The Heydar Aliev Cultural Center in Baku was one of the last great projects of super-architect Zaha Hadid

An initiative by Leyla Aliyeva, the prime cultural and artistic force in Azerbaijan, on Europe’s easternmost coast with the Caspian Sea, will set the cultural flames alight in the country’s capital

Baku, capital of Azerbaijan, on the Caspian Sea, is a unique cultural hub. Its own culture stretches back for millennia, encompassing the silk routes, fire temples, lyrical poetry in the medieval era, and some powerful contemporary and 20th century artists.

Follow LUX on Instagram: @luxthemagazine

It is also on a kind of cultural Silk Road, its position on the Caspian, close to Russia, Turkey and Iran on one side and central Asia and China on the other, leading to a constant exchange of artistic concepts.

Baku is a cultural panoply, embracing ancient temples and its old city, Belle Epoque mansions, and contemporary glamour

On the first weekend of November, it all comes together with Fly to Baku: Baku Art Weekend, featuring an astonishing panoply of visual and street arts, culture, dance, performances and exhibitions. The aim, says Aliyeva, is to connect memory with imagination, heritage with innovation, and hearts with hope.

Read more: Spirit Now London acquires works for National Portrait Gallery at Frieze

Guided by the element of water — a symbol of continuity, renewal, and shared memory — the festival unfolds across Baku’s museums, palaces, and public spaces. Over three days, the city becomes the central character of a cultural journey where heritage meets innovation, and where the Caspian horizon reflects both tradition and the future.

Baku Art Weekend takes place at sites across the cosmopolitan Caspian city, from concert halls and theatres to open-air venues

Exhibitions and performances will take place in museums, concert halls, outdoor spaces and the city’s celebrated Boulevard, the crescent-shaped seafront boardwalk that defines its relationship with the sea.

Baku, at the heart of a thriving country that is at once young and ancient, has the cultural soul, the confidence and the sheer creativity to make this the start of something very special – and also the continuation of a centuries-old tradition.

bakuartweekend.az

Atelier Zuhra’s latest collection “The Immaculate Flight of the Phoenix” showcased at London Fashion Week over the weekend. Image by Daniel John Cotton @cottonphotographer

Rayan Al Sulaimani is the female entrepreneur behind the growing couture fashion house Atelier Zuhra. Since its launch in 2015, Atelier Zuhra has had a growing presence on Hollywood’s red carpet. Following the launch of her latest collection at London Fashion Week, Emma Marnell speaks to the designer about fairytale dresses, timeless couture and her cultural heritage

Rayan Al Sulaimani

1. The brand is named after your grandmother – has she always been a style inspiration for you?

My grandmother Zuhra is a strong Omani woman with a great passion for living life to the fullest. Yes indeed, she has always been a style inspiration, but eventually through the years I have also developed my own unique sense of style.

Follow LUX on Instagram: luxthemagazine

2. What led you to focus on evening wear and specifically, show-stopping dresses?

From a young age, it has always been my dream to dress celebrities for big red-carpet events in a fairytale like Cinderella gown or to dress a bride at her wedding and help her dreams come true. Hence, from the very beginning we have always focused on creating show-stopping dresses.

Atelier Zuhra’s LFW 2020 collection. Image by Garry Carbon @becauseimgarry

3. Can you talk us through the inspiration behind your LFW collection?

The collection is called “The Immaculate Flight of the Phoenix”.

In mythology the phoenix is a powerful bird which cyclically regenerates and is continually reborn over and over again in human legend and imagination. In the same way, this symbolises the beauty of ethereal everlasting couture as this immaculate bird represents the idea that the end is only ever the beginning.

Read more: Vik Muniz’s photography series for Ruinart

The LFW collection entwines beautiful tailoring with modern innovation and couture. The collection is brilliantly coloured in black and grey to represent the ashes of the phoenix. Contrastingly, its eyes are blue and shine like sapphires. Whereas the lilac and other ethereal playful colours are associated with the rising sun and fire, illuminating in the sky. Everything we have created in this collection is emphatically elegant and impeccably designed so that it looks like it would feel delightful to wear and to walk in.

Backstage at Atelier Zuhra’s LFW 2020 show. Image by Daniel John Cotton @cottonphotographer

4. How are your designs influenced by your cultural heritage?

Middle Eastern culture has definitely been a source of inspiration for all of our creations. Being born and brought up here [in Oman], I have grown up as a part of this beautiful culture, and knowingly or unknowingly it is somehow reflected in my designs. I would say the Middle Eastern influences are most recognisable in the silhouettes that we work with.

Atelier Zuhra LFW 2020. Image by Image by Daniel John Cotton @cottonphotographer

5. When you’re dressing down, what’s your go to outfit?

My personal style is very classic and chic.

6. Who would be your dream to dress for the red carpet?

Angelina Jolie, Blake Lively, the Kardashians and Scarlett Johansson.

Discover the collections: atelier-zuhra.com