Igor Chapurin is not only a famous Russian fashion designer, who was the first to show Russian haute couture fashion to the world. He is an embodiment of all the best tendencies in Russian fashion industry - modern, laconic and elegant silhouettes and  patterns. He is famous for his inventions of new methods of embroidery and "Russian straw" - golden threads stranded into cloth by unique technology. Now the whole world is infatuated by Russian avant-garde, all thanks to Igor Chapurin.

Igor Chapurin was born on 21 March 1968 in a small northern town Velikiye Luki, Pskov region. His parents were famous stockinet manufactures, and Igor followed in their footsteps - in 1991 he entered the Vitebsk technological Institute, choosing "clothes designer" as his special subject. He set himself an objective to take part in the International Contest of young talents, which was held by Nina Ricci brand in Paris.
After the ending of his study course in Paris, Chapurin was invited to work in a world-famous MaxMara company, but he refused that proposal. 
Then, after a year from graduating the Institute, Chapurin made his dreams true, not only taking part in the Nina Ricci contest, but entering the group of ten prize winners. He soon received many proposals from beauty contests' organizers and created magnificent evening gowns for Russian participants of "Miss World", "Miss Europe", "Miss Universal", "Miss International", "Miss Eurasia and Oceania"and "Miss Russia" contests. 

Igor Chapurin made his first fashion show in Russia in 1995, which was named "To Russia with Love", as the designer was more known in the West than in his homeland that time. The fashion show was held in the "Metropol" hotel. During the working on that collection Chapurin created his own unique method of embroidery, which couldn't repeated by any of his embroiderers. Chapurin had no time to hire them for work, so he had to embroider himself anights, and finally he was able to combine gold, glass beads and corals in one embroidery pattern. Besides, Chapurin shocked the Moscow by putting a pearls embroidered kokoshnik (woman's headdress in old Russia) over the head of French black-skinned model Eugénie.
In December 1995 Chapurin created uniform costumes for the "Rene Garraud" boutique shop assistants and cocktail dresses for the presentation of "Estee Lauder" company. 
 From 1996 to 1998 Igor Chapurin had been working out the design for the first line of the Italian Fashion House "Galitzine" by a personal invitation of princess Iren Golytsina. The fashion designer himself considered that stage of his life as an important turning point in his career. 
In 1997 he became a candidate for the "Russian Haute Couture Association" membership and presented his collection "Chapurin-97". In 1998 his collection "Chapurin-98" gained the "Gold Mannequin" - the highest award of the "Russian Haute Couture Association". The same year Chapurin presented the Russian fashion at the "European Ball" in Paris. 
  In 1999 he opened his first Moscow "Chapurin Couture" boutique and continued to take part in the International fashion shows. He also gained the "Ovation" fashion award. In the beginning of the 21st century the designer turned his attention to mysteries of Russian classical theatre. He made scenic costumes for "Wit Works Woe" comedy in Oleg Menshikov's staging, as well as "Kitchen", "The Little Prince", "Good-bye, Marlen, Hello" and others. He also began to work out jewelries together with "Vasily Konovalenko Art" jewelry company.

In September 2002 Igor Chapurin presented eight unique dresses dedicated to the opening of the "Switzerland's Days in Russia". All dresses were designed in red-white colouring in tune with the Swiss national flag.
In 2003 he gained another "Gold Mannequin" award for his collection, shown within the High Fashion Week. The same year he made scenic costumes for the "Madam Lionelli" ballet, which premiere took place on the 7th of May 2003 at the stage of the Royal Albert Hall of Arts and Sciences in London. At the same time Chapurin created costumes for the "Demon" play in the staging of Kirill Serebrennikov and with Oleg Menshikov starring.
  On 11 April 2003, in Milan, Igor Chapurin presented his first big project in the field of furniture design - CHAPURINCASA. Russian presentation was held on 14 October 2003.
  In June 2004 Igor Chapurin created costumes for Russian champions in modern rhythmic gymnastics, Alina Kabaeva and Irina Chashchina, with the participation of "Swarovski" company. The costumes were specially made for Olympic Games 2004 in Athens.
In July 2004 a famous Russian restaurateur Arkady Novikov opened his new project - a city cafe "Vesna" (Spring) on the New Arbat street. All the two-storeyed cafe's light and furniture design was made by Igor Chapurin and his CHAPURINCASA studio.
In 2005 the CHAPURIN fashion house presented a new line - the special CHAPURIN CHILD collection.

On 2 October 2005 the CHAPURIN fashion house became the first Russian fashion brand to show its collection within the official schedule of Paris pret-a-porter week. Russian ballet atmosphere ran through the whole collection, which told about a day of one ballet dancer: from her morning lessons to evening appearance at the stage. The fashion show was held in Gaveau Hall - the most well-known ballet rehearsal hall in Paris.
In the beginning of December 2005 the Chapurin's company showed an absolutely new project for Russian fashion industry - the collection of clothes for downhill skiing, CHAPURINRG. The company took into consideration all the latest fashion trends and high technological demands for good skiing cloth.

On 6 April 2006 there was an official opening ceremony of the CHAPURIN headquarters, where all the company's offices and design studios and workshops were able to be housed in one big building. There is also a CHAPURIN's boutique in the same building, which has a unique visual consept in its interier, as mirrors, platinum glass and walls of "dark chocolate" colour are combined in very interesting combinations there. The boutique is supplemented by three show-rooms: pret-a-porter, haute couture and CHAPURINMAN.
In September 2005 Chapurin was named "A Man of the Year" by the Russian version of GQ journal. In the same year he was given the honour to create scenic costumes and stage's decorations of the legendary Bolshoi Theatre. As a result of that collaboration, Chapurin designed ballets "Card Game", the music of Stravinsky, and "Omen", the music of Tchaikovsky. In August 2006 the "Card Game" ballet gave two perfomances at the stage of the Covent Garden theatre in London within a big world tour.
The CHAPURIN's brand was able to increase its presence at the European fashion market. The pret-a-porter shows in Paris became traditional events, two of them (autumn-winter 2006-2007 and spring-summer 2007) took place in a legendary “L’Imperiale” hall of the "Westin" hotel and in the Soufflot Hall in Louvre.
Now Igor Chapurin continues to develop his brand and extend the sphere of influence on the Russian and world fashion markets. Besides the usual seasonal collections and fashion shows, he takes part in many special projects. In 2008 he opened the CHAPURINBAR, which now gives the best parties in the city with a participation of many interesting foreign guests.
  In autumn 2011 the designer presented his latest couture collection, named "Silver Night", where he intended to express the charm of night, its emotionality and depth. In that collection Chapurin used deep "night" colours, fanciful tints of light, blinks and shimmering, changeable textures and shapes. The collection was an enormous success among Russian celebrities.

Chapurin says about his place in the fashion industry: "I'm looking for the compromise between the commercial, success and the artistic originality. The success for me is when people buy and wear the things created by me. Clothes must being worn, and only then it can be called a real fashion. And my creative credo consists of just three words: simplicity, harmony, perfection.

  Pret-a-porter, Spring-Summer 2011

Sources: Spletnik.ru Peoples.ru Snob.ru Fashion People Kleo.ru

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