By Azernews

By Laman Ismayilova

Famous national designer Gulnara Khalilova has delighted fashion lovers with her stunning collection "Karabakh: in the city of Sofia as part of the international fashion show "Art for Diplomacy" held by diplomatic missions in Bulgaria, Trend Life reported.

The main goal of the "Art for Diplomacy" project is to brief the representatives of diplomatic missions with history and culture of different countries. The fashion show focuses on the promotion of the national heritage.

The show was organized by the Embassy of Azerbaijan in Bulgaria and the famous Bulgarian artist Peter Iliev under the patronage of Simeon II. The event was held at the Vrana Palace - an unofficial residence of the Bulgarian monarchs.

Students of the Faculty of Theater and Cinema Arts at the Bulgarian National Academy presented the "Karabakh" collection as models. Azerbaijani folk song "Sari Gelin" sounded during the defile. The fashion collection aroused great interest among the guests. 

This collection has previously been successfully presented on international catwalks in the UK, USA, Russia and China.

Gulnara Khalilova could not personally take part in the event amid coronavirus pandemic.

Within the framework of the event, the history, traditions and peculiarities of clothing in various regions of Azerbaijan were discussed, educational literature was presented as part of the project.

Gulnara Khalilova, the head of the Center of National Costumes, is a frequent guest of international fashion weeks. She is the two-time winner at the Eurasian International Fashion Festival "Silk Road" held in China.

Her fashion collections have been successfully presented in Turkey, Russia, China, Austria, Romania, Great Britain, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and other countries.

She also designed costumes for Azerbaijan's 2013 Eurovision representative Farid Mammadov and created a hand panel with the official mascots of the EuroGames.

During the opening of Rio 2016 Paralympic Games in Rio, Champion of the European Games Ilham Zakiyev was in national dress, created by the designer which was a novelty in the history of the Olympic movement.

Khalilova is the author of a number of books dedicated to the traditions of clothing, including the history of Azerbaijan national clothing, the textbooks and catalogues for higher education institutions.

In 2014-2015 she worked as a teacher at the State Academy of Fine Arts. Since 2017, she has been teaching at Khazar University. The designer also heads the Women's Entrepreneurship Development Association.