For all the relentless machismo touting out of Russia (insert your favorite shirtless Putin image here, the world has seen enough of ‘em to get selective)… its niche for menswear is hollow. Very few Russian designers carry on the plight of the non-uniformed man. Jenya Malygina is one of the torchbearers. Over the last decade, her brand PIROSMANI has secured a devout following with its ideology of “no fashion, no trends, no season.” If fashion were literature, this could be a college curriculum saga. Pirosmani Man dwells within the urban depths where personal freedom begins at the threshold of social (dis)connect. While the faded distressed garments appear unmistakably contemporary, the aesthetic is steeped in the existentialist oeuvre of another St. Petersburg resident. Fyodor Dostoyevsky canonized these tormented emo-goth-lads in the collective imagination. So what is the Crime and Punishment of such a man? Satiating his thirst for Darkness only to become ravenous for the Light. Pirosmani fall-winter 2015 collection is another chapter in this stellar noir mystery.

Collection presented at the Mercedes Benz Fashion Week RUSSIA/Moscow. Follow PIROSMANI on Facebook & Instagram. Also, check out another anti-glam effort by Lena Tsokalenko and black-clad magic of Barbara i Gongini