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Founders of the RAIS brand: “We are proud of our republic and promote it”
The premium sportswear brand RAIS is a new star on the fashion horizon of Tatarstan and Russia. The creators are two friends - Dinara Salakhova and Alla Palyonova. The idea to develop a line of comfortable, stylish and high-tech clothing for fitness and amateur sports came to Dinara seven years ago. And now this dream has come true. Moreover, the beginning was so impressive that it was hard to imagine at first. The first presentation took place at Paris Fashion Week!
Dinara Salyakhova is the winner of the title "Mrs. Europe 2024" (Mrs. Europe 2024). But she has many other achievements. She has the title of athlete. Champion of Tatarstan in the category of sports ballroom dancing, absolute champion of Tatarstan in the category of fitness bikini, Volga Federal District of Bashkortostan, winner of the Moscow Cup. Dinara worked as a coach, preparing athletes of the Republic of Tatarstan for a successful competitive career in Russia and abroad.
Her friend and business partner Alla Palyonova managed a premium fitness club, has management experience in this industry and is now developing her own comprehensive children's center.
The friends were united by their boundless love for sports, creativity and the desire to create a unique brand of sportswear for fitness. And they succeeded. The RAIS brand collection conquered the world's catwalks at Paris Fashion Week. The exhibition will be held in Milan, the Middle East, and soon the collection will be presented in their native Tatarstan.
— We are proud of our republic, so we want to promote and glorify it, including with our brand. There is even a mannequin with a leopard head! — says Dinara Salyakhova.
There are no national elements in the clothes yet, but the creators assure that they will certainly appear in future collections. At present, the boutique presents a basic collection, which will be supplemented and modified in the future. In the future, we plan to present something that will make each model special.
The brand name was not chosen by chance. "Rais" is an ancient title given to the leader of a community in the Islamic world. In the context of the new brand, this word signifies a strong historical tradition, symbolizes the premium quality of the sportswear line, emphasizes the desire for high quality and a certain "selectivity".
"We were the last to leave, but when the music started, the people sitting in the hall started dancing and applauding. At the end, we wanted to say: "Know ours!" - laughs Dinara Salyakhova.
Alla recalls that the collection was received very warmly in France, and no geopolitical barriers prevented this.
— Many designers saw our prints in Paris and asked where they could buy our clothes. We received a very good response, and now we receive words of gratitude and support, and French designers congratulate us after the first show. Perhaps this is the result we wanted to achieve. The first show before the boutique opening was already a success! Perhaps our inner love for the product and our confidence in it helped us. We believe in what we do!
"We checked everything about the hole ourselves."
The items in the RAIS collection have an exclusive design. Innovative materials are used. A special technology for the composition and production of fabric provides comfort and support during active training. The creators say that all the nuances and details were taken into account. Starting from the fact that sweat stains do not remain on the fabric during active training in the gym, ending with the fact that the clothes are beautiful. Alla Palyonova said:
— We tested everything related to the gym on ourselves and our sports friends. The same model was sewn from different fabrics to find the optimal combination. We and our testers wore these models, washed them and monitored how the clothes behaved during use. The tests lasted about a year, and we carefully and meticulously worked on every little thing.
Fitness clothing must be breathable and hypoallergenic. The fabric must hold its shape well, model it and provide comfort in movement. In short, due to the high demands, the sports sector is considered one of the most complex sectors of the fashion industry.
Aurora, a famous TV presenter and beauty expert, who came especially for the opening of the RAIS boutique, selected items with interest and shared her opinion with journalists.
"Now that I have chosen two great sets, I will start exercising in the new uniform on Monday. This is very important for all of us who exercise regularly. Stylish, high-quality, technological and beautiful sportswear is a really powerful incentive to go to the gym, exercise and lead a sporty and healthy lifestyle. I am truly convinced that the new uniform is a serious motivator!
"When you see something beautiful, you start to like yourself!"
But there is another important point. In order to get positive emotions through sports, I want to like myself in a new way when I look in the mirror. Dinara Salyakhova and Alla Palyonova worked especially hard on this. Allah says:
— We came up with everything ourselves, we didn’t have a designer. We created this collection the way we wanted it to be. It’s aesthetic, comfortable, pleasing to the eye and motivates people to do sports!
— When Alla and I worked together in the fitness industry, we noticed that a lot of people were coming to training in black suits. And we wanted to create clothes that would create a cool atmosphere and motivate people to do sports. That's why we created a collection not only in black, but also in other colors. When you see something beautiful, you start to like yourself. And as a professional trainer, I can tell you that this also affects the achievement of results. People love themselves when they look in the mirror. This is motivation!
The boutique offers styles in a variety of shades, including mint, dusty rose and ochre. Conservatives will also be looking for classic tones like black, grey and white.
2012 Olympic high jump champion Anna Chicherova highly praised the quality and aesthetics of the exhibits. She admitted that she was attracted by the tops, long sleeves and leggings. The athlete took part of the collection with him to Kazan.
— I would like to note the brightness of the colors of the women's collection. It is no secret that we all want a vacation and a good mood, especially in winter. Everything is great here, both the women's and men's lines. And I know that this is a bit of a complicated story. This is due to the fact that over time, a gap has arisen in some sectors as foreign brands leave. It is very pleasant to realize that this void is now being filled, and we are doing it. These ideas come from our beautiful women. "I wish them success and prosperity," the athlete said at the opening of the boutique.
Star TV presenter Ksenia Borodina happily shared her opinion about the new collection with journalists. She explained why she decided to attend the opening of the RAIS boutique:
— Firstly, we are happy to support Russian brands, especially now, when many Western brands have left our country. With this visit, I want to show once again that we are great colleagues and that we can make clothes worse. First of all, my visit is support, I am happy. Secondly, I am interested in sports. I do fitness. As soon as I came here, I noticed things that I liked and that I wanted to buy. I like the style and the quality of the things is really good!
Footballer Dmitry Tarasov also chose his clothes and, in his own words, his visit to Kazan also became an opportunity to meet friends. After all, he once played for Rubin for a year and a half. Dmitry said that even before his arrival, he directly mentioned a sports line of fitness clothing based on photographs. In Kazan, he will take two sets:
— I really liked the fitness line. In terms of materials, it can be compared to brands that have left Russia. But I still support Russian manufacturers and support domestic brands. How great that we are growing and not giving up anything!
And the 2008 Olympic high jump champion Andrei Silnov was genuinely happy in a conversation with journalists.
— I believe that Russia produces the best products in the world! I am a patriot of my country. I always support any initiatives that take place here, especially those that take place at a high professional level!
Sports for Muslim women, plus size clothing and expansion to the East
The first boutique opened in Kazan and is still the only one in the country. It is interesting to note that Dinara and Alla do not deliberately plan to expand to other cities. Kazan should become a unique place in Russia to buy RAIS branded clothing. But abroad, there are already plans to develop in the UAE and Kazakhstan. According to plans, the next RAIS boutique will appear there. By the way, this is why the next shows will take place not only at fashion shows in Milan and Paris (this is already in the plans), but also at Dubai Fashion Week.
— In the future, we would like to expand the line and create sportswear for Muslim women so that they can comfortably work out in the gym without violating Islamic rules. Work on creating this collection is already underway. And it will be presented in Dubai,” says Dinara Salyakhova. — We already see demand for such clothing and will meet it.
Alla added that she had received another request for a plus-size clothing line from a potential buyer. In the spring, the collection will be presented at Milan and Paris Fashion Weeks. The world can also see children's collections here. By the way, it is also presented in boutiques.
"We are both mothers and we know how important the quality of children's clothing is. We also have a children's collection. We collect family looks for mom, dad and child," says Alla Palenova.
So the boutique was opened, and its first clients were star athletes and celebrities from the world of show business. They valued the RAIS brand. And the founders of the brand remind us of this. They do not want to compete with anyone. They just do what they like.
“We are a place for people who love sports!” Dinara Salakhova concludes the conversation.