Russian couturier Viacheslav "Slava" Zaitsev, known by his admirers as the "Red Dior", has died at the age of 85, a spokeswoman for his fashion house in Moscow told AFP.

Confirming reports in the Russian news media, she added that when Zaitsev had celebrated his birthday in March with friends, "we could already see he was very, very, weak".

"The couturier Viacheslav Zaitsev had died," Russian state channel Perviy Kanal reported, paying tribute to a man who "dictated Soviet and Russian fashion for decades, an innovator who wasn't afraid of bold experiments".