Vera Aralova was Ukrainian born in the city of Vinnytsia in 1911. Many do not know her but I would like to introduce you to her and the impact she has had in fashion.
In 1930 she worked in Moscow film studio as a theater artist. She also painted and participated in many art exhibitions. In 1948 she became the leading fashion designer of the All-Union House of Models.
In 1959 the iron curtain had lifted just enough for Russian models and Vera to go to Paris to hold a Russian Week of Fashion. Vera was very eager wanting to make a bold statement by showing furs instead of “working clothes” for those building communist society. Her furs that included hats were not rejected but her boots were. Boots were made for function and they were rough and bulky. She took the boot and added a zipper along the side so the women could fit their leg in them comfortably and this would also help with quick changes back stage during the show. Against the orders of Soviet Union, Vera presented her creation of high top women’s boots that zipped up on the side to form the leg. 
All of France was impressed. The red leather zipper boot with a heel was the statement that would leave a lifelong legacy. France wanted to immediately begin production. The Soviet government denied this and Vera to be a part of it. Within six months manufacturing began all through Paris.
Within two years time all of France was producing and wearing these boots all over the country. The boots became known as “Russian Boots”. Even with all the sensation surrounding the boots it took the USSR 15 years to allow production and that was after much pressure from designers, and quite frankly, the media journalists.
The credits are rarely given to Vera for her creation and design due to communist government. They laughed at her creation and dismissed it for years until their hand was forced to recognize its popularity although then the time had past and being recognized as the one who created the design was gone.
Since then the craze continues as in almost every designer winter collection you will find a high zipper boot on women.
Vera has been recalled upon as extremely kind and most helpful to up and coming designers and models alike. She is, in fact, the one who discovered the most famous fashion model of the Soviet, Regina Zybarskaya, known to the world as “The Kremlin’s Most Beautiful Weopon”, and the the “Soviet Sophia Loren.”
Vera Aralova was an extremely accomplished woman that has had many successes. I find it incredibly unfortunate she was not given proper credit during her lifetime for her many accomplishments, especially for the zipper boot and her handprint that she left on the fashion world. She made a great impact as an artist, a creator and a designer and I am happy to honor her here by writing about her, even though it is a simple fashion blog post.