Russia -- On March 18, 2009 the World Fashion Awards ("WFA") named the best of the best in the Russian fashion industry. The ceremony was held in Moscow and was broadcasted worldwide by the World Fashion Channel.

The special World Fashion Award for Professional Achievement went to Alexander Shumsky, President of Russian Fashion Week ("RFW") and head of Artefact Communications Agency - the prominent Russian PR company in specializing in luxury, fashion, travel and lifestyle.

"We honored Alexander Shumsky as a pioneer who did the basic things that developed the Russia fashion industry. His Russian Fashion Week is the only professional event in Russia with a record of fashion discoveries and great influence on the whole market", - said Igor Udalov, President of World Fashion Channel on the ceremony.

Russian Fashion Week, which began in 2000 in Moscow, is renowned as the biggest fashion event in Eastern Europe. RFW is famous for discovering new fashion talents and for showcasing the best Russian and ex-Soviet Union designers as well.

Russian Fashion Week, which is held every April and October, is supported by the Russian Federation Ministry of Culture and features several international shows each season. Designers such as Vivienne Westwood, Jenny Packham, Jeremy Scott, Julien Macdonald, Matthew Williamson, La Perla, Frankie Morello, Armand Basi, Agatha Ruiz de la Prada have all showcased their collections in Moscow at RFW.

Internationally renowned Russian designer, Slava Zaitsev, received the Lifetime Achievement Award for his outstanding career spanning nearly 50 years. Slava Zaitsev just turned 71 years and still holds a top position in Russian fashion. He was nicknamed Red Dior by the international media for creating glamorous collections during the era of the Soviet Union.

Slava Zaitsev and his son Egor, who is famous for his avant-garde collections, are participants in Russian Fashion Week. Slava Zaitsev is also the founder of the Lamanova Fashion Contest which every year since 1998 has been awarded to Russia's the best young designer.

The World Fashion Awards was founded by the World Fashion Channel in 2008 to recognize the most important people in fashion in Russia. The World Fashion Channel is an international satellite TV channel about fashion and headquartered in Switzerland with representative offices in Milan, Moscow, Tokyo, Hong Kong, London, Istanbul and Los Angeles. Russia is one of the key markets for the World Fashion Channel which reaches over 1 billion viewers in Europe, Asia and the Americas.

Launched in 2005, the World Fashion Channel covers the latest fashion events, recent fashion and style news, current fashion trends, the lives of top-models, backstage stories, photo session reports and designers' biographies along with celebrity red carpets, retro fashion returns, music videos and the best fashion shows from the most acknowledged designers.
 
World Fashion Awards