Vyacheslav Mikhailovich ZAITSEV, more commonly known as Slava ZAITSEV (Russian: Слава Зайцев), born 2 March 1938 in Ivanovo and died 30 April 2023, Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic, is a Soviet/Russian fashion designer, painter, graphic artist, and theatrical costume designer. In Soviet times, Soviet couture was dominated by ZAITSEV and Valentin YUDASHKIN; ZAITSEV being compared to other world-renowned fashion designers, such as Christian LACROIX, Christian DIOR, Pierre CARDIN or Yves SAINT LAURENT. Although he is considered capable of playing in the court of the great western couturiers, ZAITSEV complies with the laws of the communist regime, which prohibit him from working outside the USSR and Czechoslovakia. In March 1962, he began work as the artistic director of «Experimental technical garment factory «Mosoblsovnarkhoza», where he oversaw production of women's clothing for retail stores in Moscow and the surrounding region. ZAITSEV came to attention in 1963 when he designed a chic version of the telogreika, Pavlovsky Posad shawl-inspired skirts and multi-coloured valenki for kolkhoz workers. Whilst his creations were lauded by the authorities for "sparkling with all colours of the rainbow", his collection was not approved for production by the Methodical Council. In February 1963, Paris Match became the first foreign media outlet to profile ZAITSEV, and highly rated his collection. In March 1965 ZAITSEV became the Chief Designer at the All-Union Fashion House, which was also known as Dom Modeli, on Kuznetsky Most. In April 1965 Pierre CARDIN, Marc BOHAN (then with Dior) and Guy LAROCHE visited Moscow and became familiar with ZAITSEV's works, although ZAITSEV wasn't present, and was covered in an article of Paris Match. Pierre Cardin called ZAITSEV an "equal among equals", and the French press dubbed him the Red Dior. Between 1965 – 1968 Zaitsev's works, dubbed the Russian series, were displayed abroad. He resigned from the All-Union Fashion House in 1978, and began to work out of a small studio. After the collapse of the Soviet Union he became responsible for financing the business out of his private income, with New Russians making up the bulk of his clientele. In 1991 he designed a new uniform for the Russian police, and was bestowed the title of Honored Worker in the Field of the Arts. By 1992, Jane FONDA, Ted TURNER and Herb RITTS were amongst celebrities who became customers of ZAITSEV, and in the same year ZAITSEV launched a women's perfume named Maroussia, who became internationally popular.