LOTTA VOLKOVA on VALERI
Valeri Leonidovich Volkov, my father, was a sea captain who travelled all over the world in the ’70s, ’80s and ’90s on several cargo ships. He went everywhere: Japan, the US, Australia, European countries. At that time there was the Soviet Iron Curtain, which for us meant a general inability to travel to foreign countries. It’s funny to look back, because he used to bring cases of goods that were impossible to find in Russia: Coca-Cola, the cult and forgotten Choco-Pie, denim jeans, the latest Western fashions for my mother, tapes and video cassettes for my brother, Japanese sweets and toys. I remember he was very proud of his captain’s uniform: white for summer and navy for winter. He cherished it and it was sacred to him, as a symbol of the profession he began when he turned 15 years old. Completely in secrecy from his mother, he jumped on a train from his native Omsk to Vladivostok, just to follow his dream and achieve it. He was a very adventurous person, able to bring any situation under his control and turn it to his favour. He was at the heart of every get-together or social occasion, and he was a great entertainer with a million true stories and anecdotes to tell. I guess his influence on me was that openness and excitement towards discovering the world, making the entire world your playground, never letting distances stop you, that addiction to travel and seeing places. I remember he was the one who accompanied me to Moscow when I was making my move to London, at 17 years old. I remember it well because afterwards he often mentioned that he couldn’t quite believe it was happening until I literally went through customs at the airport. He always believed in me and never questioned my choices. Daddy supported me fully.
Lotta Volkova is a fashion editor and creative consultant.