Vladimir Mashkov
Photo: Ivan MAKEEV
Valentin Yudashkin was the most famous Russian couturier of that colorful and controversial post-Soviet era. He dressed the domestic creative elite, show business stars, almost all Russian artists have outfits from Yudashkin. At the same time, he sewed a team of Russian athletes and sewed for the military. In 1991, his collection of Faberge egg-shaped costumes made a splash in France. Pierre Cardin predicted a great future for Yudashkin and was not mistaken in his predictions. Valentin was the first Russian fashion designer admitted to the Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture in Paris in 1996. And today Muscovites gave him their last honors and their love.
Alla Pugacheva with a stone face was sitting next to the couturier’s daughter
Photo: Maria REMIZOVA
Among the first who came to say goodbye to Yudashkin were: Leonid Yakubovich, Nadezhda Babkina, Dmitry Peskov, Clara Novikova, Vladimir Vinokur, Oleg Gazmanov, Arkady Ukupnik, Vladimir Mashkov, Philip Kirkorov, Nikolai Baskov, Alla Pugacheva. Alla Borisovna flew in from Israel with Valentin Yudashkin’s mother. They have been family friends for many years.
Nadezhda Babkina
Photo: Ivan MAKEEV
Parting was open. Hundreds of journalists, fans of the fashion designer, police officers, traffic police cars gathered at the ritual hall.
Nikolay Baskov
Photo: Ivan MAKEEV
Klara Novikova said that she also has a coat – “impossible beauty”, which Yudashkin once literally took off the model’s shoulder and presented it to Clara – “take it and wear it.” “Valya was an incredibly generous person. I really liked this coat, but it was not in size, – Klara Borisovna told reporters. – And I asked Valya to shorten the coat. To which he answered me: you can’t shorten it, there will be wrong proportions. So this coat with the right proportions hangs in my closet … I can’t say what he wore, but I went to all his shows and even participated in some. There was no avid friendship between us, but we were always glad to see each other. Clara Novikova brought a bouquet of white roses as parting. Very many who were well acquainted with Valentin Yudashkin carried white roses to him. For example, Vladimir Mashkov.
Oleg Gazmanov
Photo: Ivan MAKEEV
Yudashkin sewed expensively for the rich. No wonder the rich and famous attended his funeral. At the same time, he himself was a very generous person. Someone remembered that he could get a wad of money out of his pocket – and give it away free of charge, without receipts, if friends needed it. He climbed the high fashion Olympus on his own, without anyone’s support or patronage. An ordinary guy from Bakovka near Moscow. “Everything he did, he did with his own hands,” his friends noted. They recalled his amazing performance: “Valya was a hard worker.” And at the same time, a very sensitive, gentle, touching, benevolent person.
Clara Novikova
Photo: Ivan MAKEEV
– His illness was very severe, but we all hoped. There are examples when people defeated this disease, but Valentin, alas, did not succeed, – said Nikolai Baskov. In the hands of Nicholas was a bouquet of scarlet roses. – I have no doubt that his daughter Galya, in memory of her father, will continue his work. Valya has been physically hard lately. But he came to visit friends, he wanted to be around. Therefore, today we all came here to be with him for the last time.
Vladimir Vinokur
Photo: Ivan MAKEEV
Valentin Yudashkin died on May 2. He was 59 years old. He survived his mentor and colleague Vyacheslav Zaitsev by only two days. Yudashkin died after a seven-year battle with cancer. Today, the couturier will be buried at the Troekurovsky cemetery in Moscow.
Nikas Safronov
Photo: Ivan MAKEEV
Sergey Zverev
Photo: Ivan MAKEEV
