating palazzo pajamas designed
for traveling women. Her works were greatly appreciated by Jacqueline Kennedy, Greta
Garbo and Elizabeth Taylor. And Golitsina suggested that the young designer
create women product line under the trade name ‘Galitzine'.
Igor Chapurin
preferably works for solid women over thirty who are capable of perceiving aesthetic
nuances of his ego ideas and his muses are presented by three women - Alla
Demidova, Tatyana Vasilyeva and Marianna Petrovskaya. Marianna is the image of
Givenchy cosmetic line  and journalists of West find her face ideal and angel
like. After photo session in dresses by Chapurin, Marianna stated, «My look is
treated more gently and womanly here. The image created by Igor Chapurin appeared
to be very close to me and it was a discovery for me».
Between
1997 and 1998 Igor Chapurin develops the first pret-a-porter de luxe line by
the invitation of the princess Iren Golitsina at the famous Italian Fashion
House Galitzine that made attires for Jacqueline Kennedy-Onassis, Audrey
Hepburn, Elizabeth Taylor, and Sophia Loren. In 1998 Chapurin won the ultimate
prize of the association - The Golden Mannequin. The related collection «Sevastopol,
November 20s...» was devoted to the friend and teacher, Irina Golitsina, the
Princess, and all Russian emigrant, their courage during expatriation, their constancy
and beauty. The Prize «Golden Mannequin» (1998), the Russian National Award - «Ovation»
(1999), the «Style Prize-98» Harper's Bazaar Russia. All these awards granted
to Igor Chapurin as a designer witness of acknowledgment of the original artistic
concept typical to CHAPURIN COUTURE House. In its turn it allowed professionals
to state on appearance of the Russian Company of high European level. And in
March 1999 following these landmarks Chapurin became a brand and the Chapurin
Fashion House was born and a boutique opened in Moscow, in the ancient commerce
street Myasnitskaya.
In his work
Chapurin is always the first to try the latest technology: he weaves straws
himself, he embroiders his pieces with beads and artificial stones, he sculptures
bustier from papier-mâché decorated with Venetian lace. And the works of Igor
Chapurin are really many-faceted. He designs interior, he creates costumes for
theater performances and movies, and he makes designs of jewelry. Thus, in 1997
under the designs by Chapurin the costumes were made for the famous play, «Vocal
Parallels» by Rustam Khamdamov; yet, in 1998 he made Haute Couture for the
theater performance «The Woe from Being Shrewd» using tailor's traditions of
the XIX century. In 1999 CHAPURIN COUTURE Company created its first jewelry, in
cooperation with Vasily Konovalenko Art. They created the first jewelry
collection CHAPURIN COUTURE - a winter tale from the diamonds and dark-blue sapphires
from Sri-Lanka.
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