Yerevan Fashion Week 2024
*In Armenia, Weaving Tales of Excess and Escapism
written Chidozie Obasi
Designers are giving local customers what they want, but the gestures on contemporary fashion could benefit from some polish.
Oh, the places you’ll go when you come to Yerevan. Armenia’s cultural tapestry has managed to garner global acclaim for its crucial pole of manufacturers throughout the country, eulogising craft and its crafts makers for keeping their traditions alight.
Yerevan Fashion Week 2024
seen by AGHAYAN
seen by AGHAYAN
This season, however, designers went farther. They took elements of regional uniforms from all over the world and blended them together. At Yerevan Fashion Week, an intriguing aspect one could notice was a trace of the original Soviet architecture that remained intact across most of these collections, and even then one couldn’t be sure if the thick cut on the hems of a full check-patterned skirt evoked those of local wearers or the fringed trim of a fitted red-like topper with a peplum over a red-leather pants referenced something specific, or a white overcoat with partially undone breezy outerwear was a positively smart choice.
So Armenian designers were both excessive and escapist. In many ways, these complicated collections weren't about the experience of maximalism per se but rather, about the instant access to the escapes that the world provides. A pool of offerings were so hefty and cumbersome looking. Of course, craft and tradition have value, and we’ve seen some noteworthy examples of both during the shows, notably at Anciela, whose South American heritage cross-pollinates that of sustainable luxury: founded by Colombian-Chilean designer Jennifer Droguett, the brand highlights its dedication to environmental responsibility and artistic expression. At Anciela, it’s easy to see how these essential elements are helping develop a clear aesthetic for the brand: this season, hope was the central theme.
“We wanted a sustainable, British-based designer to come over to Yerevan and encourage her peers to show what she’s doing,” opined Fashion Scout’s Creative Director Martyn Roberts. “I was talking with Orsola De Castro, Co-Founder of Fashion Revolution, she advised on Jennifer’s work, how she’s fun, does community work and her interactive approach with the audience; I thought that she was exactly what would be great to show in Armenia.”
Roberts acknowledges the fact that Armenian designers are very professional, but “sometimes fashion comes across as being elitist, as it’s something you look at from a distance. Moreover, the way she interacts with the local communities is fantastic.”
How do designers do it? Despite the wealth of downturns that are shaping the creative industry with increasingly capricious pace, fashion designers managed work through the challenges of exporting their creations (placing them in concept stores and trade events) to recap some great offerings (case in point: outerwear, mostly) and weaker ones too (other case in point: the footwear, in most cases)—all the while still looking somewhat fresh and in sync with the current lexicon of fashion communication.
“The textile industry is not small, as we have quite big funds for jobs in the sector as well,” opined Vahan Khachatryan, designer and President of the Fashion Designers Council (FDC). “There are almost 10,000 jobs in textiles, so it's something that if it works it’ll allow one to be very competitive in the market.”
If those looked like tough sells with the designers’ own local clientele, there were plenty of other offerings to seduce the customers in a slew of collections that mostly stayed within their—and overall Armenia’s—comfort zone, making for eclectic outings for which these names are known.