The project has been funded with support from the European Union.

For the first time members of EUNIC (European Union National Institutes for Culture) – the British Council, Goethe-Institute, Institutul Cultural Român, the Danish Cultural Institute, and the Czech Centres will implement a joint project in Armenia. The partner in Armenia is the Armenian Fashion Council.

Programme structure and dates

The following activities will be organised through the project:

			Five fashion designers will be selected in Armenia and one from each participating European country.
			International seminar will be launched in May 2011 with the participation of fashion designers and experts from the European countries and Armenia. The seminar will be followed by the master classes organised for design students and young professionals.
			Residencies will be organised for the European designers in Armenia. Armenian designers will be paired with the designers from the European countries and visit corresponding European countries for their residencies.
			Each pair will work collaboratively to produce 4 pieces for the general collection of the project (overall 20 pieces) reflecting the cultural heritage of Armenia and the European countries in their art works.
			An exhibition will be developed to showcase the collection of the designers which will tour in Armenia and in 5 European countries.

Candidate Profile

The British Council wishes to recruit high-flying mid-career fashion designers who have creative mind and bright imagination, are interested in cultural heritage and incorporation of national traditions in fashion design, and are open to cross-cultural cooperation and collaborative work. The applicants should be eager to continue developing their career in fashion design.

The main selection criteria include:

			Mid-career professionals
			Degree in arts and/or fashion
			Participation in vocational training courses in or outside Armenia
			Minimum 2-3 years of work experience and MUST be in the fashion design field at the moment of application
			Established portfolio including ready made cloths as well as including some works incorporating cultural/ethnic elements (not necessarily Armenian)
			Intermediate level of English
			Clear understanding of the fashion design field, trends and developments
			Good team players with a desire to work with and learn from other participants
			Able to commit 2 years to the project

The following criteria are not required but will be an asset:

			Participation in collaborative projects/initiatives
			International experience
			Participation in fashion design contests, shows, festivals
			Good presentation skills and confidence in speaking and presenting themselves
			Basic IT skills and ability to communicate by e-mail and social networks

How to Apply

The deadline for submitting the application package is 28th December 2010 (by 17:00). Please check the British Council website for working days and hours if you would like to visit us. Please NOTE that late and incomplete applications will not be considered.

The application form (MS Word file) you can download from here.

The full application package should include:

			Application form completed in English only (please send the electronic copy to the British Council through fashion.road@britishcouncil.am and submit the hard copy with the original signature along with the supporting documents)
			Recent passport size photo attached to the application form
			Copies of diplomas/certificates/awards
			Evidence of participation in fashion events (if applicable)
			Three to five copies of samples from the portfolio, ideally demonstrating the use of ethnic and national elements in the design

Shortlisted candidates will be invited for interview in English in mid-January.

Final selection of candidates will be concluded by the end of January 2011.

Please send all the enquiries to Hermine Grigoryan.

“Fashion Road: Dialogue across Borders” is a two year collaborative project through which fashion designers from Armenia and Europe will look into the past for ideas and inspiration. They will study traditional costumes of Armenia, UK, Germany, Romania, Denmark and Czech Republic, explore the role of those costumes in contemporary society, and how people associate those costume with their national identity and heritage. Key to this project will be for the designers to view clothing in a cultural context and use modern technologies and approaches to present their interpretation of the countries’ culture and identity.

The British Council has already started the recruitment of the Armenian fashion designers. Armenian designers will be selected through an open competition on merit bases. You can find information about the selection criteria and processes here.

The project will be officially launched in May with an international seminar followed by the residency programmes in Armenia for the European designers and in Europe for the Armenian designers. The designers will be paired to work together to prepare their collections which will contextualise the cultural heritage, values and traditions of the participating countries which they explored during their residencies. The collection will be put into an exhibition which will be launched in Yerevan and tour in 4 regions of Armenia and in the participating European countries.

The collection prepared by the designers will raise understanding and appreciation of European cultural values and identity among the Armenian public as well as the Armenian cultural history and heritage among Europeans. It will also serve as a forum for discussions about the importance of cross-cultural cooperation and exchange as well as the fusion of cultural traditions and heritage with modern trends and technological developments for more creative and innovative approaches in fashion.

The project received the support of the European Union through the Culture Fund.

For the first time members of EUNIC (European Union National Institutes for Culture) – the British Council, Goethe-Institute, Institutul Cultural Român, the Danish Cultural Institute, the Czech Centres will implement a joint project in Armenia. The partner in Armenia is the Armenian Fashion Council.

Since the launch of her first collection in 2002, she has worked as free lance designer for brands like Calvin Klein, Liz Claiborne, DKNY Jeans, Ralph Lauren, Victoria Royal, Vera/Vera Wang and many other world known companies.

Today she has her own company Tamara Pogosian LLC, based in NY and continues to bring her designs into life. As she said once at one of her interviews: «I had wanted to be part of this world, the “fashion world” since I was 12-years-old….. I hope that I will have the opportunity to dress more women & men worldwide because I am as passionate about designing as I was when I first started».

Tamara’s  works have been featured in many world known magazines and publications so far. Her spring-summer 2009 collection presented in NY was another proof of her talent and successful cooperation with a prestigious company Porsche.

Designer: Tamara Pogosian
Makeup: Diana Manzanares
Hair: Gianina Contin
Photographer: Christel Bangsgaard

see photos at StyleBlog.am

more pictures at StyleBlog.am

In celebration of this decade in fashion AnOther Magazine has paired the most influential designers with fashion’s finest accomplices; the actresses, models, musicians and muses who inspire with their sense of style and the power of their image. The fashion houses granted AnOther Magazine personal access to their archives and the fashion editors carefully paired each icon with a look by one designer from the past 10 years. Two portfolios by Craig McDean and Hedi Slimane were co-ordinated over 18 months, with shoots in Paris, London, New York and Los Angeles, involving thousands of conversations between hundreds of people around the world. Inside the magazine, Susannah Frankel reflects on the collections, creative minds and cultural events that shaped the current fashion landscape and asks: what’s next? by DzedDigita.

more photos at StyleBlog.am

“My YRB Magazine shoot just came out and I am loving the results! I love the photog, Mike Ruiz, and my stylist Darius Baptist was amazing! The always wonderful Troy Jensen did my makeup!! This shoot was done the day I left for Africa. I really love the transformation and the clothes were amazing!!! This has got to be one of the most unique shoots I’ve ever done! Not sure I’ll ever go for a permanent short cut, but it definitely works for this shoot.”