About the Artist

Alexandra Koukinova studied stage and costume design at the Moscow Art Theatre Drama School. Here she was able to develop and display her passion for design and her love of antiquity. Being frustrated by the limits of time and money imposed by the theatre companies she worked with, she began designing cloth dolls reminiscent of the past and wearing traditional Russian costumes illustrating the styles of different provinces.

In 1990, Alexandra Company was founded with the mission of illustrating the beauty of Russian traditional clothing through the medium of dolls.

At the time, the preservation of these exquisite regional costumes was threatened, and the creation of the Alexandra doll was a viable means of keeping these pieces of history alive. The very first Alexandra doll was handmade by the artist herself. Alexandra still creates and designs all the molds that are later reproduced by her staff. Extensive research is done to insure authenticity calling upon the expertise of three major Moscow museums--the Museum of History, the Museum of Decorative Handicraft, and the Museum of Folk Art.

In January 1993 products of Alexandra were officially assessed as "HIGHLY ARTISTIC WORKS". This government recognition gives Alexandra access to all the Museums of Russian, including their archives.

For information about the Alexandra Company and the process of making dolls, please click here.