With Love, From Russia

I've been thinking a lot about our life in Moscow recently. We would take field trips to Red Square, and I remember walking by the Kremlin and being in awe of the unique architecture of these buildings. This white skirt seemed like the perfect canvas for those buildings.

I remember it clearly - the bright colours of the onion-shaped domes, tourists clicking cameras and locals looking with firm stares ahead as they passed through. Women and men in fur hats and coats and hard expressions, the brown-grey-white streets outside the square, the ever-present scent of gasoline, the business of colourful markets with the noisiness of bartering, the taste of bad chocolate and delicious borscht. Witnessing the fearlessness of drivers in Moscow traffic as they risked it all to get a car-length ahead, all Russians living by unwritten but well-known rules. Outside of Moscow, the rural countryside with babushkas walking along the streets with branches on their backs. I remember thinking, "wow, everything you see on YouTube is true!"

Red Square is just outside the Kremlin, a fortified city square in the urban centre of Moscow, Russia. The name literally means, a fortress inside a city. It was formerly a royal citadel, home to the tsars and hierarchy of the Russian Orthodox Church. Today, it is the official residence of the president, Vladimir Putin, although he does not actually live there. Being the oldest part of the city, it is connected to all of the most important historical and political events in Russia. It is a symbol of power, beauty, and Russian culture. Foreign dignitaries are greeted in the citadel, which also houses the executive branch of the Russian government. Did you know that it is additionally considered as the central square of Moscow, because all major highways coming out of Moscow connect to the the major streets radiating from the Kremlin?

The white-stone walls and towers of the Kremlin were erected in 1367-1368; that's right - the walls of the Kremlin were originally white and remained so until 1948. In 1917 the Soviet government transferred the Russian capital back to Moscow and The Kremlin became the seat of the highest state bodies. During the Soviet Union, 28 of the original 54 buildings within the walled complex were destroyed. In 1947, Stalin ordered the walls of the stronghold painted red. Red was selected because it was the colour of the Bolshevik Revolution and Communism. The Kremlin has been the residence of the President of the Russian Federation and his Administration since 1992. The Kremlin has been and remains a World Heritage Site, a unique monument of Russian culture and symbol of Russian statehood.

If it were not for the years spent living in Russia, learning and living its culture and history, I would not know the richness that the country has to offer, including the elements that are outside of politics. Russia is like nothing I have ever seen, a vast country with scorching heat in the summer and biting cold in the winter. It has thrilling and enchanting places and people. Would I go back? Absolutely. As Kofi Annan said, "People of different religions and cultures live side-by-side in almost every part of the world, and most of us have overlapping identities which unite us in very different groups." There is no place like Russia, and so I write this message to you, видит око да зуб неймет.

Did you know that the fashion industry is the second leading greatest freshwater polluter in the world? This clothing is part of a larger collection I have created to reflect this. This is often the result of overproducing fashion items. Consequently, in reflection of the Sustainable Development Goals of the Paris Agreement to reduce climate change, the concept was born to rethink, recycle and reuse second-hand clothing. Creating fashionable, unique items from items you may have not considered worth purchasing. The intention is to create a win-win situation, an environmentally conscious way to reflect your unique personality through your clothes. It is not only a unique statement piece, but also a way to support the fight against climate change through fashion.

10% of the proceeds of this painting will be donated to The Russian-Canadian Cultural Heritage Foundation,  which aims to preserve Russian culture and traditions, assist in the growth and development of Russian culture, ensure the basis for unifying Russian people, and establish a centre to bring together all those who by their direct involvement are interested in the preservation and development of Russian culture. 

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