Russische Folklore Dämonologie | Elizaveta Efimova | 2025

How can mythological consciousness be translated into matter? Can fabric embody an archetype, and can a silhouette become a ritual?

In my project, I explore how myth can exist in physical form, interwoven into textiles, texture, and movement. By bringing mythological figures to life, I aimed not just to recreate their outward appearance but to convey their essence—the hidden logic that allows them to endure in cultural memory.

Baba Yaga is the guardian of the boundary between worlds, a trial that the hero must face. In her costume, witch-like hands grasp the body and lift the skirt, creating the illusion of animated garment, as if the material itself has become part of her being.
Leshy is the embodiment of the forest, woven from tangled roots and moss. His texture is fluid, dissolving into the woodland space. Scarlet velvet forms splashes of color—like sudden bursts of life: poisonous berries, traces of animal claws, drops of blood.
Rusalka lingers at the threshold between worlds—her drapery, resembling wet skin glowing underwater, appears frozen in motion, while strands of hair are woven into the fabric, becoming one with it.
Chort is a demon who constantly teeters on the edge of the permissible. A fitted tailcoat tightly embraces his body, almost “constricting” his nature, yet his torso remains provocatively exposed, and through the lacing of his jeans, glimpses of skin reveal an overt display of corporeality.
Vodyanoy is the embodiment of water itself—ever-changing and unpredictable. The primary fabric is chameleon-effect organza, deep red at its core but shifting to blue hues depending on the angle. This interplay of colors and layered organza creates an illusion of movement and hidden danger, as though the material itself is in constant transformation.

This project is not just a visual interpretation of myth but an attempt to experience it through matter, to make it tangible and perceptible. Myth does not belong to the past alone. It continues to manifest—in art, in culture, in fashion. It adapts, transforms, but never disappears. Perhaps this is its true immortality.