Lucia Ganieva

A series of photographs made in a textile factory in the town of Ivanovo, some 275 km north-east of Moscow. The town was called the “town of brides” because the population counted almost only women, working in the textile branch.

During the regime of the czars, this town was the center of textile industry in Russia. There were approximately 30 different plants where all kinds of fabrics were manufactured, mostly based on cotton and linen. In the course of time, due to the competition of low labor-cost countries, such as China, almost all of the plants had to close down. At the present time, only a handful are active, but it is to be expected that they will not last long.

The factory where I made my series, the ‘Kombinat,’ named after F.N.Samoilova, was a very big plant, where a complete range of fabrics were produced, but now it has restricted its activities. Now, only the bleaching and printing of the fabrics continues.

My intention was to make a portrait of the factory, by combining its interior, the fabrics they work up, and the women doing the work. The fabrics portrayed come from different collections over the years - old and new - as with the interior images, showcasing older and newer equipment, and the same applies for the workers, who are women of different ages.