ON CLOTHES AND BUSINESS

Nurlan Huseynov is an Azerbaijani shoe designer and a regular visitor and participant of fashion events. Thanks to his impatience, passion and ambitiousness his brand was presented in fashion shows Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Azerbaijan 2018 and Azerbaijan Fashion Week 2019. Nurlan's credo as designer is working hard for the prosperity and development of his business without looking back. In his interview, Nurlan shares the secrets of success, his fears during creating the brand, the development of fashion industry and forecasts for future.

"Why did you decide to create shoes?"

"The idea did not come to me in my dreams. I did not think of becoming a designer either. The reason why I decided to create shoes was perfectly rational. I traveled a lot and paid attention to local colors, for example, in Europe. There are workshops in any shoe store where you can see how shoes are created manually. The prices are not symbolic, by the way. It was almost three years ago. Anyway, I liked the idea and wondered if it was possible to do the same in Baku. Upon my return from one of such trips, I began to analyse the local market. I found a number of underground workshops designing and making individual shoes. One would hardly call them workshops, rather brands. Now the owners of these brands, young guys Ilyas and Sardar Joseph, are my friends. These professional shoemakers soon became my chief counselors in everything. As a result, my brand appeared on the local market. Then I opened a showroom, where I presented the first collection, consisting of 30 pairs of shoes for men. Today we create shoes for women and children too."

"If these guys have their own brands, are you not competitors then?"

"I do not think so. They are my friends who helped me a lot at the beginning of my journey. Rather, I would say that the competition is not between us, but between our brands. This must be as a positive fact. This is another incentive to move on and create something that will surprise fashion lovers."

"Since few people are aware of shoe making as a process, can you share some insights?"

"It all starts with preparing a sketch for a certain size. Then follows the assembly of leather components based on the sketch followed by the model itself. We then go on with working the further details, after which the sole is glued. Shoes with rubber soles will cost less than the ones manually made of genuine leather components. It takes about 10-14 days to create a pair of shoes, after which it goes to our showroom."

"Which designers do you get your ideas for inspiration?"

"No one can say that they work solely on their own ideas. Of course, we have to follow the latest trends of famous brands. Brands such as Superglamourous, Isabel Marant impress with their new cowboy style collection. Nowadays, customers prefer convenience, high heels, pointed noses and brown-milk shades of shoes. White, dark gray and navy blue colours are also trending these days."

"What about the national style?"

"Many of our designers introduce Azerbaijani ornaments in their brands. That is wonderful. It makes your things individual and different from the work of designers in other countries. Our three masters learned the art of creating shoes from their fathers, grandfathers and great-grandfathers. Therefore, we also use national ornaments and forms in our brand."

"Rest assured, you are aware of what the people of Baku wear. Do you like their style and preferences?"

"I would say that our women have a much better taste than our men. In fact, only 30-40% of men pay attention to their appearance and clothing. That's the way we are; the most important thing for us is convenience. But it is only the tip of an iceberg. The most unpleasant thing is that men do not pay attention to the cleanliness of their shoes."

"So, you think that clothes count for first impressions?"

"Definitely. Especially in these days (laughs). Everyone should try to dress beautifully. No matter how much the thing you wear costs: it may be something from a fashionable designer or something bought in a regular store. Everyone has its own budget, which also has a separate spending item for clothes. The main thing is to correctly combine things, even if they are few. Some people buy expensive shoes from Isabel Marant, but cannot chose appropriate clothes for it, meaning that these shoes are lost because they were chosen with no taste."

"To what extent is the fashion industry developed in Azerbaijan?"

"I am 28 years old. That's why it is difficult to comment on the events that took place in the 90s or even earlier. But I can see significant development in the last ten years. There are many local brands and designers in Azerbaijan now. There are showrooms, special designs, names and so on. In 2019, the tenth anniversary of the first large-scale Azerbaijan Fashion Week was held, which brings together fashion lovers from both Baku and the guests of our city. Talented designers present incredible creations and have a chance to express themselves. I would like to underline that our brand was the first shoe brand that presented its products at this eminent event. I want to thank the organisers of the event for trusting in us and our brand."

"Perhaps you will also agree that we can see new designers fading in and out. What is the secret of success?"

"A lot depends on the attitude to the work you do. For many, a lack of capital is the main thing behind their failures. Yes, there are many people who design and make clothes. Many of them are extremely talented, and they create masterpieces, but they do nothing in terms of entrepreneurship, unfortunately. This is a wrong attitude, and obviously not a way to follow.

"My algorithm is simple. First, you need to research the market before you start creating something. If you are third or fourth in the market, then you will advance with ease. But this does not mean that you will start to earn millions. First, you should have a good tailor, shoemaker, master, on whom literally everything depends. It doesn’t matter if you provide him with super-expensive materials, fabrics or tools. The main thing is that he is a master of his craft, who can hear you, understand your expectations and perform your work professionally. Only then can you show the master's work to your clients with confidence. Quality, accuracy, professionalism always bring success, which will pull customers along the chain, money, and then recognition.

"But I want to emphasize that we should think about money in the last turn. Your client, his respect and trust in your brand are the primary ingredients of success. Well, you should not be demotivated by customer dissatisfaction. Believe me, Dior, Gucci, etc. also had dissatisfied customers. Therefore, as the famous joke says, you first need to buy a lottery ticket, and then wait for the win. With your sketches locked in a drawer and complaints about the absence of a sponsor who would possibly help you out, you will get nothing."

"It turns out that brand success is more dependent on employees?"

"Believe me, no matter how strong and ideologically motivated designer you are, success will not come in the absence of a professional. Brand promotion is the work of a whole team. Azerbaijan also has famous fashion brands, and I am sure that none of them can say that everything is a product of individual effort."

"Are these designers known abroad?"

"Yes. There are those who presented their collections at Paris Fashion Week, for example, Jalal Kangarli. Yet another famous designer from Azerbaijan is Rufat Ismayilov, who proved his name and works in Turkey and abroad. He recently presented his new collection at Fashion Week in New York. Rovshan Kerimov is a shoe specialist at Guccı Fashion House. He lives with his family in New York. If I am not mistaken, he should now be about 50 years old. After many hassles in life, he won the Green Card and moved to the USA. He continues his shoe business there too. Then the clients followed, among whom was one of Guccı's employees, who advised him to move his brand to the main office."

"You are not only a designer, but also a lawyer. Two completely different areas of business. What profession do you belong more mentally?"

"I am a graduate of the Law Department of the Baku State University. After graduation, I entered the civil service as a lawyer, and continue to work in the same institution. Only my posts changed. From nine to six I am in one job, and after six and on weekends – in another. I try not to mix them and do not allow one to interfere with the other. It is my employees who promote my design work. I do trust them. I love both my professions, I can’t distinguish between them and I can’t imagine myself without any of them."

"What are your achievements?"

"Our brand exists only a year and a half, but today four out of ten people know it. Many famous people in Azerbaijan wear our shoes. Among our achievements is the participation in the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Azerbaijan 2018 Fashion Week, which is an important world event. Until 2018, along with other countries, this event also took place in Azerbaijan. Twice we were participants in the Fashion Week in Azerbaijan. We received many awards, participated in local projects, which is also our success."

"How do you assess the level of education in Azerbaijan in the field of fashion?"

"Lame. Today, you can learn more from courses and trainings than in colleges and universities. This is my personal opinion."

"Are you afraid of criticism?"

"Not at all. We get criticised for some of our shoe models. But this does not bother me at all."

"Should there be a concept of mentality in fashion?"

"No! We once had an ambiguous commercial for our brand, but they did not understand the underlying message. But I still believe that fashion is more an art in which, by the way, images of naked women are acceptable."

"Your shoes are very bright and colourful. Do these colours characterise your life?"

"Yes, my life is very emotional and vibrant. I always try to be active, be it family or friends. I never lock myself in and I try to create something that improves people's mood."

"In the play Pygmalion, the sculptor falls in love with the statue of the girl. His love breathes life to the statue. What kind of work did you fall in love with?"

"When I first started to work as a designer, I used to fall in love with every pair of shoes that we created in the national style. We created these incredibly beautiful models with such pleasure and impatience that we presented them to our customers or put them on the shelves with great pride for what we did. We do not create monotonous and ordinary shoes. We create lifelong mood, atmosphere, colours and details. We fall in love with elements, after which we fall in love with people. I am not after selling my shoes at all, they may lie in the showroom for months, years, and this does not bother me at all."

"The development of art, mugham and music in Azerbaijan is on a growing trend. What does contribute to the development of the fashion industry in our country?"

"I think that we cannot underestimate the role of the state in this issue, which provides funding for the development of carpet weaving, mugham, cinema, etc. It is necessary to conduct trainings, select creative guys in respective sectors, whose works will be reviewed and properly supported. I would say it is more about support and right guidance than funding."

"What is the future of the fashion industry in Azerbaijan?"

"I believe in great future in this sector. If we could achieve what we have today in ten years, we can achieve even more in the coming fifteen years."

"Do you have predictions for yourself and your brand?"

"I have never had and don't have a definite plan. My brand and I can disappear tomorrow, or be at the top the day after tomorrow. Today I can afford working with three masters, but in the future—with a large staff of professionals. Time does matter. But at the same time I continue to work hard and create. Who knows what lies ahead? It remains only to love what we do, to believe and to hope."