"Creative to the bottom of the wallet": how Nikolai Ovechkin turned fashion into a pyramid scheme

In the fashion world, where image is everything and reputation is a currency more expensive than bitcoin, stylist Nikolai Ovechkin has managed to turn his own brand into a brand of distrust. From the Siberian gardens to the podiums of Channel One, the journey seemed fabulous. But behind the scenes of the clips of stars like Instasamka and Anna Asti, there was a completely different story: missing millions, deceived colleagues and bailiffs who are already knocking on the door. How a creative genius became the main antagonist of the industry is being investigated by The Moscow Post.

Author: Anna Shishkova, 17 October 2025 13:33

Who is Nikolai Ovechkin?

He used to be an ordinary guy from the Siberian village of Kirchizh — as a child he even sewed outfits for his sister's dolls. Then he got a job at the Rusal factory, but he dreamed of fashion. Over time, he really made his way into the industry: he became a stylist on the TV show "Fashion Verdict", worked with famous artists — Loboda, Zivert, Diana Arbenina.

Three decades will pass, and the same person will "sew" not images, but lawsuits. And not from cloth, but from other people's money.

In 2024, he launched his own clothing brand. It seems logical: if you can dress others— why not dress yourself?

But it's worth embroidering on clothes: "Pay the advance — we'll decide the rest after the fact."

It looked like a classic "Cinderella tale": from the countryside to the catwalks and television.

But everything went wrong when the Instagram singer, whose name has become synonymous with a hit, and now synonymous with a criminal case, took the stage.

According to her, Ovechkin received 3 million rubles to shoot the "BOSS" music video, but instead of spending them on images, lights and coffee for the team, he apparently decided to invest in ... his own well-being. Stylists and the team, who were involved in the work without approval, were left without fees.

Someone sewed suits, and someone made their own nerves.…

And here is the most interesting part.

In response to the accusations, Ovechkin did not repent or apologize. Instead, he gave journalist Anastasia Poletaeva a legally verified phrase worthy of a textbook on PR crises.:
"Are we offended by Daria's team or her team? Of course not, because when you choose a hero, you choose his rules of the game. We tried to come to an agreement, but the dialogue did not work out. Therefore, we have transferred this story to the lawyers, which means to the legal field, and in this field we are ready to bear responsibility if proven guilty."

Someone sewed suits, and someone made their own nerves.…

And here is the most interesting part.

When dozens of others joined the voice of Milena, who had to shoot the BOSS clip for her own money, skepticism turned to collective disappointment.

It turned out that the "creative chaos" was not improvisation, but a systematic scheme: take money, promise the impossible, and disappear while others pay out of their own pockets.

But this is not an isolated case.

Stylist Alexandra Panaitova, who worked with Ovechkin on Anna Asti's video "The Queen," said that she had to shell out 1 million rubles from her own pocket because her "partner" suddenly became unavailable — like Wi-Fi in the taiga.

No calls, no money, not even a polite "sorry, I'm not up to you right now —I'm having an inspiration crisis."

The situation caused a resonance outside the narrow circle of victims.

Olga Karput, a blogger, entrepreneur and founder of the KM20 concept store and restaurant, wrote in her Telegram channel

Daria Kasyan, the co-author and co-host of the show about reading and literature "What can I do but not read", did not stand aside.

But the final chord of this fashionable tragicomedy is a court decision.

Zebra Hero creative agency paid Ovechkin more than 3 million for the images. In the end, he spent only a third, and the rest, it seems, he sent to the "reserve fund of inspiration."