Russian fashion designer Vyacheslav Zaitsev died

Several Russian media, including Mash , Shot and Izvestia, reported on Sunday the death of the artist and fashion designer Vyacheslav Zaitsev. Subsequently, the message was confirmed by the Russian Academy of Arts.

Zaitsev was 85 years old. It is reported that he died in the hospital of the city of Shchelkovo, where he was delivered with internal bleeding. Zaitsev has been seriously ill in recent years.

Vyacheslav Zaitsev gained fame as a fashion designer back in the 1960s, becoming one of the first Soviet fashion designers who received recognition in the West, especially in France, where he was called the "Red Dior". In 1979 he opened his studio, later transformed into the fashion house. He was the author of costumes, including for Soviet athletes at the 1980 Moscow Olympics, pop artists, theatrical productions, and in 1991 developed a new form for the Russian police.

Zaitsev enjoyed particular popularity in the West during the years of perestroika in the USSR, when he became the author of the collections "The 1000th anniversary of the Baptism of Rus'" and "Agony Perestroika". In the early 2000s, for a visit to London, Zaitsev developed costumes for the ex-wife of the current president of Russia Lyudmila Putin.

He was the owner of a number of Soviet and Russian state awards, the title "People's Artist of Russia".