The secret husbands of famous socialites were declassified before the public. Polina Kitsenko: “The main thing is not the goal, but the path to it Kitsenko biography

The husbands of famous socialites, who until now preferred to remain in the shadow of their famous wives, finally appeared before the public in all their glory. The journalists managed to declassify the names and some details of the personal lives of such influential spouses, such as, for example, the husband of Miroslava Duma, the companion of Polina Kitsenko and other oligarchs and officials who are able to provide their loved ones with a chic luxury life. In total, there are 40 names on the list of husbands that everyone heard about, but were afraid to ask. The rating was compiled by Tatler magazine and published in the September issue. StarHit selected and summarized the most interesting information from this material.

So, for example, socialite and part-time photographer with vocal experience in the field of pop music, Ilona Stole, is more often used to seeing in the company of friends - German Larkin and Petr Aksenov. Many uninitiated in the ups and downs of the personal life of a chic blonde had an erroneous opinion that she was not married. However, in fact, Ilona's hobbies are sponsored by a completely official, but very modest spouse - Vitaly Yuzhin, a State Duma deputy from United Russia. From time to time he accompanies Stolie at various events, but in general he prefers to devote his free time to such typically male hobbies as football, hunting and fishing.

The gorgeous brunette Snezhana Georgieva also prefers to hide her husband. The co-owner of one of the most popular closed clubs in Moscow, as it turned out, is accused of hiding her life partner from prying eyes. The journalists managed to find out that Snezhana was not worried in vain: businessman Artem Zuev is so good-looking that his secular wife simply does not want to tempt her unmarried girlfriends.

// Photo: Alexey Antonov (ITAR-TASS / Rodionov Publishing House LLC)

Yana Rudkovskaya's best friend Natalya Yakimchik is not alone either, who appears in the world more often in the company of a star producer than her husband, ex-head of the Moscow Heritage Committee and former vice-president of the Moscow Chamber of Commerce and Industry Valery Shevchuk. But outside the camera flashes, Yakimchmk and Rudkovskaya are family friends and visit each other.

But designer Alena Akhmadullina hides her heartfelt friend like a professional secret agent. According to Tatler, Alena is now spending time with the chairman of the board of directors of Stankoprom, Sergey Makarov. The couple is already building a common country house together.

Finally, another super-secret husband is the life partner of the journalist and fashionista Miroslava Duma. The name of the man from whom the fragile beauty gave birth to a son and daughter is known to everyone, but the joint photos of the couple are actually limited to the period when both spouses studied at MGIMO and their romance was just beginning. Now Alexei Mikheev works as an official and avoids publicity, while Miroslava, on the contrary, has gained wide popularity around the world and has earned the status of a style icon.

Not many are familiar with the husband of a bright activist of the capital's light, Ksenia Sobchak's best friend Polina Kitsenko. Her sporting successes and achievements in business are visible to everyone, and almost nothing is known about her husband and father of children, Eduard Kitsenko. As it turned out, the main secret of this family is common interests. Eduard, like Polina, goes in for sports with inspiration and introduces heirs to a healthy lifestyle.

Polina Kitsenko is a Russian businesswoman who owns a chain of fashion boutiques and a popular healthy lifestyle activist. The woman started her business at the beginning of 1994 and today she occupies a place among the key figures in the Russian fashion business.

Childhood and youth

Polina skillfully hides her age, so the exact date of birth cannot be found on the Web. According to some reports, Kitsenko was born on April 14, 1975, but Polina did not give official confirmation of this information.

Businesswoman and socialite Polina Kitsenko

The family lived happily - the girl's father worked in the prosecutor's office. Polina is from Alexandrov, a city in the Vladimir region, but when the girl was 11 years old, her parents moved to Moscow. In the capital, Polina graduated from high school and, on the advice of her father, studied to become a lawyer, although as a child she wanted to become a geologist.

The girl studied well and came to graduation with a red diploma. During her student years, she entered a student exchange program and got a chance to study in the United States. America impressed Polina - the country was strikingly different from Russia during perestroika.

The future business lady was especially impressed by the local fashion - at home, the only way to dress brightly and unconventionally was to sew on your own. With her from the States, the girl brought branded jeans and sneakers that were rare for Russia then.

After returning to Russia, Polina worked for 2.5 years in the departments of payment cards in commercial banks. Fitness became the girl's hobby during her studies, and thanks to the sport, Fields met her future husband, Eduard Kitsenko. The couple met in the hall of a sports club, which both attended.

Business

Edward turned out to be a businessman, even then the man owned the Podium company. Inspired by the example of her husband, in 1994 Polina opened the first clothing store in her biography, which she named similarly - "Podium". At first, the business required a lot of effort and gave almost no return.

Polina Kitsenko with Karl Lagerfeld

The girl literally had to do everything from scratch - follow fashion trends, look for ways to import things into the country. Often it turned out that she had to go for the goods on her own.

However, the work brought results, the business gradually went uphill. This gave Kitsenko the opportunity to expand and make the boutique a chain store. The next step was the opening of Podium Market - a store designed for a wide range of customers, not celebrities. This was the main goal of Polina's work in the fashion industry - to make fashionable clothes accessible to the common man.

In an interview, Kitsenko admitted that she is a tough and demanding boss, but not a tyrant. She demands a lot from subordinates, but at the same time she is tolerant and able to give a person a second chance, especially if he admits a mistake. But the businesswoman does not tolerate excuses.

Personal life

Polina has been a happy wife and mother for many years. The woman does not stop saying that Edward has always been a reliable support for her in everything - from everyday life to business.

Two children grow up in the family - the eldest son Yegor and the youngest daughter Antonina. That part of her personal life that concerns home, Polina does not advertise.

Kitsenko is a famous socialite. Among the friends of the businesswoman Ksenia Sobchak, and Ulyana Sergeeva. Polina participates in charity, attends related events. A husband rarely accompanies a woman on such outings - Edward is not attracted to public life.

According to the businesswoman, home is the most important thing in life, a place where you always want to return. Moreover, the style and design of the house was thought out not by Polina herself, but by her husband. Eduard is not a professional designer, but, according to his wife, he has good taste. This is also confirmed by the fact that the initiator of Polina's famous hairstyle was her husband, who advised the woman to make her haircut a little shorter.

An important part of Polina's life is health and everything connected with it. Kitsenko is the owner of a model height of 181 cm, and the weight of a woman does not exceed 60 kg. After the birth of two children, proper nutrition and constant physical activity help maintain this shape.

Polina Kitsenko now

Healthy lifestyle for Polina is the basis of the worldview. The woman continues to run a fashion business, but outside of this sphere, her life is connected with sports and healthy eating. Kitsenko maintains a blog on Instagram, she has more than 500 thousand subscribers, most of the photos are somehow related to physical development.

Polina's main passion is running. The woman participates in marathons in different cities and countries, and in 2015, together with Natalia Vodianova, she organized her own. Polina organizes the Running Hearts charity run every year. The funds raised go to the Naked Heart Foundation, which helps children with special needs. Now the marathon has merged with a similar event of Sberbank and is taking place in 54 cities.

Polina Kitsenko opened a sports club in 2018

In 2018, Kitsenko launched new projects - her own sports studio and a tourist fitness program, in which you can visit different countries in parallel with training. Polina herself calls such tourism with humor sports local history.

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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 correct myself, I have never made a legal mistake for Maria Baibakova - in our country, according to the Labor Code, you cannot 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 the 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, besides 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 do 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 teach this, among other things, and you are a good example for me in this regard, because I know that you can read all the worst bullshit in the world to yourself, and it won’t spoil your mood in the slightest, 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; an emphasis on Podium Markets can be life-saving for your business.

This store is what I'm really 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 exchange 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 your husband's breakup with his first Runway partner was painful, there were high-profile court cases...

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?

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. Leo Tolstoy also said that “you must definitely 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, I would designate the fashionable concept of a healthy lifestyle with 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 neglected body. Everything revolves around the same thing - things for us, not we for things. In all 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 for you this is a 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 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 understand that I like the sea, but not the heat. And even more I like mountain lakes. In the cold, beauty is better preserved.

Polina Kitsenko's husband Eduard is not only her faithful companion in life, but also a like-minded person - they have many common interests and hobbies, to which the spouses introduce their children. The couple are raising their son Yegor and their little daughter Tonya, who is twelve years younger than her brother. Antonina was born in one of the maternity hospitals in Germany, and in order for the birth to be successful, Polina left there in advance.

In the photo - Polina with her daughter

This married couple is engaged in the same business - Eduard and Polina Kitsenko - they own a chain of fashion stores PODIUM market, in which far from poor Russian citizens dress.

Polina is not only the creative director of the brand, but also for some time now a true trendsetter, who advises the most famous socialites on how to create their own stylish image.

With son Yegor

Another hobby of Polina is sports and a healthy lifestyle, and she tries to involve as many people as possible in this.

So, Polina became one of the organizers of the largest charity run in our country, she periodically posts training videos on Instagram, and also gives advice on proper nutrition.

And she manages to combine all this with hard work - Polina believes that success in business can only be achieved through hard work.

At one time, she graduated from a special school with in-depth study of the English language and was going to enter the Institute of Foreign Languages, but on the advice of her father she became a student at the Faculty of Law of the International University, opened by Mikhail Gorbachev and Gavriil Popov.

In the photo - Polina and Eduard Kitsenko

After high school, Polina worked for some time in a bank, dealt with credit cards. She traveled to the USA on a student exchange, and from that time she developed an interest in fashionable things - she got the opportunity to dress beautifully and stylishly. In the future, this helped her start working in fashion.

The future husband of Polina Kitsenko, when they met, was a co-owner of the Podium company and did not want Polina to work with him. She made every effort to join this business, and she succeeded.

In her boutique, Polina Kitsenko presented only luxury fashion brands Antonio Berardi, Balenciaga, Alexander McQueen, Chloe and others. She selected only the best models for sale in her store, and her business has grown rapidly since the mid-nineties of the last century.

Together with her husband, Polina opened stores in major Russian cities - Samara, St. Petersburg, Krasnoyarsk.

Later, Kitsenko's company began to focus not only on the clothes of luxury brands, but also on the mass market.

The fact that the business of the Kitsenko family is developing very successfully and brings Polina and her husband good income can be judged by the fact that every year they and their children often visit the fashionable ski resort of Courchevel and spend the New Year holidays there.

And for some time now, one of the PODIUM market stores, Podium Jewelery, has opened in this beautiful place, selling branded jewelry, the price of which varies from fifteen to twenty thousand euros.

To keep abreast of all fashionable novelties, Polina Kitsenko tries to visit important cult fashion shows, where she selects the most interesting models not only for her stores, but also for herself - the owner of PODIUM market prefers to wear things from Chapurin Couture, Azzedine Alaia, Givenchy, Phillip Lim.

In her image, she tries to mix the clothes of luxury brands and not yet very popular brands. Polina is very grateful to her husband for the fact that he creates all the conditions for her to develop, supports her and, if necessary, suggests what to do in this or that situation. Their union can be called ideal - there are never scandals in the Kitsenko family, and they always know how to find a common language.