Visa Fashion Week Tashkent: fashion in which voices are heard
The heroes of the runway and behind the scenes
Visa Fashion Week Tashkent is not only about fashion shows, but also about those who watch them, who participate in them, and who reinterpret them. Today, fashion steps beyond the boundaries of the runway and becomes a space where aesthetics, meaning, and personal stories converge. More and more often, behind a beautiful image, people want to hear a real voice – a response, an impression, an inner motivation.
photo: Ilya Semendeev
Fashion Week in Tashkent is also a stage for those who remain behind the scenes: makeup artists, stylists, organizers, and technical specialists. A vast number of people are involved in this industry, and each of them contributes a part to the greater vision. It is this multilayered fashion that Visa supports – the general partner of Visa Fashion Week Tashkent. As a global leader in the field of digital payments, the company actively develops creative industries and provides space for new voices, cultures, and ideas to express themselves.
“Visa Fashion Week Tashkent is a platform for dialogue, exchange of experience, and support of young talents from across the region. Fashion is a way to speak about important things, and we are proud to help these voices be heard,” said Bauyrzhan Shadibekov, CEO of Visa Fashion Week Almaty & Tashkent and founder of the Next Designer Award Empowered by Visa competition for young designers.
photo: Ilya Semendeev
Photo: Sergey Pogosyan
“For Visa, participating in Fashion Week is an opportunity to support local communities and the fashion industry, which is an important part of the region’s economy and self-expression. We see how fashion in Central Asia is evolving and we strive to be a part of this journey,” notes Sanzhar Suleimanov, Vice President and Regional Manager of Visa in Central Asia.
We spoke with guests and participants of Visa Fashion Week Tashkent about beauty, inspiration, and the future of the industry.
Vazira John is often seen at international shows. She knows how to read fashion not only through the eyes of a model but also as an observer. That makes her perspective on what’s happening at home, in Tashkent, even more interesting to hear.
“It’s especially nice for me to be part of a local Uzbek fashion week, because it’s in my home country and my hometown. I have a few favorite Uzbek designers, and I always watch their new collections with joy and curiosity. I’m proud that I can support the fashion industry of my country and contribute to its development.”
PHOTO WAS PROVIDED BY VISA FASHION WEEK PR DEPARTMENT
If models intuitively absorb the mood of a show, a designer sets it intentionally. Continuing the conversation about fashion, we turn to Azamat Somatov to learn about the meaning behind his collection presented at Visa Fashion Week Tashkent 2025.
photo: Timur Epov
“For my new collection, I turned to the history of men’s fashion – I was inspired by the styles of the 1950s–60s, especially the aesthetics of Italian fashion from that period, where clean cuts, comfort, and so-called ‘quiet luxury’ come together.
Using global influences, I wanted to create something elegant for the modern man in the spirit of Prêt-à-Porter 2026. For this, I chose exclusively natural fabrics – linen, cotton, poplin, and silk, which are perfect for our climate. At the same time, I aimed to make the clothing relevant by integrating modern technologies and trends.
The idea of the entire collection is a kind of bridge between the past and future of the stylish contemporary man.”
photo: Sergey Pogosyan
The runway is always a synthesis. Behind the silhouette stands a concept, behind the movement – delivery, and behind the makeup and hairstyle – a sense of time and place.
This season, the beauty team crafted the visual presentation with precision, delicacy, and respect for the cultural context.
We asked the team responsible for the beauty mood of the shows how they work with the cultural code of our region and how they see the difference between Central Asian and global aesthetics.
“Warmth, sensuality, and a respect for beauty as a part of the soul – that’s in our blood. I’ve dedicated half my life to this. I love and know how to see beauty in people. A woman from Central Asia always has a gaze filled with history. I try to combine this depth with the lightness of global trends: sometimes I add clean graphics, sometimes brightness, and sometimes I leave space for silk, light, and national flavor,” says makeup artist Dilya Abdullaeva.
PHOTO WAS PROVIDED BY VISA FASHION WEEK PR DEPARTMENT
Hair stylist Anatoliy Nam, who worked on the runway looks, pays special attention to details, skillfully balancing trends and the country’s cultural code.
We asked which traditional hairstyles and accessories from Uzbek heritage inspire him today and what he thinks should appear more often on the runway.
“Uzbek traditions in hairstyles are incredibly inspiring. Personally, I’m especially moved by long braided plaits decorated with skullcaps, fabrics, and metal pendants. These elements carry not only aesthetic value but also deep symbolism.
I’m drawn to the idea of weaving not just decorations but cultural meanings into hairstyles – for example, using zulfaq (traditional hair pendants) or embroidered fabric ribbons. In modern fashion, I believe there’s often a lack of such a connection to roots. I would love to see traditional Uzbek hair elements – be it patterns, shapes, or decorative details – appear more often, especially in the context of ethnofuturism or contemporary adaptations of national dress. It gives the image individuality and makes fashion not just beautiful, but meaningful.” 
Each of the opinions shared by the participants of Fashion Week is a brushstroke in the larger portrait of what fashion in Central Asia represents today: alive, conscious, profound.
The fashion industry thrives when different voices are heard – designers, performers, and viewers. And thanks to the support of partners like Visa, fashion becomes open, relevant, and full of meaning.
