If Milan is charming, Paris loves elegance and London prefers casual style, what input could Baku possibly add to the holy trinity of fashion capitals? It appears to be a question left unanswered, but the city’s fashion industry is booming.

Designer Fidan Novruzova, whose signature square-toe boots and futuristic clothing now reach A-listers, including Bella Hadid, Kendall Jenner and FKA Twigs, took her first steps in Moldova. "I discovered images and video recordings of these beautiful Azerbaijani singers from the late '70s, and I was so mesmerized by their grace, hairstyles, outfits, sets, the instrumental music within their performances, and just the general entourage, which heavily inspired my first collection," she said in an interview.

Azerbaijani fashion designer Rufat Ismayil is part of a crop of talented designers pushing Azerbaijan's fashion industry on the international fashion map. The Baku-born fashion designer has caught the attention of fashion-forward celebrities, including Adele, Jennifer Lopez, Paula Abdul and Tyra Banks.

Today many young designers are looking for alternative ways of breaking into the industry while getting inspiration from the centuries-old traditions of Azerbaijani fabrics and putting a chic 21st-century twist on them. Baku’s fashion scene is still young, where fashionistas are known for their attraction to new clothes over old ones.

Despite opportunities abroad, some Azerbaijani fashion designers prefer to stay in Baku to experiment and seek novelty. However, the decision to stay close to home is not always straightforward.

In the Soviet era, fashion was controlled and faced some restrictions, while fashion designers suffered from a lack of accessories. Azerbaijanis never completely submitted to those policies – highlighted by the content of many of the country’s music videos and movies of the late Soviet period. After the Soviet Union’s fall, Azerbaijan’s manufacturing infrastructure was decaying and faced many challenges.

After Azerbaijani and Turkish entrepreneurs began restoring old factories in the early 2000s, amid a government drive for private investment, some Soviet-made infrastructure reemerged to stock local and export clothing markets.

The self-dependent boldness is prevalent in Baku’s cosmopolitan flair. Baku often sets the trends that the region follows. Fashion-conscious city dwellers in trench coats, black leather jackets, silk scarves, and navy and tailored trousers pepper Baku’s central streets, taking inspiration from the country’s ruling elite and more laid-back Generation Z.

"Azerbaijan is at the crossroads of Europe and Asia so the geography influences the local fashion scene," said Sabina Badalova, the 44-year-old general manager of Azeripek, an employee-apparel factory.

Azerbaijani women once were stereotyped as wearing mostly basic, red dresses. The collections shown at this year’s Azerbaijan Fashion Week were anything but plain, ranging from Aygun Zeynalova’s summer-hued kimonos to Natavan Aliyeva’s silk suits with fiery Buta-pattern. Materials ranged from cotton to wool, linen, and bamboo fiber.

"Azerbaijani fashion is on the rise because there are good prospects for young and promising fashion designers," Natavan Aliyeva says.

Designer brands with higher price tags have a tough time getting a foothold in the Azerbaijani market, where most consumers have limited spending power. Some specialists note that the Azerbaijani youth in recent years have started to show more interest in works by local fashion designers to look unique. In recent years, the fashion industry has started to become more inclusive to customers with disabilities as well.

The country’s fashion scene remains small-scale, and fashion experts and designers agree that Baku would benefit from more visibility, alongside a partnership with the manufacturing industry to meet shoppers’ demands. But the biggest barrier for the Azerbaijani fashion industry is securing funds to sustain growth. The government keeps emphasizing textile manufacturing for investment but retains no information on the country’s vibrant fashion sector.

"After the pandemic, everyone was searching for sunshine and comfort and Baku offers so much of both," says Ramina Rzayeva, a 23-year-old Paris-educated fashion blogger. In the past, it was a sign of prestige for Azerbaijanis to visit overseas and bring back dresses from global fashion capitals as a sign of status since local designers were viewed as "not good enough," she adds. According to Rzayeva, now major European brands like ASOS and COS are sending fashion scouts to Azerbaijan for inspiration, fuelling optimism in the country’s young designers.