Organized by the Forum of Culture and Arts of Uzbekistan Foundation jointly with Dom Stilya Modelers Association the event presented diverse art-menu consisted of defile, presentations, master-classes, art and fashion exhibitions, contests of young designers, concerts of world music stars, and, of course, social events.

The first Style.uz Week was held in 2006. For rather short period of time the project turned into a huge glamorous event in its scale, coverage and status. For the first two years, world-famous fashion representatives from Russia, France, Japan, and other countries have visited the Tashkent Fashion Week.

The geography of participants for this year has significantly expanded. Representatives of leading international organizations, famous designers, jewellery and fashion brand owners, showbiz celebrities, vogue magazines’ editors, public figures, representatives of mass media from Austria, UK, France, Germany, Italy, India, Spain, Switzerland, China, Turkey, Japan, Latvia, Russia took part in the Style.uz Week.

In particular, such world-known brands as Sisi Wasabi (Germany), Wolford (Austria), Dsquared2 (Italy), Revillon (France), Guy Laroche (France), Chopard (Switzerland), Fashion Houses of Alena Akhmadullina and Julia Dalakyan (Russia), Norio Surikabe (Japan), Suneet Varma (India), Beijing Institute of Clothing Technology (China) participated in the Week.

Legendary couturier Takada Kenzo (Japan), world music stars Julio Iglesias (Spain) and Rod Stewart (UK); Georg Springer, Executive Director of the Bundestheater Holding (Austria); Andre Rau, leading international fashion photographer (France); Michael Fuchs, European artist (Austria), Juan Laporta, president of Barcelona football club (Spain), Tatyana Mikhalkova, president of Russian Siluet Charity Foundation (Russia); Robert Blum, president of the Geneva Diplomatic Club (Switzerland); Roberto Bre, Mantero company (Italy); Alexander Shumskiy, general producer of Russian Fashion Week, Oksana Pushkina, famous TV presenter (Russia); well known Russian designers Helena Yarmak and Denis Simachev, singer Avraam Russo (Russia) and others were among honored guests of the Style.uz 2008.

The opening of the Week was extra special with the concert of Julio Iglesias and in its turn Rod Stewart’s performance gave special color to the closing ceremony in Registan square of the world famous Samarkand-city.

During the Week textile industry novelties, clothes, footwear, accessories by famous brands and young designers, and latest trends in world fashion were exposed.

The program of the Design and Fashion Week also included master-classes by famous designers, the Underground Youth fashion Show, Uzbek artist Gafur Kadyrov’s exhibition ’Heaven Horses’ and Austrian artist Michael Fuchs’ works on modern-art and fantastic realism trend, exposition of rarities, and also gastronomic review of Tashkent’s best restaurants.

The event was attended by more than 100 international participants and guests, and covered by more than 150 national and international mass media.

QUICK REVIEW OF THE DESIGN AND FASHION WEEK

DAY 1

Opening ceremony of the STYLE.UZ-2008 Fashion and Design Week General Defile by Tashkent Dom Stilya (House of Style) and foreign designers Uzbek designers whose names represent modern Uzbek fashion were first to perform their collections at the opening of the Week at the Center of National Arts. Performance with philosophical message ’unique style of everyone is not only what we wear but what surrounds us’ was presented by ’Guli’ brand which combines clothe line and jewelry pieces.

Fashion show was opened by designers Saida Amir, Sherzod Atabaev and Artem Drobyshev. In the second part of the show the audience was able to see collections of fashion houses as Sisi Wasabi (Germany), Alena Akhmadullina (Russia), Norio Surikabe (Japan) and Beijing Institute of fashion technology (China).

DAY 2

Fashion and Design Exhibition. The exhibition which remained open during all week was a natural background for all activities within the framework of Style.uz and presented all with what lives and breathes the fashion and design world of Uzbekistan. An exposition of fabrics (restoration of quality technologies, novelties of the textile industry), clothes, footwear, the accessories executed by eminent and amateur designers, experimental works of young creators (an interior, web-design), and also tendencies of a world fashion (jewelry show-rooms, new collections of well known brands). Among participants of the expo there were: city boutiques and the handicraftsmen, who carefully preserve traditions and create wonderful fabrics; ornaments and items of an interior in oriental style.

Master-classes. A number of professionals revealed the secrets of their skills during the master-classes. In fact master-classes became a good tradition of Week of design and fashion Style.uz. This time master classes were given by famous makeup artist Shadi Pouyazadeh (Austria), well known French photographer Andre Rau and young talented designer of Uzbekistan Saida Amir.

Art exhibition "Heaven Horses" by Gafur Kadirov .Asia Gallery was another art-platform for carrying out creative projects within the framework of Style.uz-2008. Kadyrov is one of permanent participants of republican and international exhibitions, his works are exposed in museums of Uzbekistan, France, Russia, Turkey, the USA, Spain, Great Britain. The main theme of the works of the artist is understanding the essence of the world. This theme is represented in realistic and avant-garde works.

Gastronomic review. The Presentation-tasting allowed exploring what kind of culinary extravagances the best Tashkent restaurants can offer for international visitors.

Defile from the "Podium Italia" boutique and after-party with Japanese DJ Toshio Matsuura has finished the second day of week.

DAY 3

Underground is a fashion show from young designers. Week of design and fashion in Uzbekistan is not only the privilege for the well-known fashion designers. It is also a chance for creative starting designers who have uncommon and impressing ideas. Every year Underground show discover new names among young talents Evening by CHOPARD. At this evening diamonds and precious metals of amazing jewelry Chopard was wear not only by models, but also by high society. Charitable project of Guli&Chopard.

Unexpected surprises took place at the presentation. Caroline Gruosi-Scheufele, Vice-president of Chopard, together with the author and organizer of Style.uz Gulnara Karimova (brand Guli), have declared the charitable project. It is about creation of joint jewelry collection Guli and Chopard. It was declared clearly: money from sales of this collection will go to charitable purposes.

DAY 4

Contest of Sketches (graphic works) and Photography presents another side of the fashion-industry - how design ideas are born and reflected on a paper, as well as specific direction - fashion-photography.

Art Exhibition by Michael Fuchs, famous European artist who works in contemporary art and symbolic realism. By his participation Michael Fuchs supported growing tendency of fashion project to large international art event.

Defile by Dom Stilya and Foreign Designers. Models from several designers as Dildora Kasimova, Elmira Ibragimova, UMI, Aygul Umurgazina, Munira Alimukhamedova were presented on podium. Special collection E’PAHTAGE presented out of program became a surprise for the guests.

Collections were also presented by well known designers from different parts of the world: Julia Dalakyan (Russia), Revillon (France), Suneet Varma (India), Wolford (Austria), DSQUARED2 (Italy).

DAY 5

The exposition of rarities «For the first time, after ages». The unique exhibition of antiques - clothes and jewelry, embroidery, chasing - creates unusual and very interesting contrast with all modern and frequently temporary pieces, which are usually paid much attention at fashionable weeks - to seasonal fashion shows.

Presentation of jewelry collection by brand GULI. Precious and semiprecious stones, metals, and the whole chain of the jewelry images mixed in modern and traditional motives. The designer and the fashion house founder «Helena Yarmak» Helena Yarmak (Russia), the director of federal holding of theatres Georg Springer (Austria), director of Ballet School of Vienna opera Jolanta Grasser, well-known photographer Andre Rau (France) and others have come to presentation to admire, estimate and look something for themselves from this brand.

DAY 6

All to Samarkand!

Traditional Festival of National Dress. Closing ceremony.

Magnificent show of a bright and picturesque Festival of a National Dress was followed by the concert of a world rock star Rod Stewart. The event was attended by well-known designer Takada Kenzo (Japan), Georg Springer, director of the Austrian Federal Bundesthatre; artist Michael Fuchs (Austria), Tatyana Mikhalkova, president of Russian Siluet Charity fund (Russia); Robert Blum (Switzerland), president of the Geneva Diplomatic Club; Roberto Bre, Mantero company (Italy); Alexander Shumskiy, general producer of Russian Fashion Week, Oksana Pushkina, famous TV presenter (Russia); known Russian designers Helena Yarmak and Denis Simachev, representatives of television channels CAPA TV, TV France 3 (France), Puls4 (Austria), magazines L’Officiel, Les echos STYLE (France) and many others.

A couple of more things

This year the Week extended its borders. It has placed bright accents not only on podiums, but also on variety scenes, showrooms. Now the word-combination Style.uz concerns not simply a fashion, but means by itself as a whole style of modern culture in modern Uzbekistan. In other words, it is direct the most national culture and, at the same time, culture of the various countries of the world, which were presented in Uzbekistan by bright figures.

From this year Week of design and fashion Style.uz quite could be called as cultural event ART-WEEK.