Our relationship with Central Asia started last month with Visa Fashion Week Almaty, where we discovered a whole new range of designers that do not hesitate to honour and highlight the richness of their culture and gracefully incorporate it into their creative vision. Now we land on this side of the planet for a second time; on this occasion, in Uzbekistan's capital for Visa Fashion Week Tashkent, an initiative that shares teams, values, and philosophy with the Kazakh event and that with the same positive and welcoming energy opened up its gates for us to discover a country and a city where no matter where you turn your head to, history surrounds you and generational creativity and craftsmanship are engraved equally in the biggest of the monuments and in the smallest detail of a garment.
For it’s fourth edition the Uzbek capital receives the best of the best when it comes to fashion and culture, not only local but also from the region, it is made clear by the scale of the event, the attendees, and the precision that is organised with that not only there’s great effort and a strong vision behind every decision and choice, but that there’s a reason for it; that the audience resonates with it and that a gathering like this was something that the fashion industry of Central Asia was craving for. Seeing the success of the fashion week in Almaty, which just celebrated its tenth edition, it was only a matter of time before Bauyrzhan Shadibekov and his team set their sights on Uzbekistan, their neighbouring country, one of the key trading points of the Silk Road and one of the most relevant historical enclaves of the continent.
About the history of the country and their immense cultural legacy, we could learn during our visit to Samarkand, one of the most ancient cities in the world, known for its impressive mosques, madrasahs, and mausoleums, an immortal testament of their heritage. Standing in the middle of the Registan Square, the weight of the past blending with the kids running around tells us about how the new generations are growing up, surrounded by history and seeing the importance of local commerce and bazaars in what once was an important centre for the export of wine, dried and fresh fruits, cotton, rice, silk, and leather. Times have changed, but traditions have not.
Being held for the fourth year in a row in Tashkent, this fashion week keeps up the spirit of blending not only local brands but also inviting talent of the region to present their collections, allowing a merge of cultures and visions that becomes one of the key factors that makes this event so special. Being able to witness different styles and points of view during the same event enhances the learning experience and widens our horizons outside the country borders and helps us understand the variety and range present in Central Asian creators.
Eleven brands showcased their proposals this year, and under the name of Moments of Miracle, this season was a reminder to find moments of magic that allow us to escape from everyday life and find beauty in the mundane. “Every moment spent here will become a part of a magical story told through the prism of ephemerality and magic,” says Shadibekov, and the royalesque show venue located in the modern Tashkent City Mall definitely felt and looked straight out of a fairytale. Amongst our favourite collections, we find a perfect representation of the different sides of this fashion week: a newcomer to the Uzbek runways, an already established name, and a debut collection from a promising brand.
Starting with one of the local brands that presented their collections for the first time in Visa Fashion Week, Cosmodinass's proposal catered to the youth and to the new generations. There’s this distinctive style in the new Central Asian brands that are made by young people for young people that adds an avant-garde and refreshing taste to the fashion scene in the region, and Cosmodinass, with its gold pieces, futuristic vibes, and, in general, otherworldly aesthetic, managed to hit the spot of what we love to see during these events. Inspired by the future but also being mindful about the past and the present, the fusion of fabrics, silhouettes, and materials helped create a contrast between two worlds that didn't clash but rather complemented each other.
The common thread is the handmade items, but inside this category a distinction can be made between the softer and more classic and natural materials like knit and fur paired with metals, chains, and leather that give off a more artificial look, dressing human-like figures that, with their pointy golden ears and cyborg-looking eyes, navigate the realms of tradition and technology. “The images embody human evolution in a world where artificial intelligence and technology are becoming a part of it," says Madina Makhmudova, founder of the brand. The proposal turns out to be not only meaningful in its concept but desirable in its aesthetic.
Next to the young project, the audience was craving to witness the new material from fashion week regular names, and the top leading Uzbek brand, Azukar Moreno, delivered not only the usual but more than expected, dividing their show into two parts, with the first being the usual womenswear line in the style that has made them loved and respected and the second part and the novelty: their incursion into men’s fashion. Under the name of Flashing Lights, the Uzbek brand debuted their vision of what the Azukar Moreno man looks like, and it results in a promising and interesting vision that takes historical references and situates them in the 21st century.
Being conscious about how menswear has taken a safer approach in terms of colours and silhouettes compared to the ancient times when shades and shapes were bolder and full of meaning, Kamola Rustamova, founder and designer of the brand, has decided to look back in time to one of the country's more prolific times, the Timurid Empire—that we learnt all about during our visit to Samarkand—and get inspired by it. The spacious and imposing capes and gowns, symbols of wealth and power, reimagined with handwoven traditional fabrics like adras and khan-atlas, represent a historically infused wardrobe for the modern man. Playing with the layering and adding accessories and details allusive to the garment-making offices, by what we saw on the runway, we can only hope the menswear line becomes a staple and a regular of the brand.
Giving space to the flourishing projects just like in Almaty Fashion Week, the Kazakh brand winner of the special prize in the competition for young designers, Next Designer Forward, had the chance to present its debut collection on the Uzbek runways. With an interesting approach, Arevik Hamar is in charge of the opposite brands, Arevik—Aesthetics of the Sun—and Darkncore—Aesthetics of the Moon—allowing her to display her range and skills through various aesthetics and styles. On this occasion we had the chance to see her work in Darkncore with the collection Materium, inspired by the character of Diva Plavalaguna from the film Fifth Element, taking notes not only from her characteristic physical elements but also from the personal traits that Hamar defined in five words that are intrinsically attached to every element in the collection: intuition, clarity, willpower, passion, and wisdom.
The predominance of silver, white, black, and leather are the materialisation of the traits mentioned before, and they are all part of the storytelling of the collection, where the futuristic shapes represent connectors, vessels, and tree roots. For being a debut collection, the attention to detail and the craft is notable, with a very interesting work of pattern making that plays with the shape of the body, sometimes enhancing it, other times elongating it, or completely transforming it. The visual image of the brand is strong and easily identifiable, a success taking into account its youth. The aesthetic, the name, and the concept all make sense within the universe of Darkncore, proof that taking into account new proposals and giving them the platform to grow always gives satisfying results. We can't wait to see what Visa Fashion Week Tashkent has in store for the next season.
