Where did Danila Bagrov’s sweater come from: the history of cult clothes from the movie “Brother”

“Brother” directed by Alexei Balabanov was released in 1997 and became a legend literally after the first show. The film received the Kinotavr Grand Prize for Best Director and Best Lead Actor. Danila Bagrov became a real symbol of the generation, and the story, which was basically simple, was told so masterfully that no spectator remained indifferent to it.

But Balabanov did not count on such success at all and shot the film without funds, with his own enthusiasm and with the help of friends. He wrote the screenplay in just a few days, sitting in the countryside with a five-litre pot of soup, which he stocked up so he wouldn’t go hungry or be distracted by food.

The role of Danila was written specifically for Sergei Bodrov Jr.: the director met him the day before and was so bewitched by the charisma that he decided to shoot a St. Petersburg story about the “hero of our time” the most ordinary – and always with Serezha in the main role.

The appearance of this hero was also decided in the process, and there was no need to rely on huge costume studios. However, the random selection of clothes for the characters turned out to be so successful and characteristic that “Brother” is often called “the fashion encyclopedia of the 90s” – a lot can be said about Kat, Nemets, Sveta, Tatarin and others just by looking at their outfits.

But, of course, Danila’s stretch sweater is a particular hit. This is a real chain mail of a 20th century hero, going into battle with a dragon!

The sweater was accidentally bought at Udelka, a second-hand flea market in the Udelny market in St. Petersburg. Nadezhda Vasilyeva (at that time the wife, now the widow of Alexei Balabanov) fished him out of a huge pile of used clothes and negotiated a price of 40 rubles.

At first, the director considered the sweater “foppish”, but Vasilyeva was confident in her choice and threw Bodrov Jr., who tried on the sweater, also a “killed” blue Bolognese jacket. “Well, now it’s okay!” Balabanov was delighted.

In jacket over sweater, Danila does not appear in all the scenes of Brother. Another recognizable detail of her image was a dark peacoat, presumably from the American brand Stone Island – at least, fans found such a model in the line of this company. However, Bagrov’s coat is devoid of any brand stripes, so whether it was a brand item or a name can only be guessed. Balabanov himself wore this coat, and at some point he decided to dress his main character in it.

Photo: movie stills