The Results of the Ethnomoda/Ethnolook Contest Announced
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Digital Ethnofashion, which started in Adige (Russia), brought together Türkiye, Jordan and Uzbekistan. The 100th foundation anniversary celebrations of Adige, Kabardino-Balkaria and Karachay-Circassians, organized by the organizers of the International Festival and Competitive Movement in Adige, started with the First International Digital EthnoLook competition. Under the guidance of Ethnofashion contest director and organizer Ms. Susanna Makerova, young designers submitted an application to compete in the Ethnofashion contest and presented their designs.
The winners of the contest were the three contestants with the most points, Ms. Elena Fomina, Ms. Oksana Shchelinskaya and Ms. Ksenia Kigaveva. Ms. Elena Vlaskina took the second place and Ms. Elvira Lemeshaeva (Krasnodar) took the third place.
The winning contestants will have free access to a training course on three-dimensional (3D) design and clothing modeling given Ms. Maria Shevchenko, a clothing design artist and lecturer from the 3rd Couture School of the British Higher School of Design.
The Ethnomoda project is a synthesis of historical cultural heritage (based on the culture of the peoples of the Caucasus), fashion and digital technologies. According to the terms of the contest, participants from different parts of the country and the world examined the cultural heritage of the region and combined folk clothes with the ethnic cultural code and reflected it in their designs.
Following the trendsetters in digital design, the contestants received various tips from the experts of the contest regarding the cultures of the peoples of the region with a diversity and originality corresponding to the latest trends in fashion. In the future, it is predicted that ethnic cultures will be a call to other ethnic codes and interaction in the digital space. The Digital Ethnomoda project aims to identify talented digital artists/designers, develop professional competencies, increase professional practices, help revitalize and re-establish cultural ties, increase the quality of inter-ethnic interactions and intercultural dialogue in an intercultural environment, and expand creative opportunities.
With the contest, it was aimed for young designers to realize themselves by using new tools. The contest, as an effective communication tool through the social institutions of digital fashion and design, will also contribute to the development of creative trends and the fashion industry as a whole.
Under the terms of the First International Digital Ethnocontest, winners will have access to the course given by the 3D Couture school and the opportunity to attend the online workshops given by the founders of the platform.
The works of the award-winning contestants will be exhibited on the EthnomodaArtRoom platform which can be accessed from https://t.me/EthnomodaArtCommunity, on Russian and international digital platforms, and within the scope of the Digital Ethnomoda Week event, which is planned to be held in Uzbekistan soon.
Some of the works, such as the work of Jordanian artist Ms. Zaina al-Said and Dagestan’s 3rd designer Mr. Arsen Kurbanov, as well as the best model works of other exhibitors, will be exhibited in a physical apparel format under a single Ethnomoda brand alongside Zero 10 on an innovative platform.
Organizer, fashion designer, founder of Ethnofashion/Digital Ethnofashion project Ms. Susanna Makerova, former Rector of Istanbul Ticaret University Prof. Dr. Yücel Oğurlu and Head of Textile and Fashion Design Department Prof. Dr. Habip Dayıoğlu addressed the participants in addition to the regional representatives who addressed the participants in Adige language. The internationality of the event was strengthened by the participation of the representatives of Uzbekistan, represented by Ms. Irina Sycheva of the State Museum of Applied Arts and Crafts of Uzbekistan, with which closer cooperation is envisaged.
The event will become even more important if it is included in a more important platform in St. Petersburg by the “Commonwealth of Fashion” organization of the Commonwealth States as part of an international cultural and economic project.
For example, the participants from the Istanbul Ticaret University Textile and Fashion Design Department, who presented the highly professional approach of Ms. Maria Shevchenko that determined the award to be given to Turkish participants based on the works of Mr. Hüseyin Kuçkarov at the international level featuring the Caucasian costume, which appeared before the contestants in a 3D visualization that did not exclude any participants, Ms. Edanur İmanlı who presented the Caucasian theme with a competition stylization, and Ms. Medina Zilikic and Ms. Gül Çam who won an award with sketches made by Ms. Susanna Makerova of SuzieMFashionLAB for a good start, will be provided with free access to the 3D training course.
