How the Masters Forge. Interviews with the Winners of the International Shoe Design Competition, Shoes Style

In May 2026, the finalists of the international footwear design competition, Shoes Style, were awarded again in Moscow. The annual competition is held by A.N. Kosygin Russian State University, a university that trains shoe designers and technologists, and attracts students from design universities in Russia and the CIS.

This year, the competition's prize-winning design duo, third-year students at Kosygin Russian State University, Margarita Skvaznikova and Egor Lysov, won for their collection of shoes and bags, "Retrospective." This stylish collection, which emphasizes silhouettes, textures, and craftsmanship, received high praise from the Shoes Style jury.

Shoes Report spoke with the competition winners about their collection, university studies, and future professions.

Shoes Report: Please tell us why you chose to become a shoe designer and why you decided to enroll at the A.N. Kosygin Russian State University.

Rita: I didn't initially plan to apply to Kosygin Russian State University. I was supposed to apply to a program involving physics, mathematics, and computer science, and I took physics. I was planning on applying to some technical university. But then I thought, what do I really want to do with my life? And it turned out that physics wasn't my thing. I chose the engineering program, and that's how I ended up at Kosygin Russian State University.

SR : You probably drew or sewed it yourself?

Rita: My mom and I used to design things. My mom is a sewing teacher and a designer. We made clothes together, sweaters, pants, and bags. She's a master at it, and she's always supported me in it. Although she didn't really want me to be a designer because she knows it's difficult, very painstaking work. But when I decided where I wanted to go to college, she was very happy that I'd found my niche. The whole family supported me.

SR : You're now a third-year student at Kosygin Russian State University. Do you enjoy studying?

Rita: Yes, I don't regret my choice at all. I like the environment I've built at the university; I've found like-minded people who share my passions. I met Egor, and now we do everything together. Overall, I'm very happy with how things turned out.

SR : Did you choose the footwear direction right away?

Rita: Initially, I was just going for design. I didn't know there would be a division between clothing and footwear, but when I learned that, I thought shoes and bags were more interesting. After all, shoemaking isn't that popular, so I thought it would be more challenging and interesting.

SR : Egor, how are you?

Egor: I first studied at the Moscow Polytechnic University, but I didn't finish. I applied to study jewelry there (editor's note: "Artistic Design and Digital Technologies in Jewelry Production"). But it was a rushed application—I graduated from high school at 17, and my parents said, "Go get into something!"

I studied for two years, became disillusioned with the university and the faculty, and decided to leave. I learned about Kosygin University, and since I've always loved clothing and design, I decided to apply.

I couldn't transfer because of the large academic gap, but the courses I'd taken at the Polytechnic were accepted, and my first year was a bit easier than the others. I didn't have to attend certain classes.

From the very beginning, I was 70% sure that I would choose the direction of accessories and footwear design, but I also thought about clothing design.

SR : So you enter the general stream, and then are divided into specializations?

Egor: Yes. This happens at the end of the first year. It's not just the student's desire but also their academic performance that determines the outcome. There are more applicants for fashion design, and the passing grade is higher.

SR : So here you are, in your third year, participating in Shoes Style. Is this your first joint collection? How do you divide up the roles in your duo? You're probably still producing your own products, aren't you?

Rita: Yes. Specifically, for this collection, we shared everything. I made two pairs of women's shoes, and Yegor made two pairs of men's. So, we make bags and shoes together; we both do both. We live together, and we set up a home workshop in our house where we produce everything.

SR : Do you use the university workshop?

Rita: No. Not at all.

SR : And you don’t even order brake pads there?

Egor: We buy our lasts ourselves. Burgundy high-top men's and women's boots—pairs made on Kim Malygin's lasts. We visited him in Georgia in the summer of 2025 and learned shoemaking from him in his workshop. We combined a week of study with a week of vacation.

SR : I know such a master. We published an interview with Kim Malygin on our website when he still lived in Moscow.

Rita: It was really interesting talking with Kim, both as a professional and as a person. We gained invaluable experience; he's really cool.

Egor: But we built the lasts we bought from Kim ourselves to our specifications. So, in addition to shoemaking, we also learned from him about shoemaking. Two more lasts for the other two pairs were made in Moscow.

SR : Why didn’t you use the help of university experts?

Egor: There used to be several masters in the university workshop, but then only one remained.

Rita: Besides that, we feel comfortable at home together, comfortable after school or after work.

SR: Could you please tell us more about how the training went? Did you have to work on anything at home?

Egor: The training lasted seven days. Each day we were assigned a task to complete, and we didn't leave until we'd completed it. The first introductory lesson lasted two or two and a half hours. Kim simply explained the procedure, gave us the assignment, gave us some lasts to take home, and asked us to come up with a pattern.

Then, each day, it got progressively worse. By the end of the training, we were spending the entire day in the workshop. We'd start at noon and leave at 23 p.m.

SR : Why did you decide to study with Kim Malygin?

Rita: He has some interesting work. Yegor and I have been following his work for a long time.

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Egor: Well, the price of the courses also played a role. For a long time, he kept the price for training at around 60 rubles per person, and then I came across a discount. It turned out to be 40.

SR : Judging by your style, you like avant-garde? Guidi is probably your favorite brand?

Egor: I can't say I choose any one brand. I pay more attention to the silhouette and quality of the materials. I really like boots, but I also love sneakers. For example, I have three pairs of sneakers from the Raf Simons x Adidas collaboration—they're my favorites.

SR : I'd like to return to the conversation about studying at university. Egor, you have something to compare it to. What were your impressions of Kosygin University after studying at the Polytechnic University?

Egor: The first thing I was pleasantly surprised by was the location: all classes are held in one place. The teachers at Kosygin University are more attentive to the students. However, not everyone assessed our abilities equally. Some teachers didn't believe we could assemble shoes at home on our own. At times, this became an additional incentive to prove our knowledge and skills in practice.

Rita: It is clear that hand-made shoemaking is very different from industrial production.

Egor: Everything is different, a different set of materials—interlinings, tape—we don't use them at all. Our seam allowances are large, so it's easy to tighten by hand. In industrial production, they are smaller—they try to save material. We don't have any professional equipment; we do absolutely everything ourselves.

SR : Is the university itself more focused on industrial production?

Egor: That's right, we've often heard teachers say, "Well, you're going to work in production!" But I wouldn't want to work in a large production facility.

SR : So, are you determined to make your own shoes and sell them to the end consumer, as they now do through Avito, for example?

Egor: We're already selling them there. The low burgundy boots that were at the competition sold for 23,000. That's not a high price for such shoes, but since they were my first pair and there were some minor imperfections, I listed them at that price.

SR : In the long term , you are probably thinking about your brand?

Rita: It's hard to look into the future when we're just making shoes and bags. I'm at the end of my third year now, and I'm in my fourth year, and that's it. But to build a brand, you need some investment... While we're learning, we're keeping an eye on what other designers are doing. It's interesting to see how Kim works, for example, and the fact that he does everything himself—it's inspiring.

Egor: I love looking at designers' work in retrospect. Often, what they did early on in their careers is more interesting than what they developed later. For example, with the work of Mihara Yasuhiro: he had very interesting shoes in a variety of shapes, with interesting embossing, color, print, and form; his bags were very original. But when the brand was sold and everything went commercial, everything turned into nothing but sneakers with fused soles. I wouldn't want that to happen.

SR : Rita, do you tie your shoes yourself? Is that hard for a girl?

Rita: Yes, I do everything myself. Of course, it's harder for me than for Yegor. My hand gets tired. I need to take more breaks. But I still do everything myself, and I like it. I think women in this profession are often underestimated. Some people think, "She couldn't have done it herself." And that's understandable, because you have to sit there with a hammer, a block, and there are nails and glue all around. You have to pull the pliers by hand and hammer.

SR : Will you be working on your diploma in your fourth year ? Will you have to create another collection?

Egor: In theory, this should be a scientific work, and the collection should be a diploma supplement.

Rita: It would be great to create a collection, but a lot depends on the choice of a supervisor. I'd like to work with the design instructors—Olga Vladimirovna Sineva or Elena Sergeevna Rykova, as they've always been supportive.

SR : Are you Muscovites or did you come from somewhere else to study in Moscow?

Egor: I am from Pavlovsky Posad.

Rita: I'm from the Bryansk region. I'm from a small town called Klimovo. It's on the border of three former Soviet republics, now countries. We're in Russia, and Ukraine and Belarus are right next door. So, I spent my entire childhood in Belarus, Ukraine, and Russia. But now it's dangerous there, and many have left.

SR : Are you already working somewhere in Moscow?

Egor: I've been working at a shoe restoration and dry cleaning shop for a month now. They used to be part of Nikita Efremov's chain of stores, where he sold sneakers. So, I'm working there as an administrator: I take orders, check what people bring in, and offer preliminary consultations on certain services.

Rita: I'm currently in the process of quitting. I worked for a year as a massage chair sales consultant for a Chinese company. But now the company is closing. I'm thinking about looking for something more in line with my specialty, something related to shoes or leather.

SR : Are you satisfied with the Shoes Style competition and the results? Did it live up to your expectations?

Rita: It's hard to say. I didn't think we'd win any prizes, and it's nice to be among the winners. But it's a shame we couldn't watch the other participants' shows because we were backstage.

In general, I think it would be really cool if, in addition to the show, there was an exhibition. That is, each person, creator, designer, or group of designers would create their own corner, a stand for displaying their products.

The jury, participants, and spectators could see and touch the shoes. It's important to understand how they're made—how everything is sewn, glued, and painted. It's impossible to see anything from a distance.

Egor : I expected a better result from the competition. I'm happy with what I presented, but not so happy with the score. I think this is a reason to work harder and consider other, perhaps more striking, design directions.

SR: I think the Shoes Style competition It's more like an opportunity to do something, to show something, to feel the process. Of course, he can stillё improve. But for students it's part of the studyёwould. And the exhibition of your work will be an article on our website.

Rita: Yes, it was still a really cool experience, it was interesting. The atmosphere was lively; my friends and I had a corner where we all got dressed together, rehearsed, came up with ideas, helped each other, got ready, and put on makeup. Overall, it's great that there's such a competition. It would be sad if it didn't exist.

But we could do even better! For example, if we shoemakers were invited to competitions with garment makers. Maybe we could find someone with a similar spirit and create a joint collection.