Well, There is a Profession Called Fashion Designer

February 3, 2012

DILBAR Fashion House – first and only national brand in Kyrgyz Republic that produces clothes of pret-a-porte de Luxe class.  The Fashion House is named after Dilbar Ashimbaeva – its owner and creative director.  Dilbar has walked a long path starting from working at shoe factory at age 16, creating costumes for  Guiseppe Verdi’s “Otello” opera, Aram Hachaturyan’s “Spartak” ballet, historical film  “Secret melody”  based on Aaly Tokombaev’s work”, designing clothes and interior for different companies, establishing design-studio and opening her brand boutique in Washington.

About childhood, adolescence and youth

“I would say they way I found myself as designer was quite hackneyed – in kindergarten every day we had to make something crafty and I often found my “products” were the best.   So I approached mum asking who I to become when I grow up.  She asked me: “Well, what do you like to do?” I said I like to draw dolls and clothes for the dolls. The reply was: “Well, there is a profession called fashion designer”. The problem was solved and for years I moved towards my dream slowly having to work at the factory starting at 16 years old for two years.  Then I went to the best institute the Moscow Textile Academy by Kosygin in Russia, graduated with honors diploma. I came back in 90s to the country that was in a mess after collapse of Soviet Union while all of my fellow students remained in Moscow later becoming famous designers.

There was not enough money to buy milk in my family that days, not needed to mention the rest.  I was so greedy for some links to the rest of the world - but there was a complete blank – no magazines, no TV shows, nothing.  Some countries were kind enough to provide some humanitarian aid to Kyrgyzstan and France decided that the best humanitarian aid would be “Elle” fashion magazines. The best for me, but not for the rest of the population.   I was saving money trying to earn it here and there by sawing and finally I was able to buy a magazine having my mum keep it a secret from my father and my husband”.

About inspiration

“It could sound weird but what really inspires me is lack of beauty surrounding us. Our country is beautiful no doubt, but there is a general dullness all over the place.   So I start imaging, I start reminiscing.  There are movies of my childhood that impressed me deeply.  And music, music that surrounded me always as my little sister is a violin player, so the classic music, ballet, opera was always in my life.  Coming back to dullness, there is a same itinerary for me everyday – our workshop is in Kyzyl Asker and you probably can understand that the landscape is not the prettiest.  So I feel the urge to create something that has deep inner beauty as our home country does.  As paradoxical as it may sound I found it hard to create when you are surrounded with supreme art pieces. I once stayed in a hotel that was located right in front of the La Cattedrale di Santa Maria del Fiore in Florence, Italy.  I was literally fascinated the first time I looked out of my window and spent three hours studying the coating of building. I thought to myself: “There is no room for creating right now, just room for taking in”. 

About promotion

“It’s funny that I am in this business starting from 90s and first got known abroad – in Europe, in Moscow and only then in Kyrgyzstan.  I am quite active in promoting Dilbar Fashion House, but there are things that I would never do. For example, I would never pay for a commercial article, that’s an absolute taboo for me. There a lot of talented people in Kyrgyzstan, when you visit Kyrgyz Fashion Week you are stunned by the multi-level potential of our designers, but unfortunately, our market is not able to promote that.  Lots and lots of lost opportunities, I would call it. 

There were a lot of opportunities to start something and there were things that me and my team have already accomplished. We play by international rules of fashion world – we have a collection release twice a year –that’s a must.  We had a store of Dilbar Fashion House opened at M Street in Washington, D.C., it was quite successful, but the sales would go up when I was there visiting and trying to do something in store. It was hard to manage it from a distance, even though we had our client group there.  Taxes have eaten us up and we had to close down.   Right now we plan to launch an interior line in Paris, France.

We don’t have marketing department or even a marketer in Fashion House, we do it ourselves. But, what is good about it is that our clients are our friends and partners, there are no casual clients of ours – the relationship we have with them is long-lasting dialog. 

About self-irony and criticism

I can whine for couple of days and then put myself together and get going.  I do “Scarlett O’Hara” thing – postpone thinking about something to next day.     My astrological sign is Scorpio, so I am really sensitive to any kind of criticism including constructive one. But I am constantly working on myself.

About AUCA students

I do think AUCA students are different and I strongly believe they are part of Kyrgyzstan’s future, I  recently watched Georgia’s President Saakashvilli  meet AUCA students and you guys are amazing.  But there is a thing that AUCA students have to understand.  You will never be able to start from the top – to understand and appreciate a profession you have to start from the very bottom.  It’s not enough to have a diploma, though it is a good start, you have to learn the profession in practice. 

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