Children of Polina Kitsenko. In cold water, beauty will last longer. Your closeness doesn't bother you

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The creative director of "Podium" Polina Kitsenko does not have a best friend, but there is a best friend, who is also husband Edik. It was he who came up with her legendary hairstyle, knows how to give useful advice on choosing clothes and simply supports her in everything. With such a man, no crisis is terrible, although it is still a little scary ...

Polina Kitsenko is vulnerable and formidable at the same time. Mixing these two seemingly opposite colors gives an amazing effect. Read the interview with Ksenia Sobchak.

These are such "swings". It is not easy to manage them, but her husband Edik definitely succeeds. For me, Fields are not only Fields without Edik. Their union is an example of how people can make each other stronger and better, leveling out all the shortcomings and enhancing the virtues. It seems to me that in order to truly love Polina, one must always keep in mind this tenderness of hers, which is very difficult to discern for an inattentive person behind a thick layer of defense. Therefore, this interview turned out to be personal, not a word about sports - only work and family are on the agenda!

I want to say right away: I hope this interview will not contain a word about sports, because everything has been known about this part of your life for a long time. (Laughs.)

(Smiles.) Then I immediately warn everyone who is waiting for advice on how to do a hundred push-ups without outside help: you don’t have to read further! (Laughs) Actually, I am very grateful to you for this, because for several years now all journalists have been asking me the same questions.

But I always wanted to ask you about work. I know that before the "Podiums" you, as hard as it is to believe today, worked in a bank in a serious position, dealt with credit cards. I also know that you have a very fast and very tenacious brain, you instantly grasp everything, among all my friends you are the only one who managed to learn Italian in just six months, you are very gifted and, of course, very smart. Tell me, are you bored doing business in a field that is considered frivolous?

No, it's not boring at all. In me, this female gene of absolute and endless joy, which arises at the sight of a beautiful thing, is probably indestructible. Despite many years of working in the fashion business, this can still happen to me as if fortifying - the degree of my mood can jump wildly from the fact that I saw something beautiful, while it can be both a sweater for a thousand, and crazy outfit for tens of thousands or even some, I don't know, shade of nail polish. I am very glad that beauty is part of my work.

What part of the job do you dislike?

The hardest thing is working with staff, with employees. We work in the service sector, everything we do is based solely on the principle, relatively speaking, of providing services to the population, so I always tell my team: it’s pointless to invest all your efforts in the purchase, work for weeks without days off in showrooms, because that our front line is where the customer meets the hanger. No matter how awesome the collection is, no matter how tempting it swings on the brackets, no matter how invitingly it asks to be in your closet, if an inept, uninspired seller is standing nearby, nothing will work out, there will be no purchases.

What exactly separates a good seller from a bad one?

A person must love his job, must really be drawn to the fact that he can be useful to a particular person, must feel how to communicate with this or that client, adapt to him.

Explain with an example. Let's say I go into the Runway and ask them to take that blue coat over there to the fitting room. What makes an ideal seller?

Ksyusha, it's easy enough with you. Many people think that you have a difficult character, in part this is true, but in part it is not, because you are a very specific person, you always clearly know what you want, you are very constructive in spending your time, and this makes you a good buyer. You just need to put everything extremely quickly into bags and take it to the car so that you try everything at home. (Laughs.)

It always infuriates me terribly when sellers answer questions with memorized phrases that do not carry any practical information to the buyer. The coolest thing is when you start to feel that you are not being sucked in by a thing, not being persuaded to leave money, but are making efforts to win your trust, for example, they honestly say that such a length shortens the legs or that this color is not to face.

When the seller can say at least something, this is already happiness. (Laughs.) The ideal seller should have tremendous enthusiasm and absolute competence, that is, the ability to tell what kind of thing and what it is made of, what kind of collection, whether it is in a different color or in another “Podium”, if not, then when will and will there be at all, what to wear it with and what not to wear it with.

You know, you and I, among other things, have one thing in common: I think it’s not a secret for you that behind your back your employees call you a tough, sometimes even excessive, leader. What can you answer them?

Nothing. My rich long-term experience shows that lazy people who are looking for an excuse usually say this. Few things annoy me more than trying to make excuses for a mistake. Apologize, offer options for solving the problem, whatever - just don’t make excuses, especially with the phrase “It’s just like this ...”. Terrible I don't like it! When I'm in a bad mood, I can even tell everyone that I don't want the word "just" to be used at all at work. The word "simple" is forbidden here! (Laughs.)

Because it's just like that. (Laughs.) Have you ever brought a person to tears, but then apologized?

It used to be when I wasn't as experienced as it is now. The last time this happened was a few years ago, when I was sometimes, let's say, more emotional. I never get personal, but nevertheless, it used to be in some figurative form, but now it is not. Literally a couple of times I apologized immediately after the incident if I saw that I had driven a person to hysterics, although it is impossible to pity me with tears. And then I'm not a petty tyrant, I know this for sure, I never give impossible tasks.

Can you talk about a specific case of instant dismissal when a person did something outrageous, unacceptable?

You know, the paradox is that, for all my alleged rigidity, I have never fired anyone right away in my life, I have always given a chance to improve, I have never made a legal mistake for Maria Baibakova - in our country, according to the Labor Code, you can’t fire anyone instantly . (Laughs.) But seriously, in order to be fired, you need to burn out directly. But there is something good in any employee, otherwise he would not work with me, so at first I forgive, but even small mistakes have a cumulative effect, and therefore if a person failed in a situation in which no one from him expected, then this could be the last straw and the reason for parting. So despite my increased reactivity at some points in the long run, I am very tolerant.

One of your great personal merits is your contribution to the success of the Maison Bohemique brand. There is a joke around the city that guys, like Lannisters, always pay their debts: you helped them at the very beginning, but now they, refusing everyone, are sold on principle only in the "Podium" and they send everyone who wants to order an outfit from them directly to the extra charge you took it for yourself, they don’t dress anyone according to individual standards, although it would be more correct for them from the point of view of profit, but it’s impossible to get this right, only Anya Chipovskaya, Vika Isakova and you have it. How did you manage to build such a relationship?

Ksyushenka, I want to say right away: I can’t pronounce the names of these designers. This is their philosophy and their condition.

Don't speak.

We have an absolute synergy with them. I knew right away that this was a hit story! I saw a dress on our friend Ulyana that I really liked, she introduced me to its authors, said that they were very talented artists, introduced us, gave their contacts, and a cooperation took place between us.

Did you immediately agree on exclusivity?

Yes. What is important, the guys themselves understand that such a serious product as theirs - expensive, hand-made, really couture - cannot be sold in several places, they do not have a production facility where they could stamp their outfits. Plus, they do not want to communicate with unnecessary people, so it is profitable for them to work for our clients.

Let's talk about the rules of a successful purchase. I know for sure that in St. Petersburg, for example, for obvious climatic reasons, in the autumn-winter season, all sales records are broken by minimalistic black coats, but Chloe coral capes, which were sold out in all capitals of the world in a day and on a waiting list, no one even noticed and they still hang in a couple of stores, although they were ordered in a single copy. Also, St. Petersburg buyers on an industrial scale buy high boots with stable heels and such a kind of platform, because St. Petersburg women simply adore them, and also designer umbrellas. Can you voice the hit list of Muscovites? What consistently sells well?

I can say that in Moscow it sells very poorly: khaki and brown.

Nobody wants to dress like a poop? (Laughs.) And I love them so much!

You are an exception. Since fashion constantly revolves around its axis, designers return to the military style from time to time. And so a dark blue or black “navy” tunic with gold buttons, as a rule, always becomes a super bestseller, while a brown jacket in the style of a modern military uniform has a rather low chance of being sold. Although the last two winter seasons have become popular with the park, people have moved into the parks! And now, as an exception, khaki is selling well in the form of parkas. At the same time, khakis in the form of a jacket or sweater are simply impossible to sell. It is very difficult - at least in our stores - with leopard and other animal prints, although I really like them on those who know how to wear it and who it suits. The last two or three winters, when pastel colors returned to fashion and it became fashionable to wear light colors in winter, we began to carefully buy white, including white shoes, although earlier in the winter season this was absolutely out of the question. And now we have begun to sell well, as I call them, "snowy bows" - skirts, dresses, white coats. People have matured, plus today more and more people can afford to drive to the threshold, to the door, jump out of the car and immediately go somewhere.

By the way, Uliana Zeitlina was the first to wear white coats.

She intuitively knew that she needed to stand out. (Smiling.)

What is always on top? Can you name the constant hits?

Everything changes. For the last couple of seasons, for example, over the knee boots have been selling very well, such with not very high heels, with low or, let's say, medium intermediate, without a vulgar note, moderately fishing. (Laughs.) Leather jackets, motorcycle jackets, motorcycle boots always sell very well.

What sells better: skirts or dresses?

Depends on the age group. But in general, in recent years, the demand for dresses has been growing, because the dress makes it possible not to rack your brains - you put it on, think of accessories in three minutes, and you are ready.

You know, when we were just starting to communicate, you were for me the embodiment of the right Moscow secularity ...

Was? (Laughs.)

But when we got closer, I realized that in fact you are very homely. Imagine my surprise when I found out that you yourself cook for your husband [Eduard Kitsenko, co-owner of the Podium Market group of companies. - Approx. SNC] breakfasts, you always come home early in the evening to be with him!.. How does this craving for household fit in with your steely will, leadership acumen?

breakfasts, you always come home early in the evening to be with him!.. How does this craving for the household get along with your steel will, leadership grip?

Yes, I am such a Chekhov Darling. (Laughs) I really love being at home more than anything in the world, for me this is a natural habitat, social life is a burden to me, unless the exits are associated with communication with people I love.

Your couple can serve as a role model for many in Moscow - you both treat each other very respectfully, you don’t have loud conflicts, I always cite your story as an example of true great love. Tell me, has it always been like this?

It seems to me that to a greater extent this is his merit, because he is a very kind person, tolerant and patient. At the same time, he creates conditions for me in which I can grow and develop, supports me in many ways, teaches me a lot, still watches over me ... I adopted a million things that I know and that I have in my life, definitely he has.

I know that you consult with him about what to wear, and that his assessment is very important to you.

Yes, I always listen to him, we can say that he greatly contributed to the development of my ability to dress. (Smiles.) For example, for three or four years I went with an elongated haircut, and every few months he could casually say something like: “Listen, do you want to cut your hair? You've lost your style somehow." Not verbatim, of course, it was not offensive, but very well-aimed, right to the point of trembling.

So he came up with your legendary hairstyle?

Certainly. But understand me correctly: he is not obsessed with my appearance and does not make endless remarks to me, no, everything goes on with us in a very easy form, for example, when I sometimes start to act up, he can say to me quite calmly and soberingly: “Polenka, you it doesn’t paint, you yourself know that there are options that work much better for you, ”after which he turns away and continues to read his book. His comments are always casual, unobtrusive, but always hit the mark.

You know, from the outside it sometimes seems that you and your husband have some kind of unspoken agreement, in public you both seem to play good and bad police - he is soft, and you are tough, and you complement each other perfectly.

In fact, everything is simpler: he is wiser, and I am more emotional. (Smiling.)

What qualities do you value most in people?

You know, I was convinced that friends are known not in grief, but in joy, in the ability to share your success, and especially in the ability to share your success. In friendship, it is very important to be able to share your success with those who were there from the very beginning, who gave you a shoulder when you climbed up. It often happens that while you were climbing and growing, the other person stood still and, accordingly, did not grow, which means that he should remain in the past. Similarly, we remain in the past of someone to whose level we failed to grow in time.

You are both right and wrong, it's all quite subjective. Now I know for sure that a friend is someone who, on the wave of success, was able to maintain humanity and adequacy in himself, who did not break away from his roots, if, of course, he had them. If one person "grows" out of another, then he no longer needs roots. For example, it may seem to you that one of your acquaintances has forgotten their roots, and it may seem to your, conditionally, school friend, that she is all so chic, some kind of chief accountant, but you forgot your roots, starred and that's why I stopped calling her.

You cited as an example a situation where two people belong to different social worlds and there are no common interests between them. And I believe that, first of all, people are united by a common interest, but in this situation it cannot be. In fact, I have deduced such an axiom for myself: I want to be there, with those and spend my time so that I feel good and comfortable.

Are there specific people who haven't done anything wrong to you, but with whom you just feel uncomfortable?

I work in the service industry, and for me, any person is a potential client, so as a professional, I must be polite to everyone.

Who is your closest friend?

I don't have and probably never even had a close friend. I have the closest friend - my husband, I have the area closest to my heart - my family, my home, this is my kind of cocoon. In general, many years ago I decided to stop labeling people, because any step towards a person with a label around his neck is perceived by you as a microbetrayal, and this is wrong, because all people are different, everyone has the right to make mistakes, so each person needs to be left little clearance for his shortcomings. You should not create an idol for yourself, you just need to appreciate those with whom you feel good and who feel good with you.

You know, I'm not just asking you this. You are a very private person and don't let anyone close to you. What is it that makes you always keep your distance?

In fact, I am very amorous, I often fall in love with some characters, with girlfriends, and therefore I am somewhat vulnerable. But the older I get, the more clearly I understand that with no one person can be always and everywhere equally good.

Next to whom, except for your husband, can you take off your armor and show yourself vulnerable? Sit next to me and admit your weakness, figuratively, that you, for example, are afraid of growing old or feel ugly, I don’t know, it could be anything. Do you have such people?

Of course there are, and you know them, you are one of them. But I don’t want to publicly expose my personal, innermost part of myself, I’m afraid to jinx it, and therefore I don’t want this information to be in the public space.

Does your closeness bother you?

Yes, I do not consider myself closed! (Laughs.)

Look, I'm your friend, and I know for sure that in order for you to start talking about yourself, an earthquake must happen.

It's more of a life experience than a closed one. Before, you could call me more open. And then, Ksyushenka, don't you think that we are alike? We are both Scorpios...

Not specifically on this, although we do agree on a lot of things.

You are full of bottoms, even when you seem to be open, you still have twenty-two unexplored bottoms inside you. I do not hide anything, but there are people with whom I am not interested in sharing anything, and I do not share. In general, I would even call myself overly open, I can blurt out too much in my hearts, and this openness of mine always gives rise to some kind of gossip. It seems to me that my so-called closeness is a matter of my choice, and it is not difficult for me to make it, this issue is already decided at the level of my subconscious. This is my kind of airbag, which makes me feel comfortable, and leaves people space for a wrong step, gives them an exclusion zone where they can trample and think.

Don't you think that true friendship is manifested precisely in the ability to tell your friend directly and in time that he is wrong?

I am always grateful to you for your comments, we had situations when you were extremely honest with me, and I really appreciate it. But I myself, if you do not ask me, will never make comments. If asked, I'll tell you.

Can you call yourself a cautious person?

Yes, sure. I think it's character.

That is, these are not spiritual burns, but an innate quality?

And experience, too, character - it's only half natural, the other half - life experience, strung on a genetic thread.

Do you worry when you are criticized?

Only when it's done by people whose opinion I'm interested in. In the process of growing up, you begin to weed out important criticism from noise that is irrelevant to you. By the way, social networks also teach this, and you are a good example for me in this regard, because I know that you can read to yourself all the worst bullshit in the world, and it won’t spoil your mood in the least, but it can spoil one negative word of a person whose opinion is really important to you.

Only if it's a public word. I love and appreciate criticism and am always surprised that other people are not like me in this sense. It always hurts me terribly when my best intentions are misunderstood when people refuse to hear the truth about themselves.

And in our mutual acquaintances, I am always surprised by the seriousness with which they sometimes discuss some critical comments addressed to them on Instagram or on Gossip. People are really insanely upset by the opinions of anonymous people, what can we say about cases when some of their ex-girlfriend or ex-employee speaks out publicly! It pisses people off insanely, and it amazes me wildly. I do not have that. But the opinion of people whom I love and respect can even bring me to tears or make me think deeply.

Everyone knows that you are one of the few who continued close communication with Alena Doletskaya after her departure from Vogue, moreover, it seems to me that it has become even denser.

To be honest, the degree has not changed.

Were you surprised at how impressive a number of people disappeared from her life?

No, absolutely. Firstly, her entire inner circle remained with her as it was, and remained with her, but since there are no people from the gossip columns in it, no one knows and did not know who enters it. And secondly, unfortunately, the laws of life are such that most of the people who surround us are, let's say, choruses who like to be in the rays of the image that we broadcast, and this must be understood and always remembered. Be that as it may, any relationship between people is always an exchange of energy, and energy can be different, and perhaps there were people around Alena who liked not the energy of her personality, but the energy of her influence. I appreciate her for something else, I am extremely glad that I met her in this life! She is an incredible, wildly talented woman, the brightest character, a real nugget! Agree.

I agree. I want to end the interview on a business note. How is your company going to adapt to the crisis? In today's coordinate system, fashion and its accompanying gloss are the most vulnerable points. Have you thought of a survival algorithm?

You know, I’ll probably disappoint you now, but I won’t be able to sincerely answer this question, primarily because I work as a creative director, that is, my position is more related to creativity than to finances. I understand that everything will be bad, but I don’t know how bad, and I think 99% of the people who will assure you that they know, in fact, they don’t know it and cannot know it either. The only thing we all know for sure is that a very negative scenario is playing out.

In this situation, a strategy for the development of democratic projects can work, the emphasis on Podium Markets can be life-saving for your business.

This store is what I am truly proud of, more proud than our other merits. We formed this niche in Moscow, we saw in time that it was not filled, and we filled it. I will tell you this: at the moment we are following the general line that we have been adhering to for the past two years: we have stopped our expansion in the luxury segment and are no longer developing the luxury direction, but are developing within the segment of inexpensive fashionable clothes. And this plan was developed not in connection with the rising rate, but quite a long time ago. In general, plans change every day, because every day something simply unimaginable happens, and the proverb “If you want to make God laugh, tell him about your plans” is more relevant than ever in our time. I don't know what will happen even in a week.

Tell me honestly, are you horrified by what is happening? What are your feelings?

Of course I'm horrified. We did not expect another crisis. I often think about how hard, but also good, to live in an era of change. This is the third serious economic crisis in our lifetime! You know, during the default, I fell under many thousands of layoffs - out of 6,000 employees of the bank where I worked, 5,500 were fired, and, naturally, I was among them. I remember the terrible year 1998 very well, I remember 2008 very well.

When was the worst?

It's scary every time. But you know, I have a feeling that we will sail out in spite of everything, that everything will be fine. I believe in metaphysics, I love to visualize and I always believe that everything will happen exactly as I pictured to myself, I believe that everything happens the way we want in the depths of our souls, that we build our destiny with our own hands. I think that we will somehow drift, I don’t know how, but everything will be fine, because it simply cannot be otherwise.

Which of the two of you is in a gloomier mood due to the current situation: you or your husband?

Of course, the husband, he has more worries, because he is in charge of finances.

Finally, I can not help but ask you one not very pleasant question. I know that your husband's breakup with his first Runway partner was painful, there were high-profile lawsuits...

Not true, the parting was quite calm and quiet. I would not like to comment on this story, I do not want to return to it. That person left the business with the amount that he himself announced, the rest is just emotions, probably caused by the fact that without him we not only didn’t drown, but stepped over and moved on.

Okay, last question then. Your dream?

I have many dreams, but there is only one global one: for all my ideas to be realized at least by 90%.

Do you manage to combine work and business?

Kitsenko: Evil, from work. Now she will talk to you and return to the office - and it is already eight in the evening, because her employees did not turn in assignments to her by the deadline, which was on Friday (today is Monday). Polina Kitsenko is a person who sits in the office 10 hours a day.

Kremer: Now such a stressful period, because the crisis?

Kitsenko: Of course, since the economic situation is not the most favorable either in the country or in the world, no one, including us, can relax. I have never worked as hard as I do now.

Kremer: What about delegation of authority?

Kitsenko: Unfortunately, there is no one to delegate specifically my powers, although we have a huge team. In general, there are very few personnel on the market who are capable of implementing tasks at an uncontrolled level. There are a lot of "creative" people who light up instantly and go out just as quickly. I have a lot of ideas myself, but I know from all my friends, business owners, that the percentage of ideas implemented is, God forbid, up to 30-40. And if you don’t remind, you don’t take control, you don’t direct, you don’t set it on fire, you don’t raise the wick, then you don’t have to hope that someone will bring you results. You see, working in large strokes is much easier than being a person who will scrupulously bring ideas to the final result. These so-called Impressionists are a dime a dozen. And the hard workers and bees who work in the “devil is in the details” mode are few. Workaholic and bees, on which all this execution ...

“I want to believe that I have never been dressed stupidly”

Kremer: Let's rewind a bit: you started around 1994 when the Podium brand was registered. How did you come to this? What did you want to be when you were in high school?

Kitsenko: At the age of ten, I wanted to be a geologist and look for gems. My parents had an interesting geology book with color photographs that fascinated me. Partially it was realized, by the way. We opened the Podium Jewelery network.

Chudinov: And then?

Kitsenko: I studied at an English special school. Where did everyone go from Moscow special schools in those years? Maurice Thorez Institute of Foreign Languages ​​or MGIMO. At first, I was also going to enter MGIMO at the Faculty of International Information in a specialty that had just appeared with the mysterious name Public relations (it is symbolic that everything in life returns to normal: today one of my main duties is PR, although I have a profile education I didn’t get what I do at work today, I can’t learn in any of the institutions of the world), I seriously worked in this direction. And then, at the last moment, my father offered me the International University, which had just been opened by Gavriil Popov and Mikhail Gorbachev. I quickly entered the law school there, for free education, and I thought that I wanted to stay there.

Chudinov: How would you answer such a rather simple question: how do you get a taste for things?

Kitsenko: Initially, I probably didn’t have a taste for things and couldn’t have. He developed. When you don't have any opportunities in life, how do you know if you have a taste for things or not? After all, I lived in an ordinary simple Soviet family. Dad was an official, he held a serious position in the prosecutor's office, but we lived from paycheck to paycheck. I didn't have a bike. I did not have imported pencil cases, bubble gums, and the first Barbie was already presented to me as a symbol for my 18th birthday. I was not a major.

Kremer: Do you remember yourself in that period when you were still foolishly dressed?

Kitsenko: I want to believe that I have never been dressed very stupidly. Still, I studied at a special school, and at some point I was sent on a student exchange to America. It changed me a lot. I remember that somehow I immediately started to dress: Lee jeans, Reebok sneakers. For 1991, it was chic.

Chudinov: But at the same time, you have become a person who develops the fashion industry and dresses the majors. Where does this sense of audience come from?

Kitsenko: It didn't fall from the sky. First, I just got married. My husband had a Podium company, he had one store, and he categorically did not want us to work together. But I so wanted to work in fashion that I made every effort to educate myself in this area, and not from the point of view of a consumer who endlessly measures and wears, wears and measures. In addition, I had an unlimited specific resource, even just my own store. I started to be very actively interested in what was happening in the industry, subscribed to all the magazines, became interested in our retail. I have always believed that where you sow, it grows there.

Then it was the end of the 1990s, and the whole luxury went up dramatically, not only here, but in the world. There was Dior, there was Galliano, there was also Gianfranco Ferre, Gaultier cheered up and made his own pret-a-porter line, Stella McCartney had just come to Chloe, and then she was just a girl with a huge surname. A period of revival of the great houses, already moth-eaten, began. This was the period when Louis Vuitton hired Marc Jacobs, and before that, Louis Vuitton was a mothballed, unwanted brand. These brands began to be picked up, bought out and reincarnated by the LVMH concern. Tom Ford had just joined Gucci, and none of us knew what Gucci was before.

Chudinov: I was surprised when you said that you were not a major. I thought that you always focused on your circle, dressed it. You are more likely to move from luxury to mass market than vice versa.

Kitsenko: What we do at Podium Market is not exactly a mass market. This is a relatively new niche, and it did not form here. We picked up the Western trend. Understand that there is a crisis going on in many industries all over the world, and this is no coincidence. Over the past 20 years, luxury has developed rapidly, every year new collections were imposed on us, a complete change of wardrobe, red, not red, red again, black is no longer in fashion. Brands, logomania. All houses began to make not even four collections a year, because it was necessary to load production evenly throughout the year. We, the consumers, were forced to buy constantly. At some point it had to end. Overconsumption has occurred on a global level: none of us need so many things. No one has the strength to shift mirrors and lipstick from bag to bag. And on the other hand, there were magnificent concerns Zara, Top Shop, etc. - cool things that have improved a lot lately, but still up to the first or second wash. Everything had to come to some kind of balance.

That is why intermediate brands appeared, what we call affordable luxury. They release several collections a year and even every month, like fast fashion, but they are distinguished by high quality and reasonable price. In terms of quality, they are almost as good as luxury. Rich people are no longer ready to buy another T-shirt for 300 euros: you can go to American Vintage and buy a chic T-shirt for one and a half thousand rubles.

That's why we made Podium Market. This was not the case in Russia.

It is very important that now fashion has made all possible jerks around its axis. Please note: there are no new trends emerging. Cowboy style is always in style in summer, rock and roll girlfriend style is always in style in autumn. Stripes are always fashionable in summer. It's always fashionable to be a lumberjack's girlfriend. Chanel has a timeless collection of ballet shoes that are no longer discounted, they just add two or three colors in the next season. This means that nothing changes.

Kremer: It turns out that you borrowed the Western trend, which means that there is some backlog. Have you observed in your own business how the Russian consumer has changed? How did the demands, the culture of consumption change?

Kitsenko: Now there is no lag. Our people have a unique ability to instantly absorb all the best that is around. There was some kind of miss in the 1990s, but remember how quickly it disappeared. There was a moment when dashing women stormed the plane in high heels, in jeans with rhinestones. The first thing that betrayed and still sometimes betrays our compatriots is not even a lack of taste, they don’t argue about tastes, but first of all it is inappropriateness. For me, in fashion in general, the most important question is not what to wear, but where I'm going and why I'm going there. Only after that you need to ask yourself the third question: what will I wear there. Our compatriots in the 1990s did not understand at all where they were and why, but they clearly knew what they wanted to be.

"We don't sell souvenirs"

Chudinov: Once we talked with, and she said: “You see, in Russia there is no fashion as an industry at all.”

Kitsenko: This is probably an old interview with Alena. Now the situation in the market has changed.

Chudinov: My question, in fact, is about how the fashion industry in Russia works today.

Kitsenko: Apparently, at the moment when you spoke with Alena, there were still other times. Podium on Novinsky was the first store in Russia to start selling a Russian designer on a par with expensive Western brands.

Kitsenko: Yes, and in 2000 we had it hanging literally between Gauthier and Alberta Ferretti. We were innovators in supporting the domestic manufacturer in such a way.

Kremer: And now how many Russian designers do you have?

Kitsenko: I can't calculate it, but about 30% of our portfolio, which means dozens. A few years ago, I would not have believed that this was possible. You know, we didn't have fashion as such in Russia. We had these weird fashion weeks all the time, and of course there were questions about them. They invited some really strange people who showed us strange images. And in parallel, companies, brands and designers have developed that are not shown anywhere, but sew beautiful clothes. They sew it here, in Russian factories, in Moscow, the Moscow region, on distant indents, in distant regions. Of course, these are not the same volumes yet, but judging by our store, these are leaps and bounds. These companies have active production, which even during the season allows us to place additional orders for the model we like. This is something that we could not even dream of before. In these Russian brands and things that we hang, there is no lubok, there is no this chlamydomonas.

Kremer: Do they have Russian recognition?

Kitsenko: It depends on the style in which the designer works. There are Ukrainian or Russian designers who like to develop the history of the national costume in a modern way. Some have done it very well. For a couple of years now (summer is the time of year) vyshyvankas have been doing everything: from Ralph Lauren to Isabel Marant. Why can't our designers do this, given that it's our DNA? In general, I am against the division of designers on a national basis. Of course, in the late 1990s it was fashionable to group: these are Japanese designers, these are Belgian designers, these are Americans, these are French...

Kremer: Italians are still recognizable.

Kitsenko: That's exactly what "so far" and with difficulty. Which of them has kept the original? Even Gucci and Pucci no longer swindle their prints, they have long ceased to be sold. You have to evolve somehow. Today the world is cosmopolitan in a way that has never been before. We have all the designers in the Podium Market hanging interspersed. We do not have such a contemptuous and derogatory division: but this is the last floor, the penultimate nook, the “Russian block”. We do not divide our designers by nationality.

Kremer: Does the demand for patriotism that has arisen in our country lately affect your assortment?

Kitsenko: We do not sell souvenirs.

Kremer: But in society, there is a desire to dress in everything Russian?

Kitsenko: It is. It’s just that earlier “Russian” meant lubok, bad taste and poor quality. Today, “Russian” in the middle segment with which we work at Podium Market is of high quality, at the same time inexpensive, and at the same time relevant. As part of the trends that exist today in fashion. How is it inferior to Western counterparts? Nothing.

September 7, 2010, 16:20

For the fashionable Russian elite, the name of Polina Kitsenko is far from an empty phrase. The owner of the Podium boutique chain has been a trendsetter for several years and is one of the most influential people in Russian fashion. Such “stylish things” as Ksenia Sobchak, Miroslava Duma, Daria Zhukova, Olga Slutsker and many others are proud of personal acquaintance with her. At one time, it was Polina Kitsenko who taught all Moscow young ladies, and after them the whole country, to wear leggings in combination with mini-dresses.
The niche occupied by the Podium trade brand in the capital's clothing market can be conditionally called "clothes for very rich people." For the first time in Moscow, these luxury stores opened in 1994 and since then have become a real Mecca for the “cream of society”. The official website of the Podium Fashion Group says that it laid the foundation for the development of the fashion industry in Russia. The assortment of boutiques includes almost all leading fashion brands specializing in the production of clothes, shoes and accessories of the highest price category. Polina Kitsenko herself has said more than once that it is mostly those clients who dress in her salons for whom buying outfits at the price of small cars is a common thing. Podium does not adhere to any particular style concept, it offers collections of clothes in the spirit of the mainstream and in the spirit of the avant-garde. Next to things from Alexander McQueen, Pucci, Baldessarini, Balenciaga there are new items from Celine, Chloe, Antonio Berardi, Emilio Gardem, Hugo Boss, Jean Dsquared2. Podium boutiques also offer expensive niche perfumes and cosmetics, jewelry and interior items. Profitable business Polina Kitsenko's boutiques are open in a number of regional centers of Russia, in particular, in St. Petersburg, Krasnoyarsk, Samara and some others. The company is not inclined to advertise information about its turnover; Moreover, at the peak of the crisis, the owner of Podium did not lag behind the general fashion to express dissatisfaction with the economic trends in the country and complained about the drop in interest on the part of buyers for dresses from Balmain worth 425 thousand rubles. But according to experts, the volume of investments in the opening of one Podium store can reach twenty million euros, and its net annual profit will be approximately twenty-five million rubles. But the success of Madame Kitsenko in business can be judged by the way she spends her leisure time. Polina with her husband Eduard and children often visit the fashionable ski resort in Courchevel: it has become a family tradition to go there for the New Year holidays. In addition, the Kitsenkos opened one of their famous boutiques there. It presents jewelry brands Loree Rodkin, Garrard, Palmiero worth from 15-20 thousand euros. Kitsenko's Courchevel project called Podium Jewelery is aimed at wealthy tourists from Russia, the countries of Muslim Asia and Latin America, primarily Argentina.
One of the most high-profile purchases of Polina Kitsenko was the purchase of an unusual lot at a charity auction organized by Natalia Vodianova. The "style icon" laid out ninety thousand euros for a personal serenade performed by singer Bryan Adams, ignoring Andrei Malakhov's comments that "Factory sings for that kind of money." A fan of the ironic style But, probably, like most women with very different levels of income, Polina prefers to invest the lion's share of investments in her personal wardrobe, since her financial opportunities for this are almost unlimited. She often wears Azzedine Alaia, Phillip Lim, Givenchy, Chapurin Couture. The owner of Podium considers it her professional duty to be present at all world-class fashion events, including all famous Fashion Weeks and other cult shows. You can see her everywhere in the forefront of the audience: Polina enthusiastically selects interesting models for herself and her stores. Polina Kitsenko's style is defined by fashion experts as a balanced mix of luxury and rising, but not yet very popular brands. The images in which she appears in public often combine eclecticism and spontaneity, bordering on deliberate negligence.
They say that this shows the ironic attitude of the trendsetter of the capital's fashion towards herself. “I am against mental anguish on the topic “What shoes will I pick up with this handbag?”. My consciousness doesn’t work like that at all, ”admits Polina.
She used to arrange a mobile wardrobe from her car. In the back seat or in the trunk of Polina Kitsenko there is always a bag with several pairs of shoes, a couple of clutches or bags and a few outfits. She experiences incomparable pleasure when she creates images from a limited number of things. For her, this is a kind of exciting game. Svetlana Usankova.www.luxury.net

It is known that before gaining great popularity and fame, Polina Kitsenko was actively involved in the fashion business. The essence of this enterprise was reduced to the sale of clothes, which were supplied from fairly well-known world brands. Polina managed to establish a channel through which such products were imported into Russia. As a result, in 1994 the first fashion salon was created, which received the promising name "Podium".

Kitsenko made very large investments in this project so that the business began to generate huge profits. In the mid-nineties of the last century, the Kitsenko business began to gain momentum in order to turn into a real fashion empire in the near future.

At the moment, Polina owns a huge business engaged in the field of fashion and style and called "Podium Fashion Group". Back in 1994, a grand opening of a fashion boutique took place, which is located in the capital of Russia. Since then, the marketing policy of the owner of a stylish business has been to provide the masses of people with quite fashionable clothes, but at an affordable price. Everything that was previously available only to the privileged segments of the population has now become widespread for the average citizen of Russia. Thus, we can say that the fashion business has become widespread among the masses.

Activities and years of activity

Polina Kitsenko works as a top manager in the fashion industry. It was after her business underwent serious formatting that the woman became widely known. The meaning of the reformatting was that Polina's company decided on the fly to grasp all sorts of trends that take place in the modern world of fashion and style. In addition, a lot of work has been done in order to make all kinds of new products available to the average consumer.

It is known that Kitsenko leads an exclusively stellar lifestyle and very often meets with celebrities such as Ksenia Sobchak and Ulyana Sergeeva. Moreover, accompanied by her famous friends, she visited Lake Baikal. This event was joyfully received by fans of star friends. True, this kind of journey, among other things, contributed to the emergence of a mass of gossip, without which stellar life is not complete.

Kitsenko often takes part in various social events and events. Often at these events you can meet her close friends. In an interview, Polina stated that she was very proud of her relationship with Ksenia Sobchak, who, according to her, is a role model. Sobchak, on the other hand, often speaks of Kitsenko as a person with a strong will and character.
Relationships and family

It is known that Polina Kitsenko is happy in her personal life and has long been married to Eduard Kitsenko, who is also a very successful person. Edward owns an entire business empire, which he created with his own hands. The family has a desired child named Yegor. Polina cannot boast of a large number of interviews, but it is still known that she pays great attention to her husband and child. For a happy woman, this marriage gives great pleasure in order to give the energy necessary for a fulfilling life. It is also known that a woman has been involved in sports for a long time and is trying to promote sports culture to the masses.

My transition to the fashion industry happened, one might say, for family reasons. I am a certified lawyer, I graduated from the Faculty of Law with honors and worked for two and a half years in commercial banks in the departments of payment cards. After marriage, I did not work for a short period of time, but gradually began to wedge into the company Podium, created by my husband. He was not eager to hire me, but I studied because I really wanted to work in this area, I spent a lot of time on self-education. I wanted to prove that I could do it, and the moment came when I began to give him such interesting advice and suggestions that he realized that I could really be useful. The most important thing, it seems to me, in any business is desire and enthusiasm. If a person has them, he can achieve everything he wants. And I had a great interest, enthusiasm and love for fashion. Although in the business that we are engaged in, in addition to fashion, there is a lot of mathematics, economics and every day jurisprudence. You always get any education at the workplace, and any university and university provides basic knowledge, develops the ability to learn and nothing more.

In addition to the powerful business component, Podium Market is also a story about style and beauty. Have you been a fashionista since childhood? Remember your first truly fashionable item?

In childhood and adolescence, I was probably the same fashionista as all ordinary Soviet girls - a fashionista with minimal opportunities. My parents didn't work abroad and I didn't get a chance to wear imported clothes. We lived quite modestly. We got out of the situation in the same way as most women in our country - "mother sewed." Of course, the bulk of my growing up took place during the transition period and the consequences of the fall of the Iron Curtain, the collapse of the Soviet Union and the already changing economic situation. But I remember how, for example, going to GUM and seeing a long line, we first occupied it, and then ran to the beginning, sometimes several hundred meters, in order to find out what they still sell there. Just in case, we occupied it. And then all of a sudden there are some boots "on the semolina", or, God forbid, the GDR coat. These memories are still fresh.

What are the current trends in the Russian capital? What items and accessories do Muscovites sell out the fastest?

Muscovites are now very advanced. Today they are no different from, for example, world girls, they quickly pick up everything that is fashionable, and I cannot say that we are behind or ahead. Still, globalization is doing its job, so Muscovites now want to wear about the same thing as Parisians or representatives of other world capitals. Of course, we cannot exclude the absence of street-style and street-shopping as such. Plus, everything is multiplied by climatic features. In winter, warm clothes are well bought, in summer - bright ones. We are starving for the sun, its rays and joyful mood, such a slight Scandinavian syndrome... But basically everything that is sold abroad is quickly sold out. Flares have come into fashion - flares are sold out, parkas have come into fashion - for the third or fourth season everyone is willing to take them. I can say that traditionally sold poorly is brown and all its shades.

How is the current crisis affecting your business?

When we created the Podium market, we foresaw that the global economy would be unstable, and we knew that there would not be as much room for luxury as it used to be. In general, a global trend of high “overconsumption” has been outlined in the world: everything, whatever. We saw a large economically interesting niche for ourselves in the creation of a fashion segment in which everything is fashionable and inexpensive, in which the luxury of consumer goods becomes more affordable.

Polina, what, besides work and business, does your day consist of?

Sports play an important role in my daily routine. This is the same mandatory part as brushing your teeth or combing. This is my physical culture, my contribution to myself and my health. The day starts with training, breakfast and getting yourself in order. Even Leo Tolstoy said that "you must certainly shake yourself up physically in order to be morally healthy." So I firmly believe that people who are engaged in physical culture are less prone to stress. In addition, sport is a good psychological relaxation, exercise, recharge, reboot ... Therefore, every morning I recharge my tired hard drive for a new program for the next day.

Polina, why, in your opinion, has a healthy lifestyle gained such popularity in the world over the past couple of years? Why are jogging, going to the gym, eating right to replace parties and going to bars?

Today, the fashionable concept of a healthy lifestyle, I would designate the term physical culture, which has set us on edge since childhood, which, unfortunately, we did not understand before, and these activities were associated with a nondescript physical education teacher, requiring us to jump over a goat. In fact, physical education is a healthy lifestyle. This is a culture of taking care of yourself, a culture of being healthy and fit. None of the most expensive and classy things will sit well on a flaccid or unkempt body. Everything revolves around the same thing - things for us, not we for things. Throughout the ages, mankind has been interested in the search for the elixir of immortality, people wanted to live long, happily and not grow old. And at the beginning of the third millennium, people realized that the elixir of immortality had not been invented, and it was replaced by a combination of a healthy diet and a culture of taking care of yourself. People who take care of themselves and treat themselves as a valuable vessel develop themselves both spiritually and physically, stay healthy and beautiful longer, and, I would even say, interesting to everyone. This is what physical culture is.

In one of the interviews, you said that you love being at home more than anything in the world, that this is your natural habitat. Did you furnish your home yourself?

Home is truly the most desirable environment for me and the most important point on the map of my daily journey. This is the place where I want to be every minute. Our house was furnished by my husband. He is not a professional designer, it's just a hobby, but he has great taste, so he decorates our property in his spare time. In his work, with large strokes, I only bring my own small touches.

What, in addition to design ideas that are responsible for comfort, helps to create the right and healthy atmosphere in the house? Do you have any secrets on how to clean the air in the house where you and your family live?

Since I lead a healthy lifestyle, I love that everything in my arrangement during the day should be designed to improve my health and the inhabitants of my house. I'm obsessed with things like humidifying the air. To maintain youthful skin in winter and summer, I use an air purifier with a professional Philips filtration and humidification system. This is the best prevention of all respiratory viral infections, especially in the rainy long winter of our harsh climate.

And where do you prefer to go on vacation to breathe clean air?

I love nature very much, I prefer to relax in the mountains, in the fields and on the rivers ... I don’t like the heat. The older I get, the more I realize that I like the sea, but not the heat. And even more I like mountain lakes. In the cold, beauty is better preserved.