AFW: Up-Cycle Jeans competition supports environmentally friendly fashion

The competition "Up-Cycle Jeans" has been organized within the 16th spring-summer season of Azerbaijan Fashion Week, Azernews reports. The competition aims to support the development of environmentally friendly fashion.

The event took place at the museum "From Waste to Art" at the Gala State Historical and Ethnographic Reserve with the support of the Center for Cultural and Creative Industries Development under the Azerbaijan Culture Ministry.

A total of 16 young designers made it to the finals of Up-Cycle Jeans, who, according to the terms of the competition, presented to the jury members products created from recycled jeans, plastic, metal and other materials.

Each participant presented sketches of men's and women's clothing. Fashion industry specialists took part in the evaluation of the works - fashion designer Zemfira Jafar, founders of the B2B showroom New Couture (Paris) David Pirnia and Nadezhda Kozhevnikova, Alexey Zhen - founder of the Kazakh competition New Ceneration - Open way, representative of the Center for the Development of Culture and Creativity Jala Mammadova, Kazakh designer Leonid Zherebtsov, founder of Tajikistan Fashion Week Tokhar Ibragimov, chief designer of Debet Safety factory LLC, creator of the Fashion Academy Manzar Zakizade, Kazakh fashion producer, founder of KFW and AFW, as well as founder of the creative space Fashion Coverking Sayat Dosybaev.

As a result of the competition, 1st place winner Sara Abdullayeva had the opportunity, with the AFW support, to release the first capsule collection and present it to a wide audience as part of the 17th season of Azerbaijan Fashion Week.

The winners of 2nd and 3rd places were also awarded valuable prizes. Ulviya Aliyeva, who took 2nd place, received a sewing machine as a prize, and the winner of 3rd place, Aysu Abdullayeva, was awarded a professional steam iron.

Based on the results of the competition, the winner of the Grand Prix was determined. Ramazan Gabibov will release the first denim collection with the support of the light industry enterprise Debet Safety factory LLC, and will also go to one of the fashion academies in Milan to get acquainted with the best traditions and approach of Italian specialists in the development of the global fashion industry.

In addition, two participants - Gaziza Ozdogan (Turkiye) and Ramazan Habibov were invited to Kazakhstan to participate in the New Ceneration - Open way competition. All winners of the competition were awarded certificates for online participation in fashion courses, as well as collaboration with fashion designer Zemfira Jaffar and the creator of the Fashion Academy, Manzar Zakizade.

The fashion industry is one of the most polluting industries in the world, responsible for greenhouse gas emissions, the use of toxic chemicals and the production of large amounts of waste. Therefore, it is considered appropriate to take a number of measures towards promoting a sustainable, environmentally friendly fashion industry. The holding of the Up-Cycle Jeans competition once again confirms that Azerbaijani society, as a reliable and responsible member of the international community, is fighting the consequences of climate change and taking initiative to protect the environment. The non-profit organization AFW continues to implement a number of significant projects as part of the country's environmental strategy and the Green World Solidarity Year.

Note that colorful fashion shows will also be organized within the 16th season of Azerbaijan Fashion Week. Domestic and foreign designers will demonstrate their collections at The Ritz-Carlton on May 16, as well as at the Yanardag State Historical, Cultural and Natural Reserve on May 17.

Media partners of the event are Azernews.Az, Trend.Az, Day.Az, Milli.Az.