Bessarion designer Bessarion Razmadze is the It boy of cool commercial fashion in Tbilisi. He has plenty of celebrity fans throughout the post–Soviet Union, and everyday people know his name and wear his Georgian script logo tees. At the start of the show, one American showgoer asked, “Is this the Alexander Wang of Tbilisi?” That statement might not be so far off in terms of Razmadze’s following.
Held in the underground garage of the city’s Rooms Hotel, the show was a big production. In that sense, it was Wang-like, as well. Razmadze’s footwear often adds to the over-the-top effect; typically the heels are perversely large and difficult to walk in, morphing the models into scoliotic soldiers. This time they stomped about in fat, block-toe boots. Shoppers will probably take a pass on them, but there were other items—like big blazers and baseball hats with pierced brims—that people are bound to buy. Razmadze’s funny moment came via a T-shirt emblazoned with a portrait of Soviet and Russian singer Alla Pugacheva. He should put that into production straightaway.
