SERVING THE FASHION INDUSTRY WITHOUT BEING ITS SERVANT

Fashion is bottomless pit. It is hardly possible to derive a right formula to understand it. Is it possible to define this constantly changing substance using specific terminology at all? What is behind this magic term of fashion? How can one survive among its multitude of layers? It seems that the best guide in the world of catwalks, photo shoots and shows will be the one familiar with the peculiarities of the fashion world. Besides, for many, the profession of a fashion designer is associated with the notions of exclusivity and affiliation with a creative caste simply doomed to be distinguished from others.

Gulum (Gulia) Asadullayeva is "one of the brightest representatives of the new wave of Azerbaijani designers who knows well that having your own handwriting and creating something unique is the essence of fashion". This is how she was described by one of the acclaimed international magazines. And this is not surprising.

"Miuccia Prada once said, 'Fashion is what we make of ourselves every day.' You are perhaps one of those who might explain such puzzles better..."

"It's good that you said 'perhaps'. Because even though the trends in fashion generally fit into the particular season, the perception of fashion always remains individual. This is purely a matter of personal positioning and involvement. Everyone has individual reference points. After all, as Miuccia put it, we live and act according to the circumstances of everyday life. It is true that fashion seems to appeal to the general public. Even those who express their indifference to fashion are lying. I cannot explain you why. But we live in a society. The common saying 'fine dress helps to impress' continues to influence the vast majority of people. Mark Twain once said, "Clothes make the man. Naked people have little or no influence on society". You can't argue with him, can you? What we are wearing is the non-verbal pieces of puzzle that you asked me about. The fashion, or the language tailored for specific situations, was born the moment the mankind regarded the conventional skin more than just a piece sheltering it from natural influences. Over the time it transformed into seasonal trends. So if we look at fashion from this perspective, I will have to admit that fashion designers are in some way better at understanding such puzzles. Hence the responsibility."

"For an outside viewer, fashion is solely about the realisation of creativity..."

"I think fashion is more about the tools which make our inspiration tactile, tangible. My motivation for creating outfit designs or collections is something that boosts my inspiration externally. It doesn't matter what it is. It may be music or decoration, a piece of architecture or something else. Even simple strolling in nature can trigger the imagination. There is no difference between a designer and an artist. The world around him is a huge cluster of information. Except that we use not planes or palettes, but a variety of techniques to decipher the gained knowledge. Our palette is fabrics, accessories, sometimes completely unexpected in combinations. This is what helps us develop individual handwriting, styles..."

"Yours being very recognisable! And somewhat provocative..."

"That's great, isn't it! Again, if we compare fashion with art, fashionable historical periods have gone through their own periods of futurism and renaissance, modernism and avant-gardism. The battle for getting rid of women's corsets alone deserves a separate study! Incidentally, this well correlates with provocativeness, too. I like to offer women the opportunity to test their courage, to analyse how far they can push their personal boundaries. By the way, in no way do I approve dissoluteness and a total absence of restraint. Absolutely not! I advocate exceptional femininity, when clothes emphasise beauty. Even with heavy elements one can always create a refined image. The main thing is to choose the right materials. Provocativeness? Where are the exact limits? Fashion inherently seems provocative. After all, our intention to hide personal nakedness with clothes also relates to our feelings, emotions and sensations."

"Philosophy through fashion and design?"

"Initially a philosophy... I rely on this aspect even when I design a collection. An individual outfit is a reflection of the person who will wear it outside home. Fashion is far from being utilitarian. I think it has long transcended these boundaries. It is one of the reasons behind fashion museums all over the world. In addition to aesthetic aspects, they concentrate the unique experience of the role of costumes in the development of our civilisation. You can't be a designer without basic knowledge, both technical and professional. Nothing is trivial for a fashion designer. This is also part of the philosophy. Even a single wrongly put stitch can instantly spoil your many days of labour. Also, it is not only the format of the catwalk show that makes a collection so important for a fashion designer. A collection is a message with deep content, which implies the concept behind the idea. This is also a philosophy! We are trying to demonstrate on the catwalk our thoughts on that concept, the topic we are concerned about in a particular period of time. And sometimes we want to focus attentions on some aspects of life. So behind every fashion show, at least for me, there is a philosophy. Different and differently expressed, where fabrics, accessories, silhouettes, shoes, colour schemes... are the alphabet."

"Right down to building materials!"

"I had such an experience. In addition to being a fashion designer, I am also a designer. I follow in the footsteps of my grandmother, who was also known for her designs of clothes for women and children. After all, not every designer has tailoring skills and knows how to transfer body shapes onto a plane. It is not only about maths, but also a sense of style. It requires individual and unconditional approach to proportions. I prefer to emphasise the figure. An hourglass has always been an ideal silhouette for me. I'm not afraid of experimenting. Combining the incongruous is a kind of higher mathematics in fashion, which energises me. Without compromising the grace in the final outfit. Plus, women today remind me of the young ladies from the novels of past centuries. The beautiful half of humanity is a full-fledged component of modern society. We have not only successfully adapted trousers. There are few areas left without a female touch. Cloth designers need just to accept the conditions of women's 'habitat' and offer them appropriate 'packaging'. Creating clothes is no less construction. Except that the source materials are different, but the principle and approaches are almost identical."

"What was you first symbolic experience in fashion design?"

"I was not original. As a regular girl, I have played with my dolls a lot. Besides, my family encouraged me to do a lot of things on my own. That's why I made up clothes for my dolls. By the time I grew up and thanks to my family's support I had already dressed some of my relatives and friends. My parents did not hinder my hobby. But they still considered it a kind of hobby. In fact, they hoped to see me a student of the conservatoire at least. I studied very well, so from their point of view I should have realised my skills in areas other than fashion design. Moreover, my parents learned about my success in modelling business only from the media and social networks. Twenty-five years in fashion proved that my choice was correct and appropriate for my skills. My father did not question my talents, expecting me to do my best to ensure high quality. Especially since I didn't limit myself to fashion design. I still enjoy painting and making stained glass. I find working in batik style interesting, let alone embroidering paintings. As to my first ever experience, it will live with me forever. It is impossible to express it in details, but it was such an unforgeable and amazing experience to create something with your own hands. Especially when one approaches the design seriously and responsibly. As I often say, the dolls from my childhood have simply grown into mannequins and models. The essence hasn't changed. I am interested in bringing new features to the concept of beauty. Like leaving behind the canons. Modernising the classics if you will. Inventing something new."

"You and your works have been highly appreciated acclaimed in various fashion shows more than once. But it seems you receded from public view these days."

"I did not. It's just a different stage of my professional life. Perhaps even the most iconic designers have at times had periods when they wanted to take a small break. My design portfolio includes first places in all the fashion competitions I have been invited to. In parallel, I sometimes was ranked the second and third in nominations. Even the title of the Best Designer. I have taken part in several fashion events. It was exciting. But at some point I had a feeling that something was starting to slip away. It wasn't a creative crisis, no. By that time I had already designed an extensive collection for the children and held the first children's show in Azerbaijan, which was a new experience for me. But at some point I concentrated on working with a particular model. I became increasingly interested in individuality. Gradually, I became distancing myself from massive events, paying more attention to personalities. I joined some photo shoots, which to some extent helped me to understand myself better. Today my works features the faces of my clients. I am just focused on an exceptional approach. I changed mannequins to real models with personalities, with uniqueness. Today I design clothes for a very specific person—a woman who carries a story. My task is not just to make her a dress for wedding parties, but to create something extraordinarily beautiful, which will become her extension as a woman. I can become a kind of fairy with a magic wand for my clients, to give them a unique feeling of being in the epicentre of a ballroom celebration. I would definitely not call it receding from public view."

"Custom design?"

"Please, don't classify my workshop as an atelier, although there is nothing derogatory about it. It is just a slightly different format. I set myself a condition no to reproduce replicas. But sometimes it is difficult to explain that there is no reason to repeat branded models. Especially when making an order with a professional designer who can come up with an outfit that suits your taste. I think every woman always wants to become the owner of an exclusive dress or suit. Especially in our country. From this point of view, the concept of individual tailoring is quite acceptable. I understand that often the fashion magazines and what we see on TV become the motivation. We visualise the content on our own. To materialise this content, we go to someone who can do it for us. But let's ask ourselves how adequately we evaluate our data? For me as a designer, the individual approach was important, as it includes the stage of psychological preparation through communication with the client. It is a difficult and painstaking work. Sometimes it is much easier to design an outfit and materialise it in fabric than to persuade a person to accept a professional opinion, even if it slightly differs from his or her own."

"Wouldn't it be easier to just do what is required and be done with it?"

"It is about my reputation, my name! It's about my life's work! No less than that! After all, everything I've achieved so far is mine alone. Am I supposed to risk my hard-earned money and break with my own principles? For what? A momentary reward? To remain a professional means being honest. Serving the fashion industry without being its servant. To be fashionable does not mean dressing up in brands and disdaining everyone. Dressing fashionably means style multiplied by taste, mixed with inner freedom. Some can transform their worldview into a unique look. But the same things will look ridiculous on others. So why making a fool of yourself? The basic style will always come to the rescue even of those with no certain preferences. They have been in demand for any fashion and seasonal trends for years. That's why I use win-win variants to design my own models. I love flowing lines that emphasise the shape. By the way, I believe that once hated corsets can periodically take their righteous place in any woman costume. I often use various accessories. They are generally universal in terms of their importance. That's why when I create a dress, I suggest how to give it the necessary direction with their help. So it's much more interesting to create something that is your own and inherent only to yourself than to repeat an already replicated outfit from a fashion house."

"Are you saying there is something above fashion?"

"No matter how beauty and style change over the centuries, elegance is out of fashion. Like the classics. Like femininity. Like the combination of white and black. To look elegant, it is not enough to be dressed impeccably (although it is important) or expensive, or not like everyone else. Elegance is a certain inner state, self-esteem, point of view, if you will. It is a special manner of speaking, dressing and moving; even sitting and keeping silence. Elegant can be the turn of your head, the gesture you use to fix your hair, your posture, your gait... Something that has its own unique character and is full of personality. Charm. It is a kind of inner dignity without arrogance and self-confidence without pressure and tension, without the desire to seem self-assured. Elegance is a property of character rather than a quality of appearance. Although it is through external forms that this inimitable style of simplicity and refinement is manifested, the trump card of which is good taste, the sense of proportion and impeccability in details. My guide in the world of fashion is what Karl Lagerfeld once said: "You can put on an apron and still look chic. Anyone can be elegant if he or she is born with it! Any redneck, any woman from Africa can be elegant. You can't change that with a dress. You don't become elegant if you can afford expensive designer dresses. Not at all! Elegance is a very rare trait, it's innate. You can develop it, but buy it? Never!"

"You are an Azerbaijani fashion designer..."

"No doubt about that. Despite my Europeanness, our culture inspires me a lot. It's an ocean open for imagination. Especially when you look at the emergence of fashion trends in Europe thanks to the expansion of oil capital. How beautiful were those Parisian women in their outfits! How skilfully they were adapted into the Azerbaijani culture. At the same time, they preserved personal traits. They wore both traditional and secular clothes with equal grace. For me, the Azerbaijani women are one of the most beautiful in the world. They just need a little more self-confidence. Not overconfidence! The courage in mastering the innovations offered today in the fashion world. Not blind copying, but emphasising their merits. Paying more attention to acknowledged local designers and modellers, trusting them the design of their clothes. Fashion does not tolerate blind adherence. It praises the ability to look at yourself soberly. As well put by the great Mademoiselle, Coco Chanel, 'Dress shabbily and they remember the dress; dress impeccably and they remember the woman.' I come to my workshop to achieve this perfection..."