FYODOR PODGORNIY (b. 1985, Ventspils) is an experienced fashion designer and creative professional. In 2010, he co-founded the London-based fashion label FYODOR GOLAN. In 2012, the brand received the internationally recognised Fashion Fringe Award, one of the fashion industry’s most prestigious accolades. The award was presented by designer Roland Mouret, fashion writer and curator Colin McDowell, and supermodel Claudia Schiffer.
From 2012 to 2020, FYODOR GOLAN presented its collections twice a year as part of the official schedule of London Fashion Week, and also at international fashion weeks in Shanghai, China (2019), Berlin, Germany (2016), Singapore (2014), and Riga, Latvia (2012). The label’s collections were stocked by leading retailers including Selfridges, Liberty, and Harrods in London, Colette and Le Bon Marché in France, as well as in Italy, Hong Kong, China, South Korea, and the Middle East.
In December 2012, Fyodor became the youngest fashion designer ever invited to present a collection at London’s Victoria and Albert Museum as part of the Fashion in Motion series. Previous participants in the series have included such renowned names as Alexander McQueen and Yohji Yamamoto. His presentation reached a remarkably wide audience, attracting around 2,000 visitors per day.
In 2015, FYODOR GOLAN created the complete visual look for Rihanna in several short films for her album ANTI. The films were directed by Yoann Lemoine and Brett Foraker, with styling by Mel Ottenberg. The project formed part of an episodic campaign based on Rihanna’s life story, created to promote her eighth studio album. Initially released exclusively as a free download for Samsung Galaxy users, the album broke download records immediately and achieved platinum status within fourteen hours – faster than any other album in history.
In autumn 2018, the label collaborated with conceptual photographer Lorenzo Vitturi on an outdoor advertising campaign in London and Paris. Titled Beautiful Garbage, the concept used materials from the designers’ archive and studio leftovers, resulting in a series of original photographs centred on the brand’s message of reuse and recycling.
In the summer of 2019, the label partnered with Plastic Oceans UK on a campaign drawing attention to ocean pollution, and organised a beach clean-up the day before its fashion show. The collected waste and abandoned fishing nets were then incorporated into the show’s scenography. This concept was later further developed in collaboration with London’s Liberty department store over a three-month period.
The FYODOR GOLAN label has been widely featured in the press, with coverage in publications including Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar, Porter Magazine, Garage, Dazed, and the Financial Times. In 2018, the brand also appeared on the cover of the Saturday edition of The Times in London.
As a fashion designer, Fyodor has attracted the attention of internationally recognised public figures, creating garments and bespoke pieces for Madonna, Ariana Grande, Jennifer Lopez, Rita Ora, Lizzo, Robyn, Gigi and Bella Hadid, and many others.
After returning to Latvia, Fyodor collaborated with choreographer and dancer Jana Jacuka, creating a mirrored costume for Damien Rice’s 2023 European summer tour performances. He has also designed costumes for opera singer Kristīne Opolais, violinist Kristīne Balanas, and cellist Margarita Balanas, as well as garments for contemporary artist Krista Vindeberga Auzniece, which were featured in Santa magazine (October 2023). In 2021, he created a special handmade costume for the organic cosmetics brand Etīde (director: Sandijs Ruļuks) and also designed a mini clothing collection for Baltic Pride.
In 2024, together with his creative team, Fyodor realised a retrospective exhibition of the FYODOR GOLAN label, Harmony of Collisions, at Sculpture Forest, part of the Antique and Renaissance Sculpture exhibition at the Museum Repository. The exhibition traced the development of the label and featured more than 120 garments and accessories. It highlighted the journey from luxury eveningwear to the use of sustainable technologies in innovative fashion design, as well as collaborations with cultural figures from Latvia and abroad. At the heart of the exhibition was the idea of a “harmony of collisions” — the interplay of seemingly incompatible forms, colours, textures, and ideas. The collections presented at London Fashion Week explored themes of digital romance, the climate crisis, and the search for inner harmony.
Photo by Polina Viljun