Russian-speaking model from New York returned to Moscow: she hopes to make money on the current political situation

While Western businessmen fled Russia after its invasion of Ukraine, Kira Dikhtyar, a 33-year-old model from New York, traveled in the opposite direction, reports Washington Post.

Leaving a decade of modeling in America behind her, the US-Russian citizen returned to her hometown of Moscow this spring. The girl decided to launch her clothing line in Russia affected by the sanctions and declared her support for Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The idea of ​​the model is to fill the shelves of former Zara, H&M and other well-known retailers, which closed their offices in Russia after February 24, with inexpensive copies of Western brands.

“We changed the design a bit so brands wouldn’t sue,” Dikhtyar said in a phone interview from her home in Moscow.

The Dikhtyar project has joined the stream of reorientation of the Russian economy under Western sanctions. One of the most famous examples is the re-creation of McDonald's and Big Macs under the new name “Tasty and Everything”. The Siberian oil tycoon bought all 840 outlets of the former American fast food chain in Russia.

On June 24, at an economic forum in St. Petersburg, Putin said that the adaptation of the Russian economy to the sanctions "is going well."

“Russian enterprises and government agencies have worked smoothly and professionally,” he said. - We will normalize the economic situation. We have stabilized the financial markets, the banking system, the trading system.”

The effects of the sanctions are now mitigated by a sharp rise in oil and gas revenues. This allows the Kremlin to continue to fund the war effort and stimulate the economy.

Dikhtyar sees himself at the forefront of this economic rethinking and has no regrets about the way business has developed in wartime Russia.

"What's bad about it? she asked. “This is an amazing opportunity here in Moscow.”

On the subject: Russian model sues Ralph Lauren in New York for $ 20 million

In the US, Dikhtyar is known for her participation in the reality show The Face.

And also - the subsequent feud with the former supermodel Naomi Campbell, who was offended by the racist statements of the Russian woman.

For the last decade she has worked as a fashion model. Her photos have appeared on the pages of FHM, L'Officiel and Playboy.

Scandal lover

“The media is brainwashing people like that – it’s crazy,” Dikhtyar said, accusing the United States of provoking a war in Ukraine.

“The world is no more, and the United States of America is to blame,” she said. – If they did not support the military in Ukraine, then we would have already achieved peace. But since they brought military equipment to Ukraine, this means that Russia now has to bring more soldiers and more equipment. And that could lead to more deaths and a longer conflict.”

Back in Moscow, Dikhtyar joined a small cohort of Russians with connections in the West. They refused to condemn the invasion despite the reputational risks. Valery Gergiev, chief conductor of the Munich Philharmonic and a close associate of Putin, has been fired from his post in Germany. Actor Vladimir Mashkov, known in the West for his roles in the films Mission: Impossible and Behind Enemy Lines, strongly supported the war, while his daughter condemned his words on American television. In the current situation, Dikhtyar sees not a problem, but an opportunity

“The market is huge,” she said. “Think about it: 150 million people have nothing to wear because all the brands are gone.”

Those who have worked with Dikhtyar say her attempt to do business in Moscow while campaigning for the war in Ukraine is provocative, but not surprising.

“She likes to be controversial and make scandals,” Ivan Bitton stated. The owner of a fashion house in Los Angeles held several photo shoots with Dikhtyar between 2015 and 2018.

As an example of scandalous behavior, Dihtyar Bitton cited a TV fight with a black model on The Face over Dihtyar's statement that black models would not succeed on the show. The Russian woman then said that her remarks were misunderstood.

Her comments about the war touch on sensitive issues in the fashion industry. After all, both Ukrainians and Russians work side by side as models, photographers and designers in New York.

Evgeny Milkovich, a Ukrainian photographer based in New York, has photographed Dikhtyar on numerous occasions. His family's home in Kyiv is a 10-minute drive from the town of Bucha, where the massacre took place in March. Milkovich said he was dismayed at how Kremlin propaganda has taken away the humanity of some Russians in the fashion industry.

“People like Kira are waging their own wars with their own contradictions,” he remarked. We have done several successful photography projects. But the essence of the people I work with is important to me. So, unfortunately, cooperation with her can easily end there.”

Born in Moscow, Dikhtyar showed promise as a rhythmic gymnast in her youth. She played in the junior team of Russia. In her early teens, the girl began working as a model. Tall and thin with blue-green eyes, Dikhtyar represented the MC2 modeling agency. It was founded by Jean-Luc Brunel with the support of disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein.

Dikhtyar said she first met Epstein when she was 17 years old. But, unlike many other women, she said he never touched her. Instead, they struck up a friendship that continued after 2008. Epstein then pleaded guilty in a Florida state court to prostituting underage girls.

"Yes it's true. I was friends with Jeffrey Epstein. I am not defending anyone,” she said of the producer, who took his own life in 2019 following allegations of rape and harassment.

The prospects for Dikhtyar's idea are unclear

According to the International Monetary Fund, the Russian economy will shrink by 8,5% in 2022 due to international sanctions. But analysts say there is a potential market for moderately priced clothing.

“No matter how poor the people of Russia become, they still want to buy clothes. And there are still people out there who have money,” said Yekaterina Shulman, a Russian political scientist at the Robert Bosch Academy in Berlin.

The owner of fashion brand Stanchy warned that the new Russian clothing line would not be able to match the low production costs of well-known fast fashion brands. After all, they are produced in Vietnam, Bangladesh or China. But she said the exodus of Western retailers has made it a little easier for Russian businesses to succeed.

“When your competitors are large conglomerates, it is quite difficult to compete. After all, you don’t have such marketing budgets,” Rebrova explained and clarified that her own company won, since now there are no major competitors.