Fakhriya Khalafova presents collection inspired by Azerbaijani carpet art

A new collection by Honored Art Worker, fashion designer, and associate professor at the Azerbaijan State University of Culture and Arts, Fakhriya Khalafova has been presented at the National Carpet Museum as part of the project "Carpet Museum Fashion Show: Patterns of Time", AzerNEWS reports citing Trend Life.

The collection featured ten looks inspired by the rich heritage of Azerbaijani carpet weaving. In her designs, Khalafova incorporated traditional carpet motifs, placing particular emphasis on one of Azerbaijan's most recognizable national symbols—the buta ornament. The show concluded with the unveiling of an original carpet ornament created by the designer, inspired by the Khar?bulbul flower.

"In my new collection, I used carpet ornaments inspired by the carpets exhibited at the Carpet Museum. As always, a special place in my collection is devoted to my favorite national motif—the buta. In the finale of the show, I presented an entirely new ornament—a carpet interpretation of the Kharibulbul flower. This is the first time I have created an original ornament of this kind. I worked on it with great care and poured my heart into it. At one point, the image simply appeared before my eyes. The final look in my collection is centered around this ornament, with a large Kharibulbul motif adorning the upper part of the garment. This is deeply symbolic because the Kharibulbul flower has become a symbol of our Victory. Inspired by this flower, it is possible to create beautiful textile prints. In fact, I presented such a print in my previous collection. First, I created a floral print featuring the Kharibulbul, and today I introduced its carpet ornament interpretation," Fakhriya Khalafova said in an interview with Trend.

The "Carpet Museum Fashion Show: Patterns of Time" project is dedicated to showcasing Azerbaijan's rich national and cultural heritage through the language of contemporary fashion. It brought together both established and emerging designers on a shared creative platform. One of the project's main sources of inspiration was the artistic legacy of the distinguished scholar, artist, and carpet art researcher Latif Karimov, whose 120th birth anniversary is being commemorated this year. In their collections, designers presented contemporary interpretations of traditional carpet motifs, ornaments, and color palettes. The project aims to promote Azerbaijani carpet weaving, preserve the country's cultural heritage, and pass it on to future generations.

The fashion designer, who highly praised the collections presented as part of the project, also emphasized the importance of developing ethno-fashion.

"Today, ethno-fashion is a distinctive and highly respected direction within the global fashion industry because creating garments in an ethnic style is far from easy. Not every designer is capable of working in this field. However, we were born in Azerbaijan, we live here, and from childhood we have absorbed the richness of our culture. As both a designer and a fashion expert, having seen all the collections presented today, I feel immense joy and pride that we have such talented designers in our country. Together, shoulder to shoulder, we successfully brought this wonderful project to life. On behalf of all of us, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to the Museum's Director, Amina Melikova, for this excellent initiative, as well as to everyone who contributed to the realization and successful implementation of the project," Khalafova added.