Fashion & Design Chamber of Armenia - Year in Review 2018

2018

FASHION

BY FASHION & DESIGN CHAMBER OF ARMENIA

ARMENIAN FASHION HIGHLIGHTS 30+ amazing fashion events from FDC

CONTENTS

FAS H I O N & D E S I G N C H A M B E R Y EA R I N R E V I E W - I S S U E 01 / 1 8

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WELCOME LETTERS

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FASHION AND DESIGN CHAMBER LAUNCHING EVENT

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ARMENIAN FASHION REBORN

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ARMENIAN DESIGNERS’ PRESENTATION AT MBFD KIEV

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OFFSPRINGS OF NOAH

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YEREVAN FASHION FORUM 2018 HIGHLIGHTS

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TREND FORECASTING with Gwyneth Holland

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FASHION PHOTOGRAPHY with Maksim & Anastasia Hetman

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NOT A F*CKING STREET STYLE PHOTOGRAPHER IN EVN

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PREMIER VISION PARIS TRADE SHOW

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THE ART OF PLEATING

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MOSCOW CALLING

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POPUP STORE IN MOSCOW

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PITTI SUPER 12 & 13

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FASHION COLLECTION FROM A TO Z

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FASHION SKILLSET UPGRADED

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UPCYCLED WITH LOVE

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INSPIRED BY EU FLAG

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masterclass & interview with Aline Kaljian

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President’s Letter

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t was an icebreaking year for Armenian fashion industry. We managed to put the country on a world fashion map by organising international fashion event and having world top experts here in Armenia. Previously designers needed to put enormous effort, money and resources to be seen and heard abroad, while with the help of FDC we broke those barriers and showcased several Armenian designers abroad.

We shifted local designers from competition to cooperation and united they started competing at a higher level of professionalism. That became possible thanks to uniting our expertise in fashion, networks, international cooperation and, certainly, funding from donors. We still have a long way to go, but I believe that together we can achieve more. This year all fashion community finally saw and believed in the true power and potential it has.

Vahan Khachatryan President, Fashion & Design Chamber of Armenia

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Co-Founder’s Letter

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or me establishment of Fashion and Design Chamber as a sector support body was to assess the existing skills, to find appropriate ways of capturing and reflecting on different new, innovative, evidence-based learning techniques and based on that help designers understand how they are progressing.

“I believed it was possible, I saw opportunities, I took risks, I felt overwhelming love, I embraced my wonders and curiosity, I contributed to something bigger, I created, I did” – this was my road-map towards creation of FDC. This one year project was an amazing experience for the first time to unite and work with so many Armenia designers. I’m very happy to know that it caused big interest and impact for the future development of Armenian fashion industry.

Elen Manukyan Co-Founder, Fashion & Design Chamber of Armenia

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Partner’s Letter

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he Fashion & Design Chamber of Armenia (FDC) was founded in February 2018 with initial support from EU-SMEDA - an EU co-funded project on strengthening small and medium sized enterprises in Armenia. And FDC truly left its mark, becoming one of EU-SMEDA’s most dynamic, most inspiring and most dedicated partners in the realm of the Cultural & Creative Industries (CCI) in Armenia.

Indeed, ranging from advertising, music, gaming, movies/TV, to the performing arts and fashion, CCI daily touches on everyone’s lives while being one of the most dynamically growing industries, creating income and employment for millions of people worldwide. And with its many creative, innovative, and bright minds, EU-SMEDA sees a significant potential for Armenia, too. Indeed, EU-SMEDA aims to enable the sector to become a notable source of income and employment for many, while adding some spark to Armenia’s economy along the way. As a young business association, the FDC truly lives up to its mission, offering just the perfect mix of support for the sector, with exclusive high-level trainings, networking on a national and international scale, and much needed lobbying power for the sector.

At EU-SEMDA, we are very happy that we were able to support FDC in its infant stages through our EU4Business initiative. Personally, I much compliment all of FDC’s dedicated members and its determined management on your achievements for making the FDC such a striving and impactful organisation in such a short period of time. And I forward my sincere gratitude and my best wishes for a bright and successful future: let’s make the association even stronger! May the sector of fashion design in Armenia prosper! Let’s make the creative potential in Armenia shine!’

Eva Naeher, Team leader Support to SME Development in Armenia (SMEDA) 6

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Partner’s Letter

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e have always believed that the Creative Industries sector has a huge potential in Armenia, that is why together with the Armenian Chamber of Fashion and Design we initiated this project.

The sector needs a driving force that will industrialize it and will integrate it to the existing business ecosystem. That is our vision and the first step was to help the Fashion Designers to institutionalize their initiatives and establish a fashion business which was our main task and I think we succeeded through our trainings, formal and informal meetings with the designers.

We hope to share this vision through other Creative Industries sectors and make it one of the most successful areas for business and investments in Armenia.

So, this is just the beginning and only a small part of a bigger puzzle. The youth in Armenia is very creative, let’s industrialize it!

Gevorg Poghosyan, Co-founder of Business Club for Impact NGO

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FASHION & DESIGN CHAMBER LAUNCH February 24, 2018 Yerevan, Armenia

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either cold weather, nor winter prevented over 100 representatives of Armenian fashion and design industry to attend a one-of-akind event, held in the heart of modern Armenian education, AUA. It was Armenian Fashion & Design Chamber, that gathered all media and fashion experts on this very day. The launching event was an important milestone in communicating Chamber’s vision, goals and key messages to all creative community of Yerevan.

“Any industry needs to be systemised. You can have lots of talented and gifted professionals, but without an organised system and a vision it won’t have significant results. It’s not an Armenian invention, such organizations are common in the world and all we do is follow global experience.”, said fashion designer Aram Nikolyan.

We talked about challenges and opportunities of fashion and design sector, opening room for discussion on development of Armenian fashion.

“United we must break that

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wall of ignorance, and find our niche in the world fashion. In the frames of the newly formed chamber we already have lots of interesting ideas and projects that need to be realised in the near future”, said designer Sona Hakobyan.

Overall 118 people participated at the event, including sector representatives, journalists, experts, guests.

We were able to

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gather support and encouragement from the community, thus reassuring the importance of coordinated forces in the fashion industry of Armenia.

YOU CAN HAVE LOTS OF TALENTED AND GIFTED PROFESSIONALS, BUT WITHOUT AN ORGANISED SYSTEM AND A VISION IT WON’T HAVE SIGNIFICANT RESULTS - Aram Nikolyan, Fashion designer

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ARMENIAN FASHION REBORN U

ntil recently not a single organization in Armenia would take care of and enforce development of Armenian fashion industry.

However, there are lots of talented designers and fashion brands, which work on their own, facing challenges and growing to achieve high standards of international fashion industry.

All those designers needed to join efforts and have a unifying organization to support their needs and challenges, as well as represent them in relations with suppliers, government and other partners within Armenia and abroad.

In order to address all these issues and drive Armenian fashion industry forward, Fashion and Design Chamber of Armenia (FDC) was established in 2017 with the mission to support Armenian fashion industry.

Main objective of FDC was to create a joint platform for creative industry, specifically fashion and design cluster that will contribute to the development and enhance competitiveness of the sector. FDC unites individual designers and brands, startups and operation entrepreneurs from fashion and related sectors in Armenia.

FDC united more than 50 both renowned and young Armenian designers. During the first year

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I CAN SURELY STATE THAT IN PREVIOUS 10 YEARS WE HAD NOT THAT MUCH DEVELOPMENTS IN ARMENIAN FASHION INDUSTRY AS WE ACHIEVED LAST YEAR Vahan Khachatryan, FDC President FDC organised over 20 events and more than 15 courses for designers in Armenia and beyond.

Another achievement by FDC was establishing a bridge between designers and textile producers. Previously textile factories refused to service orders of small quantities, but now, thanks to increased demand and unified orders of designers, textile factories willingly and actively collaborate with fashion designers.

IN 2018 FDC UNITED MORE THAN 50 BOTH RENOWNED AND YOUNG ARMENIAN DESIGNERS, ORGANISED MORE THAN 20 EVENTS AND 15 COURSES FOR DESIGNERS IN ARMENIA AND BEYOND

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ARMENIAN DESIGNERS PRESENTATION AT MBKFD

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ach autumn Kyiv was hosting “MercedesBenz Fashion Days Kiev” (MBKFD) — the international fashion week aiming at the global promotion of a new generation of East European brands.

Taking advantage of growing recognition a b ro a d d u r i n g t h e years of its existence, MBKFD significantly expanded its program, which included: • F a s h i o n S c o u t Kiev — a launching pad for beginning brands,

in order to have the majority of international press, so they would have possibility to find out new stars from Eastern Europe.

Mercedes-Benz Kiev Fashion Days welcomed renowned

For the first time 11 Armenian designers and fashion brands participated in MBKFD with their latest collections.

WE PRESENTED A WHOLE SPECTRUM OF ARMENIAN FASHION AND GAINED ATTENTION WITHIN BUYERS, JOURNALISTS AND PROFESSIONALS

• Fashion Days Market — a platform for brands of clothes, shoes, accessories and decorations, design and decoration items, and

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• Ky i v Fa s h i o n I n d u st r y Forum — a business conference dedicated to the development of fashion industry.

experts to share their rich experience with the growing number of professionals in the local industry. This time MBKFD intentionally moved their show for the beginning of the season

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Invited guests included fashion experts, international press, fashion celebrities, bloggers, influencers and media. Among others: Ambassador of the Republic of Armenia to Ukraine, H.E. Mr. Andranik Manoukian and representatives of Armenian diaspora welcomed this initiative and encouraged the promotion of Armenian fashion

abroad.

‘Mercedes-Benz Fashion Days Kiev was the first time we were there altogether. It was an interesting format, where we presented a whole spectrum of Armenian fashion

industry and it really gained attention of buyers, journalists and professionals”, shared her impressions Armenian Fashion Designer Sona Hakobyan During cocktail-presentation in JUST IN SPACE, popular Fashion & PR space in Kyiv, Armenian designers presented their collections, talked about Armenian

fashion and its rising stars. The initiative was aimed at raising the country’s reputation and competitiveness in design and fashion industry, create new opportunities for business contacts, provide networking links to other similar international projects in future, as well as promote Armenian fashion and business environment.

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ARMENIAN DESIGNERS AT MBFDK’18 Vahan Khachatryan/Biayni Aram Nikolyan/Nikolyan atelier Inga Manukyan/LOOM Weaving Sona Hakobyan/SONČESS Nelly Serobyan/ Nelly Serobyan Ani Mkrtchyan/Petoor

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Margarita Sirekanyan/Naghash Alla Pavlova/Z.G.EST Ruzanna Vardanyan/RUZANĒ Mary Sukiasyan/Shabeeg Seda Manukyan/Atex Fashion Center

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Photographer: Maxim Getman Models: Anastasiia Panchenko (K Models), Katrin Stratford (MZM Models) MUA: Olya Mirnaya Y EAR IN R EV IEW ’ 18 | FASH ION & DESIGN C HA M BER

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O O

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n the third day of preparations, Lucine Ayanyan, stylist and fahion expert form Switzerland and fashion designer Vahan Khachatryan were tired to death, setting, styling and reorganizing fashion outfits.

Shooting of 90 mannequins and outfits undergo.

On July 2, 2018 all lights of the Aram Khachatur yan’s h o u s e - m u s e u m w e re o n .

O F F S P R I N G S O F N OA H showcased best pieces from Armenian designers. 90 outfits of 50 designers from Armenia and diasporas in Germany, France, Syria, Ukraine, Russia, the US, Lebanon and Iran.

Preparing the first ever Fashion exhibition in Armenia was tough, but worth every minute of it. They say, the darkest hour is that before the dawn.

“Offsprings of Noah” became a real dawn for Yerevan Fashion Forum 2018 and spotting Armenian designers on world fashion map.

All the collections were the vivid reflection of their works expressing fashion through the diversity of styles – from ethnic to casual and from evening to architectural.

Style groups were assigned to the venue halls – white haute-couture theme, casual, architectural, ethnic ets.

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I RECEIVED LOTS OF ANGRY LETTERS FROM REJECTED DESIGNERS, INQUIRING ABOUT SELECTION CRITERIA. HOWEVER WHEN THEY CAME TO EXHIBITION, EVERYTHING BECAME CLEAR - Lucine Ayanian, Stylist & Fashion Expert

OFFSPRINGS OF NOAH Gems of Armenian Fashion H.E. Mr. Piotr Antoni Świtalski, Ambassador of the European U n i o n D e l e g a t i o n to t h e Republic of Armenia, H.E. Mr. Matthias Kiesler, Ambassador of Germany to the Republic of Armenia, and Lilit Makunts Minister of Culture of RA attended the opening ceremony with opening remarks.

In preceding months Lucine was busy selecting best artworks from hundreds of applications.

“Vahan was working with top designers, like Jabotian, etc., while I focused on amateurs”, says Lucine Ayanyan, “Actually the level of submissions was quite low. Taking into account scale of the exhibition and

invited guests and designers, putting fashion designers with 20 years of experience and newbies, who lack their own concept and even quality cuts, would be very unethical. We immediately “wiped off” most of them. I received lots of angry letters from those designers, inquiring about selec tion criteria. However when they came to exhibition, everything became clear”.

of Noah’s Ark on the snowc a p p e d M o u n t A ra ra t , a national symbol of Armenia.

Yet another great metaphor to unite Armenian designers from all over the world.

In addition, the exhibition showed several works from TUMO students, thus making room for the young ones to share their talent and aptitude.

“Offsprings of Noah” refers to the mythical resting place

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FASHION FORUM YEREVAN 2018 In June, Yerevan finally was spotted on the world fashion map by FASHION FORUM YEREVAN, the first international fashion event ever organised in Armenia.

individuals may attend the workshops organised in the frame of the forum to gain knowledge, experience and network from fashion experts during power-talks. The guest-speakers also ran small

at Westminster University, UK), Andrea Bruno (strategic director of textile and fashion department at Istituto d’Arte Applicata e Design Torino, Italy), Camille Boyer & Marlene Agrieter (Austrian Fashion Th e F D C b ro u g h t Association, Austria), together Armenian Katya Gousset designers’ community THE FASHION INDUSTRY SHOULD BE (Instagram influencer, and foreign profesON THE PALM OF YOUR HAND WITH fashion blogger, stylsionals to give talks ALL ITS NEW APPOINTMENTS AND ist), Anton Yeremenko around a variety of BUSINESS DEALS (fashion editor at topics. − Anton Yeremenko, Harper ’s Bazaar, Harper’s Bazaar Ukraine For three days TUMO Ukraine), Maxim Center for Creative Getman (fashion phoTechnologies gathtographer, Ukraine), workshops giving attendees ered over 250 guests, including Lucine Ayanian (founder of more practical advices. designers, students, journalists HAY-HAY.CO, marketing expert, and all interested individuals The list of speakers featured stylist, Switzerland), Xenya to learn about fashion from Adam Katz Sinding (famous Cherny (Eco-Age Ambassador, street fashion photographer, founder of Green Stilettos)., world-renowned experts.

USA), Gwyneth Holland (trend Anastasia Hetman (model, The Forum was open for consultant, writer, lecturer KModel Agency Ukraine). Read public so that interested 20

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further for more details on some of the speeches.

BRANDS & MEDIA IN FASHION Anton Yeremenko, Fashion Editor at Harper ’s Bazaar U k ra i n e , wa s a m o n g t h e invited international speakers and he shared his communication guidelines for brands in the fashion industry, presented cases from his practice and differences of online and offline media. There’s a high level of complexity that fashion journalism and editing, in specific, required from an individual who has decided to get into the fashion magazine industry.

“When you start working in this industry, rose-colored glasses break because you understand that magazine’s finances to some extent limit your decision-making process,” said Anton.

Anton elaborated on success factors in fashion journalism, indicating that at all times hard-work and persistence are important, as well as having deeper understanding of the fashion industry. “You have to know everything: who is who?

You need to know and understand the topic you are going to cover. That being said, the fashion industry should be on the palm of your hand with all its new appointments and business deals”, commented Anton.

STREET STYLE PHOTOGRPAHY Adam Katz Sinding, renowned street style photographer shared his path in photography and recent photoshoots from dozens of countries. Adam has been into photography for over 17 years and now travels 300+ days a year to do commercial and editorial shootings for such brands as, Chloe, Gucci, Chanel

and editorials for Vogue, Elle, Harpers Bazaar, etc.

Meanwhile Adam’s favourite photography direction is street style, as according to him, it’s more real than fashion week looks.

Adam sees fashion as a way to communicate and express one’s individuality, so the way bloggers and celebrities change their outfits during the fashion weeks sometimes seems inconsistent for Adam, as it doesn’t clearly communicate the person’s individuality. The line between advertisement of famous fashion houses and one’s own style is quite thin.

New technologies drive new demand for visual content and street style photography is not an exclusion. Now people rarely care about the quality of photo, but want immediate content instead.

“Social media cheapens our

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Gwyneth Holland

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work”, was Adam’s answer to a question on social media inf luence on street style photography.

who became a finalist in the 201 7 C N M I G re e n Ca r p e t Talent award with his upcycled ensemble.

TRENDING

Known as the “environmentalist in stilettos”, Xenya Cherny was an invited international speaker of Yerevan Fashion Forum. She has worked for major international organizations across three continents on communicating greener ways of living.

Gwyneth Holland, international trainer and trend consultant spoke on trends, trend forecasting and their importance in the fashion industry.

What is trend? A pattern or direction of change that becomes visible, something that is popular or fashionable at a given time. Understanding tends drives sales, better understanding of consumer and helps to reduce waste and losses in fashion.

“The volatile economy and an increasingly global fashion market have made accurate forecasts more impor tant than ever. Inspirational images and cultural research are now blended with key sales figures and lifestyle statistics”, said Gwyneth.

Trend forecasters are real researchers and Gwyneth detailed a list of sources for foreseeing trends, in particular, films, celebrities, comic culture and many more.

Xenya was talking on sustainability in fashion, its impact on the environment, about the clothes we wear, the people who make them, and the impact the industry is having on our world. The price of clothing has been decreasing for decades, while the human and environmental costs have grown dramatically.

During the Forum we exclusivelly screened “The True Cost”, a ground breaking documentary film that pulls back the curtain on the untold story and asks us to consider, who really pays the price for our clothing.

The True Cost was filmed in countries all over the world, from runways to slums, and

In conclusion Gwyneth noted the importance of being original, while taking into account trends: “Its important to offer your own original viewpoint, as well as keeping in touch with the trends your consumer is seeing, to remain commercial and exciting”

THE TRUE COST Sustainability was high on the agenda of Yerevan Fashion Forum, a personal crusade for co-founder Vahan Khachatryan

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IT’S IMPORTANT TO OFFER YOUR OWN ORIGINAL VIEWPOINT, AS WELL AS KEEPING IN TOUCH WITH THE TRENDS YOUR CONSUMER IS SEEING, TO REMAIN COMMERCIAL AND EXCITING − Gwyneth Holland, Trend Consultant

featuring interviews with the world’s leading influencers including Stella McCartney, Livia Firth, Vandana Shiva and Richard Wolff. The True Cost is an unprecedented project and an eye opening journey, that Xenya presented to all participants of the Forum.

Guests were really impressed and touched by the film and the importance of the subject, arosen by Xenya. Two Armenian brands are already active in this space: LOOM Weaving with its handmade cardigans and dresses, and By Lili shoes made from vegetable-tanned leather.

There were also ideas for developing a sustainable production of innovative textiles

using waste from the country’s plentiful vineyards, so there’s hope for more sustainability in Armenian fashion as well.

FASHION INFLUENCERS Katya Gousset, Fashion Stylist & Blogger with 123k+ followers on Instagram and Facebook talked about the importance of micro-influencers for fashion industry. She elaborated on how to start, grow and maintain the successful social media profile.

Katya stressed that influencers should stay true and consistent in social media communications, have clear understanding of their audience and its interests. “Be innovative. Be useful and helpful. Be true. Be unexpected. Be interactive”, said Katya.

Today fashion brands need micro-influencers to gain audience, build trust, create a story, rather than bluntly sell the product. Besides, micro-influencers are more likely to fit tight budgets of growing brands, so

PORTFOLIO REVIEW

FASHION EDUCATION A n d rea B r u n o , Strategic Director at Textile & Fashion Department of Instituto D’Arte Applicata e Design Torino, spoke about fashion education, features of practical education in Italy and modern educational opportunities, open for emerging designers.

shared her extensive experience in the field of promoting fashion brands online.

For the past 15 years Camille Boyer lived in Vienna and her presence ensured that the local scene is a tick more international. Together with Marlene Agreiter she’s founded the AFA, the Austrian Fashion Association, which serves as an important interface between creative and classical economy.

We were delighted to have Camille Boyer and Marlene Agreiter as speakers at Yerevan Fashion Forum. They talked on running successful International sales, appealing to customers abroad and also made personal portfolio review for Armenian

collaboration between influencers and brands will definitely become more and more popular over the years.

Lucine notes that it’s important for fashion brands to know who they are to their customers. Recent branding trends go towards personification of brands, so it’s vital to create personality of brand and keep it consistent across all communication channels. fashion designers.

ONLINE PROMOTION Online promotion of a fashion brand was in the heart of power talk by Lucine Ayanyan.

Lucine successfully runs HAYHAY.co - online concept store of Armenian fashion in Tallin, Zurich and Europe. Lucine

EDUCATION IS THE KEY TO SUCCESS, SO PUSH YOURSELF AND ALWAYS FIND A CHANCE TO LEARN SOMETHING NEW.

Lucine analysed famous brands through Brand Identity Prism methodology. She elaborated on the importance of customer profiles and offering designers to create pen portraits of their target audience, “Find out what they’re into, know where they’re hanging out, Understand their perceptions, put yourself in their shoes and identify your touchpoints with your customer”.

98% of digital consumers are social media users, so no doubt that social media marketing is a must-have for any modern business.

− Lucine Ayanyan Fashion expert

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TREND with Gwyneth Holland FORECASTING Withing the framework of the project Armenian designers had unique opportunity to partipate in two workshops by Gwyneth Holland, international trainer and trend consultant.

During these courses Gwyneth spoke about trends, trend forecasting and their importance in the fashion industry and designers had a chance to practice trend forecasting with a top industry expert.

Together with Gwyneth Armenian designers dived into cultural, pop art and fashion trends, created cumulative mood boards for upcoming seasons and left with distinctive skills to be used in development of their future fashion collections.

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FASHION PHOTOGRAPHY with Maxim & Anastasia Hetman

Maxim Hetman is a fashion photographer, who has worked for magazines such as Cosmopolitan, VOGUE, L’Officiel, ELLE etc.

Within Fashion Forum Yerevan Maxim delivered exclusive workshop on fashion photography for TUMO students.

In his lab TUMOians did photoshoots in the studio, on the streets of Yerevan and even in Metsamor.

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NOT A F*CKING STREET STYLE PHOTOGRAPHER A

dam Katz Sinding is an American photographer, based in Copenhagen and shooting for top brands and magazines all over the world.

In the framework of Fashion Forum Yerevan 2018 Adam Katz did street shooting for Fashion and Design Chamber of Armenia representing garments from 10 Armenian designers and brands.

Adam is a famous street style photographer and media influencer. During his stay in Armenia he

Photographer: Adam Katz Sinding Model: Sara Tilkian Style: Dave Waldorf Creative support: Irina Vanyan Garments accessories: 5concept

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showed the beauty of Armenia through his lens to over 94k+ followers on Facebook and 472k+ on Instagram.

I HAD A WONDERFUL TIME IN YEREVAN, WHICH WAS MY FIRST EVER TIME IN ARMENIA. I WAS IMPRESSED BY THE PRODUCTION AND THE ATTENDANCE OF GUESTS AS WELL. - Adam Katz Sinding

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PREMIERE VISION PARIS TRADE SHOW February 13-15, 2018 | Paris, France

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wice a year, Paris welcomes fashion designers from all over the world for 3 days of inspiration, creativity and experience exchange. Première Vision Paris is one of the most influential global events in the fashion world. It’s a platform that reveals fashion trends for the upcoming season.

6 major industries of supplying materials and services to the global fashion industry: Yarns, Fabrics, Leather, Designs, Accessories, Manufacturing – come together in Paris to

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explore what’s new this season, new ideas and inspiration on trends. Première Vision Paris offers new solutions to develop collections, explore the potential of fashion tech in square meters of tech area, step into the world of creativity, innovation and original installations.

Première Vision Fabrics, organised within the framework of Première Vision Paris Trade Show, is the world’s premiere fabrics show, which offers up the trending season’s fashion directions some 18 months in

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advance. This hub of meetings and inspiration is both a unique place to do business and a trend laboratory.

It was the first time 10 Armenian designers/brands took part in Premier Vision Paris 2018.

Première Vision also provided unique oppor tunity for Armenian designers to have business meetings and exchanges with buyers and fashion makers.

As a result, Armenian designers gained better understanding of

upcoming season trends and established business contacts.

They also reached international suppliers of fabric, leather, accessories and much more as well as get acquainted with the newest technology in textile industry.

Thanks to this opportunity Armenian designers gained recognition on the worldwide arena, as well as obtained lots of contacts, literature and samples.

IT WAS A GREAT EXPERIENCE FOR ARMENIAN DESIGNERS TO BE PART OF SUCH AN IMPORTANT INTERNATIONAL EVENT - Elen Manukian, FDC of Armenia

Armenian Designers at Premier Vision Paris Vahan Khachatryan/FDC Elen Manukyan/FDC Aram Nikolyan/Nikolyan atelier Inga Manukyan/LOOM Weaving Sona Hakobyan/SONČESS Mary Sukiasyan/Shabeeg Nelly Poghosyan/Biayni Irina Vanyan/5concept Ruzanna Vardanyan/RUZANĒ Alla Pavlova/Z.G.EST

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Fashion designer: Hagob Shahinian

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THE ART OF PLEATING

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leating is a unique art and technique, always remaining on top of fashion and used by renowned haute-couture brands. While in Armenia only classic pleating is used, this art develops worldwide. Modern pleating variety of techniques and creation of brand new pleating forms on textile.

International trainer and expert Aline Kaljian, co-founder and CEO of International Pleating Beirut, shared her knowledge and experience in modern pleating techniques and peculiarities with Armenian designers.

Aline Kaljian pleats for such renowned fashion brands, like Kenzo, Ashi Studio, Elie Saab, Krikor Jabotian, Zuhair Murad,

and many more. She enthusiastically shared not only technical details of pleating art, but also world fashion trends in pleating and details of haute-couture I GOT IMMEDIATE INSPIRATION AND VALUABLE RESULT OF THIS MASTER CLASS — THE SAME MONTH WE CREATED A UNIQUE BAG WITH ORIGAMI PLEATING ON LEATHER

- Eugenia Evoyan, EVE collections, featuring pleating.

Western-Armenian languages 15 Armenian designers dived deeper into the art of pleating.

Aline Kaljian and International Pleating provided designers with access to high-class pleating production at special rates for Armenian designers.

As a result 9 Armenian designers included masterfully pleated pieces in their subsequent collections and brought new products to the market.

Interview with Aline Kaljian was feature in October’18 issue of Harpers’ Bazaar Ukraine, full version of which is brought to your attention.

In a fantastic atmosphere of creativity and mix of English, Eastern-Armenian and Y EAR IN R EVIEW ’ 18 | FASH ION & DESIGN C H A M BER

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— Aline, pleating comes as your family tradition for already the 5th generation. Tell me please, how it all started in your family, who was the very first pleater in your family?

When we say the 5th generation, we mean in general those of our ancestors engaged in making textile and fabrics, sewing, working in this domain. I’m the 3rd generation as a pleater. My grandma was very famous sewer at her times and her uncle was living in France in 1928-ies.

Pleating was very popular in France back then, so he told my grandma: ”I know you can do it!” and she got inspired. It was new for her, she tried it all on her own: looked for models in journals and pleated with old coal iron. This was how first pleating were made.

It was very expensive and only aristocrats could afford buying pleated clothes. My grandmother earned in a day as much as others earned monthly. She worked in secret rooms at nights, so that no one could spy and learn her techniques.

— How it was passed through generations?

She had three sons and they established Tom’s Sons Manufacturing and made not only pleating, but also clothing. Prior to that they had only textile factory and my father took only pleating direction. My uncle, one of those three brothers, settled in US and now they work mainly for American brands, like Oscar DeLarenta, TheRow, Coach etc. and we often work and support each other. Recently they published a book about the Art of Pleating with history of our family and pleating secrets.

My father stayed in Lebanon.

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During Lebanon Civil War everything was ruined, pleating machines were stolen. There’s an interesting story: many years after the war, a man approached my father, saying that he had old pleating machine for sale. To my father’s surprise it was his own old machine, lost in war years, and we bought it. He repaired it, but it was more like a souvenir, by that time we had newer machines.

— I know that you’ve started your career in different sphere. How did you come to pleating, was it your choice or like destiny?

I’ve never thought I would do pleating, I have degree in Education and was working with arts a lot. My mother’s family had men fashion business, so to whatever sides of my family I looked, I was surrounded by textile, pleating, sewing, clothes. This is something that I learned effortlessly, it was like imprinted from childhood.

When my son was born and my mother died, I promised my father to give it a try. Before that I was engaged in art a lot, created something interesting even from trash. And when I started, I fell in love. It’s really important to love what you do. I added artistic hints to the pleating works we did, while my educational background helped me to teach students and employees, give presentations and workshops, consult fashion designers on pleating.

— I know that your father’s business went through hard times, but you managed to give it a new life. What helped you to boost the business?

When I came to business, they did a lot of technical and high quality job, but were far from fashion. My first step was to

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understand the psychology of our customers. I thought I should know what they knew to be able to create for them. So I went to 6-month night courses in Lebanon ESMOD Beirut Fashion School and it was quite helpful. I learned what kind of cuts, volumes designers prefer and I mixed my new knowledge with technologies that we had.

PLEATING IS REALLY A HARD JOB, NOT EVERYONE CAN DO IT ACCURATELY AND IN LARGE SCALE. IF DESIGNERS DO NOT USE PLEATING IN THEIR COLLECTIONS, WE WON’T HAVE MUCH DEMAND — How did you start cooperation with haute couture and famous brands?

I was lucky to inherit excellent reputation of my father’s works, his pleating forms were made to perfection, and he already collaborated with famous brands, like Kenzo, Ellie Saab, Zuhair Murad. We already had them as clients, so my target was uprising and modern designers.

I knew that pleating as artisanal craft was endangered and would slowly die. There are several pleaters in France, but overall the market was

under the risk. You know, pleating is really a hard job, not everyone can do it accurately and in large scale. If designers do not use pleating in their collections, we won’t have much demand.

I started new direction of origami-style pleating, wrinkled-style pleating, so that no one would ever doubt if pleating is fashion or not. It is fashion and has always been, but we need to struggle so that it doesn’t disappear and develop along with the modern fashion trends. I started modern way of pleating for ready-to-wear collections of brands.

— Your origami-style pleating is amazing. What was your inspiration? How did you bring those forms on textile?

Everything starts from research. In general in fashion we mimic, what we see around.

Designers see something interesting, get inspired. I saw origami somewhere over internet, that was my inspiration and I created 5-6 different pleating forms. The most interesting project we’ve done was a private order for Krikor Jabotian. We’ve made a 3.7m pleating for wedding dress trail. Before that I had form for 2.2m pleating, but for this project we had to build a new one and it is now the longest and recordbreaking pleating. I really think it is worth to be included in the Guinness book.

— What was so special about that 3.5m pleating, why others can’t do that?

Leather pleated bag by EVE Leather

First reason is the space. You have to have enough space to open that huge 3.5m form into 7.5 meters laying flat and work on it. Second is that pleating form has to go to steam boxes. No other factory in the world can do that, because no one has that big steam forms. My father built it privately in our factory long ago, thinking that would be useful for curtains, but later on we used it also for sunburst models and wedding or christening dresses.

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— What techniques of pleating do you use? Are they preserved from the past or it’s just kept as a history?

There are two types of pleating. One is machine pleating and the other one is table pleating.

The latter is done by hand: we create multi-use forms, place textile inside, then tightly close the form and send it to stemming box to fix pleating on the textile.

Table pleating is best for sunburst pleating, there

are no machines for that. There were several tries to create machines for sunburst pleats, but they failed. In sunburst pleating, machines ruins the threads, taking into account that we work with high-end fashion designers and are extremely attentive to details.

them by machines. Both of them have their advantages and disadvantages, you just need to know what type of pleating is right for your design and textile.

— What type of pleating your high-end fashion clients prefer?

Machines also can’t I ALREADY HAVE MY PLACE IN THIS pleat textiles with BUSINESS AND SURELY I WOULD LIKE In general, Ellie Saab more than 1.5m in TO PASS THIS ON TO MY SON and other brands we width, so we use wor k with, prefer table pleating for that. classic pleating, flared Table pleating gives on accordion or small us more flexibility in pleating. They usuhaving big pleats, doing new designs, bigger in ally don’t have any special requirement, should lengths and we can also adjust textiles in cases, it be hand or machine pleated. During all these when its pattern has to match pleats. years we’ve already built trust in our relations, In case if you want small pleats or pleating on so they give us the model and expect the result, organic textile, we have to no choice but make whatever we use in process is to our professional choice.

In 10-15 years we’ve tightly worked with new generation of designers, like Krikor Jabotyan, Ashi Studio, Hussein Bazaza so I already know what type of pleating this or that designer prefers.

— What’s the future of your business? Will you pass it to the 6th generation?

I think pleating business it will remain stable, as is now, may be with small ups and downs.

I already have my place in this business and surely I would like to pass this on to my son, though he doesn’t have much love to it at the moment. But who knows, may be his wife or children would take the business. At his age I also didn’t have plans to become a pleater.

I would like the mastery to remain within the family and go to the 6th generation.

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MOSCOW CALLING F

or the first time 8 Armenian fashion brands, shoes, as well as CPM BODY& BEACH. Biyani by Vahaan Khachatryan, RUZANE, “It was the first time that we participated in an Kivera Naynomis, LOOM Weaving, Shabeeg, event of such scale. We presented a capsule colZgest, Tatev Avetyan and Faina, together prelection, made new connections, talked to buyers sented their Spring/Summer 2019 collections and partners, discussing in Collection Première cooperation opportuMoscow (CPM) nities “, said Ruzanna LOOM WEAVING WAS SELECTED International Fashion TO PRESENT THEIR COLLECTIONS Vardanyan, RUZANĒ.

Trade Show.

AT CPM FOR NEXT 4 SEASONS This trade show is notaCPM presents internaIN A ROW WITHIN PRESTIGIOUS ble by enforcing direct tional fashion trends in DESIGNERS POOL PROJECT cooperation and comthe Russian metropolis munication of designers Moscow twice a year. and buyers and it proved At Expocentre fairto be efficient for Armenian designers as well. grounds more than 21,500 trade visitors come Particularly, Ruzane, Zgest and Kivera Naynomis together to know more about 1,300 collections brands got direct orders and prepayments from from international exhibitors. The exhibitors buyers. LOOM Weaving was selected to present present themselves in various halls and national their collections at CPM for 2 seasons in a row pavilions. In addition, the CPM presents different within Designers Pool. segments like CPM premium, CPM accessories & 38

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POP UP STORE IN MOSCOW R

ight after the CPM Armenian designers showcased their collections and accessories in one of the most prestigious trade malls of Moscow, “Vremena Goda” Gallery. The event was supported by the management of the location and provided great opportunity for Armenian designers to enter Russian market.

For 3 days 28 Armenian brands and designers were featured in a great pop-up store right next to such boutiques like Chanel, Cartier, Versace, Valentino etc.

Fashion celebrities, bloggers and opinion leaders, like Elina Janibekyan, Armen Yeritsyan, Anna Melkumyan, Gayane Breyova and others visited the popup store, bringing more attention and coverage to this initiative.

This initiative raised the country’s reputation and competitiveness in fashion industry, created new opportunities for Armenian designers/ brands to find business contacts and export, provided networking opportunities to other similar international projects in future, as well as promoted Armenian fashion and business environment.

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PITTI SUPER 12 Fashion buying season for Spring-Summer starts during mens fashion show in summer and ends at women fashion week in autumn. In this range of events Pitty Super is organised in Milan in September for fashion buyers to discover new brands and get something unusual and interesting for their core collections. This is place, where new fashion stars are born.

Protagonists of this focus were selected four young designers, some of whom were at their first international debut: Vahan Khachatryan, KIVERA NAYNOMIS, Ariga Torosian and LOOM Weaving.

At Pitti Super’12 Armenian designers met Sara Sozzani Maino, Deputy Editor-in-chief of Vogue Italia and Head of For the first time in Vogue Talents, who history of Armenian showed interest and f a s h i o n , A r m e n i a n FOR THE FIRST TIME IN HISTORY a p p re c i a te d t h e i r designers participated OF ARMENIAN FASHION, ARMENIAN fashion collections. to such prestigious trade DESIGNERS PARTICIPATED TO SUCH show in the heart of PRESTIGIOUS TRADE SHOW IN THE Vahan Khachatryan’s world fashion industry HEART OF WORLD FASHION INDUSTRY collection at SUPER – Milan, Italy.

Pitti catches attention by t-shirts, dresses Brand new to this edition of SUPER Pitti and shirt with colorful prints of his grandfaImmagine, was the special project dedicated ther’s paintings, showing his grandmother and to the fashion and emerging design scene of mother. Loom Weaving presented collection of Armenia, realised in collaboration with the unique pieces woven hand and machine. Kivera Fashion & Design Chamber of Armenia and Naynomis brought to Milan princess dresses, the support of SME Development in Armenia decorated with beads and appliqués, while (EU-SMEDA). A new initiative of SUPER focusing Ariga Torosian monochrome and elegantly deon new talents, with the aim of offering a global constructed fashion pieces. Let’s discover the projection of emerging designers from Armenia designers and their brands. with an emphasis on location production.

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Ariga Torosian. A fashion designer of IranianArmenian origins, Ariga Torosian proposes a collection of net cuts played off white and black, strongly inspired by graphic design, and in line with her studies. A mix of modernity and tradition.

Kivera Naynomis. Among the most beloved luxury fashion brands on the Armenian market today, the collections of Kivera take their cue from the teachings of classic tailoring to construct a sophisticated tribute to the cultural, artistic, and architectural traditions of Armenia.

LOOM Weaving. Inga and Elen Manukyan, sisters and founders of the brand, create a collection that imbues the antique practice of embroidery stitched by hand with a modern and luminous style, which is bold at intervals. A wardrobe with a practical and elegant spirit, where every garment is a unique piece.

Vahan Khachatryan. Born and brought up in Yerevan, Armenia, Vahan is largely inspired by his family background and by his grandfather, a painter. Already a point of reference on the panorama of Armenian fashion, the brand stands out for its exclusive outfits, where the excellence of quality and design is magnified by meticulous attention to detail.

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PITTI SUPER 13 FOCUS ON FASHION CREATIVITY FROM ARMENIA Armenian designers at Pitti Super 12 was so successfull that they were featured and invited to Milan next year.

The special project dedicated to the up-and-coming fashion and design scene from Armenia was realized in collaboration with the FDC returned in 2019 at new edition of Super.

A Super initiative in support of new talents that aims to offer a global launch to this country’s emerging talents and exalt local production.

The protagonists were six young designers, some making their international debut: Avagyan, Kivera Naynomis, LOOM Weaving, Shabeeg, Vahan Khachatryan and Z.G.EST. Let’s discover the designers and their brands: Avagyan. Sonya Avagyan, a young Armenian designer, is launching her own brand, initially concentrating on t-shirts and sweatshirts with

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a pop and experimental soul. Sporty and funky clothing that is blended with the heritage of her land of origin in the light of a perfect sense of style.

Kivera Naynomis is one of the most beloved luxury fashion brands present on the Armenian market, the collections of Kivera take their cue from the teachings of classic tailoring to construct a sophisticated tribute to the cultural, artistic, and architectural traditions of Armenia.

LOOM Weaving. Inga and Elen Manukyan, sisters and founders of the brand create a collection that imbues the antique practice of embroidery stitched by hand with a modern and luminous style. A wardrobe with a practical and elegant spirit where every garment is a unique piece.

Shabeeg. Garments designed by hand and then realized by exceptional master craftsmen, the prints are inspired by Armenian nature as a whole: the fauna, the flora, the ancient history,

the traditional Armenian clothing (taraz), the architecture and much more.

Vahan Khachatryan. Born and raised in Yerevan, Armenia, Vahan is heavily inspired by the artistic heritage of his grandfather, a painter. Already a point of reference on the Armenian fashion panorama, the brand stands out for its exclusive outfits where the excellence of the quality and design is magnified by a meticulous attention to detail.

Z.G.EST. Zero Gravity Established proposes comfortable and inviting clothing capable of transmitting the feeling of zero gravity. A young, successful brand on the Armenian market, the collections are distinguished by their smart style, innovative design proposals and research into the shirt as a key element.

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DEVELOPING FASHION COLLECTION from

A Z to

Missak HajiAvedikian is a fashion designer and international lecturer, speaker, based in Beirut, Lebanon.

Missak is a professor at the Lebanese American University Bachelor of Arts in Fashion Design in collaboration with ELIE SAAB and the London College of Fashion program.

Missak began his fashion career in 2007 after graduating from the prestigious ESMOD Beirut. After receiving numerous accolades upon completing his studies, he sought inspiration in the fashion capitals of the world – Paris, Milan, New York. His fantastical but always rational touch stems from his experience abroad and the valuable insight he gained there. Missak’s vision for his label was to create a bridge between fairytale and modern femininity.

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THEY NEED TO MOVE THEIR ASSES. NAGGING WILL NOT MAKE THEM GOOD DESIGNERS OR PEOPLE OR TAKE THEM A STEP FORWARD

P

aper cuts, magazines torn, pencils, textile cuts, glue and coffee — that’s what you’d ran into, if you happened to visit FDC office during whole July. 13 Armenian designers went through tough training by Missak HajiAvedikian, designer and fashion mentor from Beirut, Lebanon.

Missak also teaches at ESMOD Beirut School of Fashion, founded in cooperation with Ellie Saab. He skimmed the best of his yearlong fashion collection development course into 20 days of intensive training and these were probably the toughest deadlines for developing full collection for AW19/20.

“First of all, for me it was pleasure and I wanted this challenge because I have seen the fashion scene in Yerevan and I wanted to help in a way. From my first visit to Yerevan I fell in love and saw that there is talent but need to be guided”, commented Missak on his commitment to help Armenian fashion design.

Missak guided designers through all steps of creative process behind fashion collection development, from idea, verifying collection theme with trends, making visual research, collages, mixing it all up and developing a full line up of future collection.

After the first days of ideation and creating resource journals all participants presented their collection themes and ideas to Missak and Vahan Khachatryan, FDC President. Getting comments, critics and new fresh ideas was extremely useful at first stages of work, so designers went on elaborating on their resource journals to apply them to fashion pieces.

In a week after the first meeting, Missak already goes through lines of first 650 draft sketches with a red marker. “No! No! Not this one... may be this?!... No!”, putting red crosses marking “not accepted” designs seems to be his favourite part of the training.

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However one must admit, it’s all for the sake of getting the best out of designers’ heads. Next round of 30 designs of outfits looks better, though red marks still prevail.

“I can see a bright fashion future in Yerevan. Of course they need to be open a lot to abroad and always educate themselves. The most important for me is the will and the dream or the aim. I saw a lot of laziness which needs to be changed. I think people in Yerevan are used to it and I don’t know much the reasons . But they need to move their asses. Nagging will not make them good designers or people or take them a step forward. I know the limitations of the market but they can make it”, said Missak.

Futurism, Syrian girl power, modern Yerevan, mindfullness, Japan & African mix, — these are only minor part of the themes, that inspired fashion designers within this course.

Missak’s comment of three intensive weeks was as follows, “The result of the workshop was good. I was content 60% time, but a few portfolios were great and I’m excited to see what they will do with it. I would have loved to see or follow up with the process because it doesn’t end at design. One of the most important factors to have a good collection is the textile and the fit. So lets hope for the best and for a brighter fashion future in Yerevan. I’m too excited for all of them and would like to see great work. And I am super happy to be part of their success”.

The final results were impressive. 13 full fashion collection lineups developed and technical drawings made, and some of these went to production and will be available for public in AW 19/20.

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FASHION SKILLSET DED GRA UP

Capacity building was one of the main directions for FDC in 2018. We believe that having the necessary skillset will inevitably bring Armenian designers to success. So we conducted preliminary assessment to identify knowledge and skills gap among FDC members and throughout the year organised over 15 trainings and workshops with more than 100 designers and industry professionals participated.

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S D N E TR

On February 26-28, 2018 “Buro” cafe loft was boiling with creative ideation.

26 designers and brand managers gathered there to participate in an one-of-a-kind training, which h a s n e v e r b e e n o rg a n i s e d i n A r m e n i a previously.

Gwyneth Holland, international trainer, freelance writer, trend consultant, senior lecturer at the University of Westminster and University of the Arts, co-author of a new book on Trend Forecasting for Laurence King delivered a training on Fashion Forecasting for Armenian fashion designers.

TRENDS ARE A POWERFUL TOOL TO HELP DESIGNERS TAILOR THEIR PRODUCTS TO THEIR MARKET, AND THEIR CONSUMER – VITAL TO THE BURGEONING ARMENIAN FASHION INDUSTRY

subtle and significant changes in the world around us to project how the market will change in the coming months and years.

“Trends aren’t everything but they are a powerful tool to help designers tailor their products to their market, and their consumer – vital to the burgeoning Armenian fashion industry”, commented Gwyneth talking about applying trend forecasting skills to Armenian fashion industry.

Trend Forecasting gave participants an intensive and inspiring introduction to trends, using a combination of practical methods and shared expertise. Trend forecasters act as deep researches, looking at subtle and significant changes in the world around us to project how the market will change in the coming months and years.

Upon completion, participants refined their research skills and increased their ability to foresee changing styles in order to create products that meet the needs of their existing and future customers.

Trend forecasting is a multi-billion-dollar industry and thousands of fashion and lifestyle businesses use trend services, or conduct their own trend forecasts. Trend forecasting helps designers to better understand their customers, trends help designers and brands decide what to produce and sell.

Trend forecasting is a way of understanding changes in culture and design. Usually, trend forecasters act as deep researchers, they look at

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S P U T How to start a STAR business in fashion and design

sector of Armenia, peculiarities of tax and business legislation, necessary preconditions and important steps in establishing business, as well as best practice and success stories — all these and many more business specific and practical questions were covered during training by Gevorg Poghosyan, Head of Business Support Office Armenia.

THEY HAD ALWAYS BEEN SURE THAT STARTING A BUSINESS AND RUNNING SUCCESSFUL BUSINESS IN ARMENIA IS SOMETHING IMPOSSIBLE

Nvard delivered practical lecture on PR, including such topics as importance of successful brand communication and impressive PR campaign, etc, which allowed to set standards for newcomers. Over 50 designers and industry professionals attended her trainings.

“After the first training with the designers I realised that they had been waiting for such a project for a long time and especially the basics to starting a business was kind of a know-how for them, as they had always been sure that starting a business and running a successful business in Armenia is something impossible”, said Gevorg.

N O R NP

TUR

Public relations of running business in Armenia covered by Nvard Melkonyan, Associate Professor of the Department of Sociology, Yerevan State University and one of the founders of SPRING PR Company.

“Armenian market is quite specific — it is very small, but highly diverse in terms of people’s taste — from conservative to ultra innovative. On one hand it’s easy to define target audience, on the other hand competition for their loyalty is very high”, commented Nvard on the specifics of Armenian fashion market, “Poor communication is the main mistake made by both industry as a whole and individual designers. There’s no strategy, no action plans, no throughout work with target audience“.

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IR A F PO

EX

One of the primary easy ways to reach international clients and buyers is participation at fashion fairs and expos. However getting to the fair is not enough, brands need to know how to use this opportunity to the maximum.

So we invited Margarita Hakobjanyan, business consultant, expert to share her experience and train 8 Armenian fashion brands on how to attract customers, make connections, better introduce products and receive orders. Training was held right before going to CPM and results of the fair are the best proof of a successful and useful training.

P U K PEA

S

World fashion industry speaks English. In order to succeed on an international level, every fashion designer needs to communicate. Expansion to international fashion markets requires designers to know at least verbal and written English and French. According to preliminary assessment by FDC, majority of Armenian fashion designers needed additional English courses with focus on fashion and industry terms and linguistic features.

Overall 21 designers participated in 30 hour Level 1 course, which lasted over 5 weeks, while another 14 participants took 16 hours of Level 2 course with duration of 4 weeks.

In March-June, 2018, FDC organised 2-Level Course on English for fashion designers. The course was developed by American University of Armenia (AUA) specifically for people working in, or preparing to work in, the fashion industry.

The course focused on those who need English in communication with colleagues and contacts in the apparel, accessories and fashion-related businesses.

L A I C SO

Social media become the main comGO municationhas channel for every business,

and every industry has its own social media promotion features. We invited trainer Grigor Avetisyan to speak on how to run a Fashion Brand account on different social media platforms.

Grigor was Victoria Beckham fan page ambassador back in 2010 and was among the very few fashion businesses, which focused on social media marketing, which allowed to set standards

for newcomers.

A total of 58 designers and fashion brands representatives participated in the training. During intensive training they learnt about value and first steps for creating bold and strong base for fashion brands, daily life of fashion brands on social media, important social media marketing tools used by major fashion brands, famous tricks and practical usage, etc.

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S N R E In collaboration PATT with TUMO Studios we

accomplished a workshop on pattern making, teaching brands and designers technical skills behind creating and constructing patterns.

The workshop consisted of two courses, running in April and May, 2018 and 16 participants, including designers and students took part in it.

G N I T S CO

Correct definition and calculation of costing is essential for pricing and competitiveness of any business. However, taking into account seasonality, variety of suppliers can be tricky in the fashion business, so we invited Certified Management Consultant, Naira Margaryan to deliver a training on costing process for fashion designers.

• What’s costing? Can I do it myself?

• How can I differentiate the costs? Are all the costs included in costing process?

• Can I avoid or skip some costs?

• How can I calculate the breakeven?

These and many more questions were covered

during My Costing Process session and a total 25 designers participated in the training, gaining new insights into costing process.

S

TIE E L I TEXT

Joining forces, exchanging ideas, sharing resources and building the future in partnership and cooperation goes a long way in laying out the groundwork for sustainable success. In 2018 FDC and its members visited Lori Chamber of Commerce and 7 local manufacturers of Vanadzor city to establish partnership and discuss possible collaboration.

Previously getting small quantities of textile produced locally was almost impossible, as manufacturers did not accept small orders. Thanks to FDC initiative and study visit, local manufacturers and fashion designers were able to communicate and establish favourable conditions of cooperation.

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G

DIN D E W

During French Days in Armenia FDC invited French designer Constance Fournier to give a master class on “Wedding Dress” for Armenian designers. The training was organised in collaboration with Association Jasmine, supported by European Union in Armenia and Ambassade de France en Arménie.

G

KIN R O NETW

Anot her F DC goal was to promote Private-Public Par tnership in Armenian fashion industry and provide more networking opportunities for industry participants, collect businesses’ concerns, capacities and challenges to jointly put them on a discussion table with government authorities.

Throughout the year, FDC organised over 10 PPD discussions with various groups of fashion industry, as well as government representatives.

We talked about the existing problems of the field, legislative amendments, creation of good economic environment and cooperation, as well as capacity building, fostering cooperation and business connections within creative sector providers, sales promotion. All these key support areas were identified during a range of PPD meetings in 2018.

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UPCYCLED with

love

S

ustainable fashion did not leave aside Armenia. In 2018 Armenian designers joined the global eco-fashion movement under #Upcycledwithlove initiative organised by the Fashion & Design Chamber.

Denim is a durable and wearable material, however in most cases it’s not recyclable. Each of us has old denim trousers, jackets, etc., which usually get torn in specific places, while the rest of the garment remains in a good condition. We suggested people to give away old jeans for a good cause.

From April 18 to April 30, collecting boxes were placed in several Armenian concept stores and showrooms where people could leave old denim. Celebrities and fashion influencers also acted as ambassadors of this initiative. As a result quite a heavy amount of denim was collected and Armenian designers made stylish and unique “tote bags” from them.

9 concept stores of Yerevan joined the initiative and placed these tote bags for sale. The whole profit from the sales was donated to the Bridge of Health Foundation for the treatment of children.

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INSPIRED BY EU FLAG E

ach year Armenia celebrates Europe Day. This year, the launch of Europe Day activities kicked off with a fashion exhibition organised jointly with the Fashion and Design Chamber of Armenia.

16 fashion designers presented exceptional clothing collections, inspired by the European flag and created especially for this occasion.

Armenian Designers at Europe Day Fashion Sona Sahakyan-Hakobyan/SONČESS Mary Sukiasyan/Shabeeg Ruzanna Vardanyan/RUZANE Vahan Khachatryan/VAHAN KHACHATRYAN Inga Manukyan/LOOM Weaving Ani Mkrtchyan/Petoor Nelly Serobyan/Nelly Serobyan Margarit Sirekanyan/Naghash Hagop Shahinian/Hakob Shaninian Arevik Simonyan/KIVERA NAYNOMIS Ariga Torosyan/Arigato Alla Pavlova/Zgest Aram Nikolyan/Aram Nikolyan

Mika Danielyan/Harmony Lilit/Teryan Art Center Gaya Ayvazyan

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W

hen I first learnt about Fashion & Design Chamber of Armenia I kicked myself of regret and envy, that I was living abroad and had no chance to be part of those active developments in creative industries of Armenia.

Sometimes life plays funny tricks to us. I returned back home for several months and friends advised me to sign up for a one-of-a-kind course on Fashion Design. I was lucky to jump the last into the list of participants. Who could ever know that it would open such a window of opportunities for me and my fashion accessories business.

Eugenia Evoyan, Branding Expert, Art Director.

Founder of EVE Leather

Yes, the course was organised by that very FDC. I dived into the world of haute couture. The vibes of pure inspiration were all around and together with Aline Kaljian we created a unique leather bag with pleating. I bet you won’t find such bag at any of the top accessories brands. Moreover, FDC assisted in showcasing it at prestigious gallery in Moscow and at concept store in Yerevan.

It was like a snowfall of opportunities for an emerging leather accessories designer.

So I was happy to contribute and create this very special annual report for FDC, highlighting and celebrating what they’ve already done for Armenian fashion and what will definitely do in the future.

I believe that Armenia is a small country of highly concentrated opportunities and FDC proved it to me personally and, undoubtedly, to the whole community of Armenian designers.

This publication has been produced with the assistance of the European Union. The contents of this publication are the sole responsibility of the the Fashion and Design Chamber of Armenia and can under no circumstances be regarded as reflecting the position of the European Union. “Support to SME Development in Armenia” (SMEDA) project is co-funded by the European Union and the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and implemented by GIZ Private Sector Development in South Caucasus Programme. SMEDA is part of the EU4Business and EU4Innovation initiatives of the European Union.

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FAS H I O N & DES I GN CHAMBE R | YEAR IN REVIEW ’ 18