“When I put on a fur coat, everyone knows I am Russian”: Clothing consumption of Russian migrants in Finland, in Gurova O. Fashion and the Consumer Revolution in Contemporary Russia. London and New York: Routledge, 2015 (chapter 5). (original) (raw)

The chapter “’When I put on a fur coat, everyone knows I am Russian’: Clothing consumption of Russian migrants in Finland” explores the expression of ethnic identity through appearance and personal style. Style and clothing choices, apparently, make Russians a visible community at many levels, demonstrated not only in the media, but also by academic research (Vihalemm, Keller 2011). Scholars describe the fashion style of Russians as an ethnic group as “tasteless because of the use of bright textiles, heavy make-up, and clothing elements in bright colours… The glamorous style is manifested by a variety of elements: expensive brand logos on clothes, glossy fabrics, bright colours, plenty of jewellery, conspicuous make-up, and high heels. Richness of detail is part and parcel of this sub-repertoire” (Vihalemm, Keller 2011: 303). Drawing on in-depth interviews with Russians who live outside the country, particularly in Finland, I will discuss how these Russians express their Russianness through clothing. I rely on the argument that the reproduction of ethnic belonging in consumption goes along with other social distinctions – age, gender, and class. In other words, there are more similarities between people of different ethnicity belonging to the same class and generation than between people of different classes and generations, yet have the same ethnicity. Thus, an ethnic boundary uses other social dimensions to differentiate between the self and others.