Look, this introductory piece on Comme des Garçons alumni Gosha Rubchinskiy’s skate brand Rassvet could be a cynical text about Western perceptions of Russia, on the cultural tensions between the East and the West, or about the ever-present political clusterfuck between two superpowers. But it’s not going to be. As much as we love making fun of clichés, we’d rather walk down a different path this time. So, if you’re here for the jokes, come back another time. Still here? Great. Let’s talk about Rassvet (PACCBET in Cyrillic), one of the few, if not the only widely known Russia-based skate brands out there. Founded in 2016 by skater-cum-fashion-designer Gosha Rubchinskiy and his fellow Muscovite Tolia Titaev, Rassvet, which means “sunrise” in Russian, is indeed a rising star in the skateboarding industry. Already, we’ve encountered a double meaning: the sunrise symbolism not only appropriate because of the attention Rassvet’s receiving in an oversaturated market stuffed to the brim with mostly American or European products, but it’s also hitting close to home because it comes from the East where, you know, the sun indeed doth rise. We don’t know why Gosha and Tolia chose to name their brand the way they did, but the term sunrise is quite striking for a brand hailing from a vast country that is sometimes (at least in the West) associated with images of derelict housing projects, bone-chilling Winters, and heavy drinking. In lieu of playing on these Western perceptions of good old Mother Russia (which would probably be the way to go for creative minds less capable than Gosha and Tolia), Rassvet envisions its own idiosyncratic – and surprisingly colorful – style. That said, Rassvet is certainly capable of standing on its own even without the obvious connection to Russia. After all, it’s its own fashion and skate brand and seeing as it’s made by Comme des Garçons, it sure appeals to the fashion crowd as it does to skaters. We are happy to announce that we are one of only a few stores globally that have Rassvet in their brand selection.
The coming drop includes next to the main collection two collaborations with Hi-Tec and Russell Athletics and it’s gonna be available at our brick-and-mortar store in Frankfurt. No online sales, sorry. Stay tuned for more Rassvet stuff. More information are coming soon! Release April 2019
