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As a continuation of the story Women Artisans of Central Asia, featured in the fall issue of WHAT Women Create, I’m excited to take you back to Central Asia, where I had the privilege of meeting three remarkable women who opened their studios, shared their work, and revealed their passions. Each of them is featured in the project Women Artisans of Central Asia: A Lookbook Journey, a bilingual print and digital publication available in both English and Russian. This lookbook, along with the accompanying workshop series, was supported by the United States Agency for International Development, the Smithsonian, and the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Commercial Law Development Program.
In collaboration with Smithsonian staff, including co-lead and project manager Ashkhen Khudaverdyan, regional partners and the Union of Artisans Kazakhstan, these women welcomed our team into their creative lives. They generously shared their artistic processes and commitment to their crafts, offering us an intimate look at how they blend tradition with innovation.
From transforming traditional chapan into international couture and sourcing lapis stones from remote corners of Central Asia, to reimagining creative spaces that celebrate the arts, these artisans are true pioneers. Drawing deeply from the cultural heritage of their homelands, they’ve channeled their creative energy into work that merges the past and present, offering thoughtful interpretations of art and craftsmanship.
Uzbekistan
Photos courtesy of Bahrom Khatamov
Lola Sayfi, a textile designer from Uzbekistan, is the founder of the brand Human Wear and the creative center Human House. In the center of Tashkent, Human House is a unique gallery and studio space where visitors can buy Central Asian art, crafts and designer clothing while participating in interdisciplinary programs. For over 20 years, Human House has been a space for creatives and creativity, and it currently partners with over 250 designers and artisans.
Lola can be found in her studio designing garments that incorporate a patchwork of traditional Uzbek fabrics with the printing of traditional symbols on the surface, and other creative expressions using traditional techniques.
I had the opportunity to ask Lola about her work as a designer, and she shared how her clothing line is inspired by national ornaments, history and the traditions of the Silk Road. As we looked through a range of her work, from traditional ikat silk weaving ornaments to hand-printed shirts, it was apparent that each of her creative endeavors works toward innovating traditional crafts and supporting the vibrant crafts community surrounding her.
Tajikistan
Ailema, the jewelry studio launched by Malika Juraeva, is a play on the name of her daughter, Amelia. As a jewelry designer based in Tajikistan, Malika takes a modern approach to traditional Tajik jewelry. Trained under renowned jeweler Dilmurod Sharipova, Malika creates one-of-a-kind pieces, including rings, earrings and pendants, from precious metals and stones. She uses replica and locally sourced natural stones with certificates of origin, including Badakhshan turquoise and lapis lazuli. Working with a range of metals, including gold and silver, Malika creates beautiful combinations of metals and stones in her large-scale jewelry pieces.
When she is in the studio, Malika prefers to work in silence. When she is left alone with her thoughts, her creativity is inspired and her work flows freely. Textiles surround her workbench, with vibrant colors and curved shapes seeming to inspire her approach to forming metal into organic shapes that suggest flora and symbols of the region.
“Without a special attitude, nothing will work out,” Malika shares. “If you’re not in the mood, no matter how hard you try, the work doesn’t go well or the product doesn’t turn out the way it was originally intended.”
Each piece comes to life as she hammers, welds, saws and forms each piece by hand. They are works that seem to hold the entire story of how they were made.
“All my cuts, bruises, and the finger I accidentally hit with a hammer, are forgotten when I see the end result of my work. Indeed, beauty requires sacrifice,” she says.
Kyrgystan
The creative fashion studio Chapansar was founded by designer Zhumagul Sarieva in Kyrgyzstan in 2011. As creative director, Zhumagul guides the brand to create distinct chapan, the traditional outerwear of Central Asia, but with a modern interpretation. Drawing from the traditional quilted outerwear of the Kyrgyz people, Zhumagul and her team bring the elegance and versatility enriched by centuries of nomadic life into each of her garments. She shares: “We put our soul into what we produce. All products are made with a unique sewing stitch, which has been used by the Kyrgyz since ancient times.”
Their ancestors quilted chapan by hand. The distance between stitches was measured using the bir eli or eki eli method, which means “one or two fingers.” This topstitching technique gives Zhumagul’s work its distinctive style. Looking behind the scenes and into her studio, you see layers of fabrics stacked on shelves and rows of brown paper pattern pieces lining the walls just waiting to be joined in beautiful and unexpected ways.
I love that a leading principle of the work is not only fashion and the preservation of traditional clothing, but also a concern for health and the environment. By using high-quality natural fabrics and unique sewing technology, her studio creates eco-friendly designer clothing, adhering closely to the principles of slow fashion.
I’m filled with admiration for the extraordinary artisans who so graciously shared their lives and creative spaces with me through this project. These women are not just preserving traditions, but reimagining them, crafting works that resonate far beyond their borders. Their passion, ingenuity and dedication are beautifully captured in Women Artisans of Central Asia: A Lookbook Journey, where each page is a window into their world.
I encourage you to explore the lookbook and dive into the stories and craftsmanship of these talented women. Follow their work (all of them are on social media!), get a feel for their creative processes and learn more about the communities that inspire them. Through their designs and stories, you’ll discover a deeper connection to the culture and history of Central Asia — a region where artistic traditions are very much alive and evolving.
This is just the start of the journey.
Kirby Ewald of the Center’s Cultural Vitality Program contributed to this story.
♦♦♦
Women Artisans of Central Asia: A Lookbook Journey is a collaboration between USAID, the Smithsonian, and the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Commercial Law Development Program. Click here to view the lookbook.
As a continuation of the story Women Artisans of Central Asia, featured in the fall issue of WHAT Women Create, I’m excited to take you back to Central Asia, where I had the privilege of meeting three remarkable women who opened their studios, shared their work, and revealed their passions. Each of them is featured in the project Women Artisans of Central Asia: A Lookbook Journey, a bilingual print and digital publication available in both English and Russian. This lookbook, along with the accompanying workshop series, was supported by the United States Agency for International Development, the Smithsonian, and the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Commercial Law Development Program.
In collaboration with Smithsonian staff, including co-lead and project manager Ashkhen Khudaverdyan, regional partners and the Union of Artisans Kazakhstan, these women welcomed our team into their creative lives. They generously shared their artistic processes and commitment to their crafts, offering us an intimate look at how they blend tradition with innovation.
From transforming traditional chapan into international couture and sourcing lapis stones from remote corners of Central Asia, to reimagining creative spaces that celebrate the arts, these artisans are true pioneers. Drawing deeply from the cultural heritage of their homelands, they’ve channeled their creative energy into work that merges the past and present, offering thoughtful interpretations of art and craftsmanship.
Uzbekistan
Photos courtesy of Bahrom Khatamov
Lola Sayfi, a textile designer from Uzbekistan, is the founder of the brand Human Wear and the creative center Human House. In the center of Tashkent, Human House is a unique gallery and studio space where visitors can buy Central Asian art, crafts and designer clothing while participating in interdisciplinary programs. For over 20 years, Human House has been a space for creatives and creativity, and it currently partners with over 250 designers and artisans.
Lola can be found in her studio designing garments that incorporate a patchwork of traditional Uzbek fabrics with the printing of traditional symbols on the surface, and other creative expressions using traditional techniques.
I had the opportunity to ask Lola about her work as a designer, and she shared how her clothing line is inspired by national ornaments, history and the traditions of the Silk Road. As we looked through a range of her work, from traditional ikat silk weaving ornaments to hand-printed shirts, it was apparent that each of her creative endeavors works toward innovating traditional crafts and supporting the vibrant crafts community surrounding her.
Tajikistan
Ailema, the jewelry studio launched by Malika Juraeva, is a play on the name of her daughter, Amelia. As a jewelry designer based in Tajikistan, Malika takes a modern approach to traditional Tajik jewelry. Trained under renowned jeweler Dilmurod Sharipova, Malika creates one-of-a-kind pieces, including rings, earrings and pendants, from precious metals and stones. She uses replica and locally sourced natural stones with certificates of origin, including Badakhshan turquoise and lapis lazuli. Working with a range of metals, including gold and silver, Malika creates beautiful combinations of metals and stones in her large-scale jewelry pieces.
When she is in the studio, Malika prefers to work in silence. When she is left alone with her thoughts, her creativity is inspired and her work flows freely. Textiles surround her workbench, with vibrant colors and curved shapes seeming to inspire her approach to forming metal into organic shapes that suggest flora and symbols of the region.
“Without a special attitude, nothing will work out,” Malika shares. “If you’re not in the mood, no matter how hard you try, the work doesn’t go well or the product doesn’t turn out the way it was originally intended.”
Each piece comes to life as she hammers, welds, saws and forms each piece by hand. They are works that seem to hold the entire story of how they were made.
“All my cuts, bruises, and the finger I accidentally hit with a hammer, are forgotten when I see the end result of my work. Indeed, beauty requires sacrifice,” she says.
Kyrgystan
The creative fashion studio Chapansar was founded by designer Zhumagul Sarieva in Kyrgyzstan in 2011. As creative director, Zhumagul guides the brand to create distinct chapan, the traditional outerwear of Central Asia, but with a modern interpretation. Drawing from the traditional quilted outerwear of the Kyrgyz people, Zhumagul and her team bring the elegance and versatility enriched by centuries of nomadic life into each of her garments. She shares: “We put our soul into what we produce. All products are made with a unique sewing stitch, which has been used by the Kyrgyz since ancient times.”
Their ancestors quilted chapan by hand. The distance between stitches was measured using the bir eli or eki eli method, which means “one or two fingers.” This topstitching technique gives Zhumagul’s work its distinctive style. Looking behind the scenes and into her studio, you see layers of fabrics stacked on shelves and rows of brown paper pattern pieces lining the walls just waiting to be joined in beautiful and unexpected ways.
I love that a leading principle of the work is not only fashion and the preservation of traditional clothing, but also a concern for health and the environment. By using high-quality natural fabrics and unique sewing technology, her studio creates eco-friendly designer clothing, adhering closely to the principles of slow fashion.
I’m filled with admiration for the extraordinary artisans who so graciously shared their lives and creative spaces with me through this project. These women are not just preserving traditions, but reimagining them, crafting works that resonate far beyond their borders. Their passion, ingenuity and dedication are beautifully captured in Women Artisans of Central Asia: A Lookbook Journey, where each page is a window into their world.
I encourage you to explore the lookbook and dive into the stories and craftsmanship of these talented women. Follow their work (all of them are on social media!), get a feel for their creative processes and learn more about the communities that inspire them. Through their designs and stories, you’ll discover a deeper connection to the culture and history of Central Asia — a region where artistic traditions are very much alive and evolving.
This is just the start of the journey.
Kirby Ewald of the Center’s Cultural Vitality Program contributed to this story.
♦♦♦
Women Artisans of Central Asia: A Lookbook Journey is a collaboration between USAID, the Smithsonian, and the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Commercial Law Development Program. Click here to view the lookbook.
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