LAND OF OUR ORIGIN

The traditional Antalya Fashion Week was one of the last major international events that took place just before the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic.

As in previous years, Azerbaijan was represented by Sherwin Najafpour, the well-known Norwegian fashion designer of Azerbaijani origin, who earned serious fame after the presentation of her collection I am a star under the slogan I want to go back home to Karabakh at the previous fashion week in Antalya. The show was accompanied by a demonstration on a large screen of the names of Azerbaijani cities, including those under Armenian occupation. The show made a lot of noise in the media and social networks, even to the point that the designer’s profiles were repeatedly blocked due to complaints from Armenian users. "So, my message reached the addressee," the designer said in an interview after the sensational show.

This year, Sherwin had another message to the world, but also dedicated to Azerbaijan. We talked with Sherwin about yet another message prepared for the world community.

"How was your show this year? How did the professionals from the global fashion industry find your collection?"

"It was successful. I was proud of myself behind the curtains; it was so emotional to hear the prolonged applause as a token of respect to my collection. But when I saw the prominent faces of modern fashion applauding, I was really impressed. It is difficult to describe the feelings that I experienced. Anyway, my success exceeded my expectations. I think the fans loved the show.

"As you know, the Turkish TV series Atiye is very popular in the world today. The plot revolves around a mysterious connection of the main character with an artefact found in the Göbekli Tepe temple included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.

"So, thanks to this series for about a year the theme of cave paintings has been in the spotlight of the world. This made it easier for me to bring my message to humanity with the help of the ancient cave paintings of Gobustan.

"I’ve worked on this idea for about two years, and am glad that my expectations turned out to be positive. I’m particularly pleased with the reaction of the Norwegian press."

"By the way, about the message. Your collection was called Land of Our Origin. Under this slogan, you presented dresses in the colours of the Azerbaijani flag and elements of rock paintings of Gobustan. Why did you choose this theme?"

"Popular world brands always try to get inspiration and get ideas from the national heritage. We, the Turks, have a very rich culture and ancient history. We have something to be proud of. Although I was born and raised in Norway, I am an Azerbaijani Turk. My parents moved to Norway from Urmiya in the South Azerbaijan. We are integrated into Norwegian society, but integration does not imply assimilation. We must protect our national identity where we live, our moral and spiritual values. Therefore, I always try to fulfil my duty to my historical homeland.

"Every time I see the tricolor of the independent Republic of Azerbaijan, I wish this flag rose above all the occupied territories of Azerbaijan.

"As a head of the Diaspora organisation, I always try to contribute to the development of friendly relations between the country where I grew up and my historical homeland. Our peoples have a lot in common and this gives us more strength.

"In my last show, I tried to follow the theory of Thur Heyerdahl (Norwegian archaeologist, traveler and writer) about the common features of the Norwegian and Azerbaijani peoples. But this theory is based on the ancient cave paintings of Gobustan."

"Who does give you the ideas for your collections?"

"I am the sole author of these ideas. I try to combine my creative and business potentials to create an individual style in fashion. I always think a few steps forward. I take into account every little detail. Not always everything turns out perfectly, but I try to imagine the best of what was possible at that time.

"I also listen to the opinion of people close to me. I get advices of the organizer of the Antalya Fashion Week, Eda Meltem Yilmaz. However, I keep the complete concept of my shows to the last moment a secret. Just in case, to make everyone a surprise."

"Are there any new ideas for the next show?"

"Yes, I already have an interesting idea for the next year. But the coronavirus pandemic hit the sector too. At least until April 17^th, I will not be able to get out of Norway on business trips. Let's see what happens next."

"You combine fashion with politics. Does this bother the show organizers? Usually, they try to avoid politics in the world of art..."

"I’m lucky that the organizer of the Antalya Fashion Week, Eda Yilmaz, is a great patriot. We both love Turkic history and culture. I think any artist should have their own social mission. There are still difficulties in this matter. But I like to take risks."

"You finance your annual participation in Antalya Fashion Week from your own funds. Are there any plans to showcase your collections at the European level? What do you need to accomplish this?"

"I am dreaming about representing Azerbaijan on all continents. But it all comes down to finance. Fashion is present in everyone’s life, and Azerbaijan has many talented fashion designers who can compete with the world's leading model houses. We can be proud of our world-famous fashion designers Fakhriya Khalafova and Rufat Ismayil. Azerbaijani fashion designers should participate in European fashion weeks and demonstrate collections created on the basis of national motives."

"You are also an active representative of the Azerbaijani diaspora in Norway, co-founder of the JAN organization. What work has your young organization done since its inception?"

"As a public organization, we have done a lot and found many friends in Norway.

"We became the first Azerbaijani organization in Norway invited to the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony. I consider this not only my merit and achievement of the JAN organization, but also the success of the entire Azerbaijani diaspora.

"It is also encouraging that the Norwegian media often covers our activities. As you know, the Norwegian press wrote a lot of negative things about Azerbaijan in the past. We often became witnesses to the policy of slander. But we organized a fight against such phenomena, appealed to the editorial office with complaints, conducted campaigns and achieved good results. This may seem like a small merit, but this is the result of a rather painstaking work that only five people did. We relentlessly called and wrote to the Norwegian media outlets until we achieved our objective.

"We would like to receive the proper support of the relevant state structures of Azerbaijan, but we do not intend to stop, no matter what. In our struggle, we rely on the policies pursued by President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev and Vice President Mehriban Aliyeva."