Avdotja Alexandrova — New East 100

In the last couple of years the fashion world has been enchanted by Russia — and it goes beyond the work of hyped designers like Gosha Rubchinskiy. A new breed of Russian models has taken over the runways of Paris, London and Milan, and the pages of influential fashion magazines with their fresh, authentic and alternative look.

Avdotja Alexandrova, the founder of the Lumpen agency, can take the credit for this shift. She established Lumpen in Moscow in 2014, aiming to showcase and represent street-cast Russian youngsters who couldn’t have imagined a career in fashion otherwise. Since then, her boys and girls have walked for Comme des Garçons, Rick Owens and Vetements — all due to Alexandrova’s excellent eye combined with a sincere interest in unusual, unique faces and characters.

Text: Anastasiia Fedorova