text by PAYAM SHARIFI A vast country, spanning an entire continent, with a large percentage of ethnic minorities, eager to redeem its reputation. What sounds like a mid-decade singles ad for the USA could apply equally to the Russian Federation. If the US acts like an excessively authoritarian manager, Russia behaves like an overqualified employee who cannot seem to get the attention of its superiors, bringing together an unlikely cocktail of charm and indignation to the table. While the rest of the west is transfixed on trade in China and tragedy in Iraq, the country has been waving its hand, asking to be noticed. And notice we did. For the duration of the Fall/Winter fashion season in 2005, when Cavalli, Von Furstenberg, Fendi and Prada all pillaged an imperial Russian past for their collections. It’s attempt to create, in Chechnya, a tragedy so repetitive and mind-numbing it rivals that…