Special clothing of metro builders from the first stage of construction of the capital's subway can to this day be seen in the exhibition space with glass flasks at the Vorobyovy Gory station. The exhibition will run from November 2 to December 2 inclusive.
Behind the simple forms of the workers and engineers of the Moscow Metro Construction lies a whole history of the development of the main city transport. The organizers of the exhibition had a difficult task - to recreate workwear from the 30s, based on historical photo and video materials.
“Many photographs, newspaper files, documentaries and professional forums were processed. We contacted filmmakers, costume designers, and dealers in Soviet antiques. Adding to the difficulty in collecting information from archives was the fact that all sources—old photographs and newsreels—were in black and white. Only after the 1990s can you find color cards and documentary stories,” said the main creators of the exhibition, Alena Puchkova and Natalya Osnovskaya.
Each decade is characterized by its own clothing; the organizers tried to highlight the most memorable images. So, in 1931, the blue suit became recognizable, although at first the metro workers did not have a standard uniform that all workers would wear. The clothes of metro builders in the distant 30s and now depend on the specifics of the work.
It is noteworthy that tank overalls are found in the overalls of metro construction workers. This is due, first of all, to the post-war shortage, which often forced separate parts of the statutory clothing to be worn in peacetime.
Since the 1980s, a single uniform has appeared for all metro construction specialties. Clothing, shoes and hats for builders are becoming more comfortable and safe. However, the form has become truly thoughtful only in the last 10–20 years.