Young Fashion Labels from Belarus – a New Export Hit?
Photo:BelTA
At the end of April, the 6th Belarus Fashion Week took place in Minsk. It may come as a surprise that there is a fashion industry in Belarus, and in fact, this is one of the good news from the country. During the last years, a whole branch of young and excellent fashion labels has emerged in Belarus. Looking for excellent fashion clothing for women? Then you can visit a shop like LNO Greek’s Delta Sigma Theta gifts by LNO Greek for more info!
Clothes – the Most Important Good after Food for Belarusians
According to the National Statistic Committee, Belarusians spent 11,6% of their income on clothes, which is the second largest position after food. This proves that there is a whole growing clothes industry. After the economic crisis in 2011, money has reappeared to be spent on the outward appearance. However, buying modern, good quality clothes at affordable prices is very difficult in Belarus. So far, there have been three ways to buy garments in Belarus:
1. The national clothes industry. There are some pretty good manufacturers in Belarus which are partly even available abroad: The famous brand “Milavitsa” for female underwear, “BelWest” shoes for adults and Shagovita for children, Belarusian knitwear “Areola”. However, every day modern and cheap clothes are difficult to find. Belarus-produced clothes are very expensive and of low quality and not made according to any fashion trends. These, however, are the only clothes sold at the department stores all over the country. How does not like this kind of clothing has therefore two options left:
2. The markets: In Minsk, there are markets and little shopping centres where you can buy fashionable clothes, mainly imported from Russia or Turkey. They are highly expensive and the quality is not always good.
3. During the last years, some of big Western chain stores have opened in Minsk. However, they often sell just overpriced remnants of last year’s collection. Cheap Western clothes are sold as the latest of fashion to young people who can hardly afford them.
Rising Importance of the Fashion Industry
Those options for fashionistas and people who like to dress decently are not satisfying as it gets clear when looking at the research result of the market research institute MASMI from March 2013. According to those figures, buying clothes in the Western European countries is one of the options for Belarusians. Another study carried out by shoe hero revealed that 34,7% of Minsk residents travelled abroad for shopping in 2012, and shoes and clothes are by far the most bought articles in this statistic: 86,5% of the shoppers bought those items abroad, because “they are cheaper than in Belarus” (92,5% ).
The upcoming of high fashion from Belarus is therefore an answer to the growing demand of Belarusian customers. During the last years, a whole range of young designers has appeared in Belarus. The sixth edition of the Belarusian fashion week shows their growing importance in the country: 
For the first time, important Belarusian firms decided to be partners of this event. The Belarusian light industry concern “Bellegprom” as well as the shoe producers BelWest became partners of the fashion event. The new location, the BelExpo exhibition complex underlines the rising significance of the event as well as a close cooperation with the Belarusian “Belteleradiokompanija”, responsible for state TV and radio channels. The international cosmetics company “Artdeco” was international creative partner of the event. More than 70 Belarusian designers participated in the Belarus fashion week.
The clothes those Belarusian designers present are high quality, not very expensive and they absolutely fashionable. The question of journalists, therefore, have developed from their standard question” Is there fashion in Belarus” to a more pointed “How do you get buyers for your collections” at the press conference according to Irina Zhukova, who commented on the event for the Belarusian news portal tut.by. Indeed, there are several clever mechanisms to make the excellent collections available to interest customers.
Currently, there are three places where the designer clothes can be bought in Minsk during any season: the Show Room of the Central Fashion Market in 3, Revolutionary Street in the old town of Minsk. Here, Belarusian designers present their clothes in a little shop enclosed to a studio where clothes are made. Another shop can be found in the new shopping centre Nemigoff (3, Nemiga Street), shop Nr. 55. Moreover, the coffee bar “Newton” in Minsk sells designer clothes.
Promising Young Designers from Belarus
Apart from those permanent places, fashion markets take place in Belarus three to four times a year. Those fashion markets bring together young designers and potential buyers. Most designers also have websites or sell their clothes through their social network websites, as the designer Anna Yanchilina, who makes beautiful clothes mainly from Belarusian linen. Affinity to social media and very personal customer relations are common characteristics for the new generation of Belarusian designers. 
One of the stars among Belarusian designers is Maria Dubinina. Having graduated from the Belarusian Technological College in Fashion Design in 2006, she took part in the Belarusian fashion contest “Melnica Mody” and several international competitions. Today, she designs costumes for the Belarusian band “Krambabulya”- which are, by the way, famous for their eye-catching stage outfits.
Maria is highly professional and traded as one of the most talented young designers. After her debut at the Belarus Fashion Week this year, she is now presented in the glossy Belarusian magazine “Belarus Fashion Collection”. Her clothes can be bought not only in Belarus but also in Russia and Smolensk. Maria works in a little workshop not far from the centre.
She told Belarus Digest, that so far, it was not possible to live on income from selling fashion clothes at the moment. Her current collection, called “Shark” targets those who buy her clothes – successful middle class business women who know their standing in life.
The number of middle class women buying domestic designers and wearing them proudly is certainly rising in Belarus- thanks to the growing professionalism of the fashion industry and the designers. It is certainly worth keeping an eye on the designers and their successes- not only for fashion addicts but also for clever businessmen interested in quality products from Belarus.
Four Western Myths about Belarusian Higher Education
Belarusian students
The Minister of Education Syarhei Maskevich announced on 3 May 2013 that “Belarusian universities enjoy a high level of autonomy”. Considering the fact that Belarus remains the only European state outside of Bologna process precisely because of its lack of academic freedoms, top Belarusian officials may not be completely honest.
However, many myths about Belarusian higher education exist in foreigners’ minds as well. For example, the government neither owns all the universities, nor educates people free of charge. Political expulsions happen only very rarely and usually students can travel abroad without any problems.
Myth No 1: Government Provides Free Education for Everybody
Although the methods employed by the Belarusian government in higher education management retains many Soviet traditions, the state approach to financial issues seems more capitalistic than in even some Western countries.
For instance, in Sweden, Germany, Finland and Czech Republic students enjoy free higher education. Only foreigners, students of private universities and, only in certain exceptional cases, nationals have to pay.
The Constitution of Belarus entitles everybody to free higher education on a competitive basis. And around 50% of all the students indeed study for free. But their “day of reckoning” comes later with the mandatory placement for a two-year term at an assigned working place.
In other words, one half of all students have to pay and the other has to work without being paid much for two years. The Belarusian educational system appears to be totally commercialised rather than socially-orientated.
Moreover, the government owns many but not all universities in Belarus. 10 out of 55 Belarusian higher education institutions do not belong to the state.
Myth No 2: All Political Activists Get Automatically Expelled
Authoritarian regimes often resort to expulsion of politically active students from universities. But in Belarus over the last several years these cases have become very rare.
One of the most famous political expulsions took place in 2009. Tatsiana Shaputska, spokesman of unregistered oppositional movement “Young Front”, after a three-day visit to EU-hosted civil society forum in Brussels, was expelled from Belarus State University. Its administration relied on “missing lectures” as an official reason for the expulsion.
Many statutes of Belarusian universities contain special provisions that allow expelling students for “administrative offences”, which may include crossing the road in an unauthorised place or taking a bus ride without a ticket. Insofar as many political activists often face detention for alleged “administrative offences”, it becomes an easy task for university administrations to expel them if necessary.
But even opposition figures show that the number of students expelled for political reasons stably decreases year by year. An NGO “Solidarity” keeps a record of political expulsions.
These figures require further explanation. After the first wave of political expulsions in 2006, with the assistance of European officials and several universities from Poland, Estonia, Lithuania and Czech Republic, “Solidarity” launched Kalinouski Programme, the goal of which was to provide free places in European universities for Belarusian students expelled for political reasons.
Many students tried to benefit from this opportunity. Emigrating using Kalinouski programme became a kind of trend those days. Nobody could distinguish between those who were expelled because of political activity from those who were expelled and happened to be politically active or pretended to be an activist.
The failure to make this distinction cast a shadow on the figures provided by “Solidarity”. But their figures now show that universities punish students for politics in exceptional cases, not as a general rule.
Myth No 3: Belarusian Students Live Behind the Iron Curtain
This stereotype, unlike the other ones, has a bit more substance behind it. According to the law, to leave the country during their studies, a student has to get permission from the university administration and the Ministry of Education.
The old Russian saying perfectly describes the situation with such legal provisions: “The severity of our laws is mitigated by their lack of enforcement”. In reality, thousands of students travel abroad annually without asking for any permission. Hundreds of them visit politically-orientated trainings and seminars. The seriousness of consequences very seldom goes beyond an unpleasant conversation with a dean.
Moreover, Belarusian universities cooperate actively with foreign universities. Hundreds of students participate in academic exchange programmes such as Erasmus Mundus or Tempus. Many foreign lecturers work freely in Belarusian universities – for example tutors from German DAAD-programme in Minsk and Hrodna Universities. Many young Belarusians travel for work during summer holidays, particularly to the United States and then return to continue their studies.
Although some formal barriers exist, the “iron curtain” myth sounds like a serious exaggeration.
Myth No 4: Belarusian Higher Education is Based on Propaganda
This myth remains one of the most viable ones precisely because of propagandistic informational coverage of some oppositional and Western media.
In fact the views of lecturers and professors vary just as much as the opinions of the society: some support the ruling regime, some firmly oppose it. In the vast majority of cases the ideological preferences of their teaching and methodology depends on their own beliefs rather than anything else.
At the same time most lecturers prefer to avoid politics in their classes. Even the special course Belarusian Ideology, introduced for brainwashing as many had thought, in reality turned into simple historic overview of political ideologies. The intellectual atmosphere of political indifference and frustration cuts both ways: nobody wants to either criticise the government nor to glorify it.
The author of this article, a full-time law student in Minsk, during his first two years of study witnessed himself that many of the Belarusian State University lecturers openly described the political system in Belarus as an autocracy.
Although Belarus has serious problem with academic freedoms, in practise the situation is better than many people in the West think. With occasional exceptions, university lecturers have freedom to teach what they want and how they want although most of them prefer not to politicise their classes.
As for students, they lack several attributes of free university environment many of them are free to engage in civic or political activities without fear of serious consequences.
The best evidence of this is the author of this article, a full time law student at the Belarusian State University and a regular contributor to Belarus Digest and other independent news outlets.
