“Nothing occurs at the whim of a designer declaring something as trendy for the day: fashion is a looking glass for social changes and political events.”
Words by Malika Athey. Portrait by Michael Karnushkin.
With an impressive fifteen years at Harper’s BAZAAR Kazakhstan, seven of which as Editor-in-Chief, Larissa Azanova does not reflect on her stellar career in ‘I-me-mine’ terms. She is far more interested in the transformative evolution of the Kazakhstani fashion industry. “Less than a decade ago, we’d use syndications, while these days our editorial team’s work is based entirely on our cultural heritage. It is a nationwide need for celebrating our identity. The focus has shifted inside our own country, and what is happening in Kazakh fashion is a new wave.”
Azanova plays an essential role not only in capturing – and thus, solidifying – this pivotal process, but also in recognizing talent and letting it flourish. Having the best kind of approach, a laissez-faire one, she will find new voices, and then she’ll let them speak for themselves. She knows the power of top-tier media, and she uses it as a human rights platform first and foremost.
Even on her personal Instagram page, she has three major covers pinned: a painted cover by Indira Elif Badambayeva, dedicated to Қанды Қаңтар, the tragic set of events of January 2022, a 2020 issue dedicated to Ұят–shaming culture that Kazakh feminists fight against, covered by transgender model Teddy Quinlivan and shot by PJ Lam, and an issue dedicated to drag queens that was shot by Roman Varlamov. “I was fully prepared it would become my last issue ever. But it was huge, and a collector’s piece now.”
None of these bold choices would have been possible if it hadn’t been for the first one she had made, back in her final year in college. “I was sitting in a cafe with a friend, and he asked me, ‘Who would you truly want to be?’ I felt awkward saying it aloud, but I admitted that since childhood, I’ve been dreaming of working for a fashion magazine.” Her friend then suggested she reach out to one. To Azanova’s surprise, she got a reply, and eventually, a contributor position later turned into an editorial one. “I grew up in a working-class area of an industrial city. I’d sew my own clothes and I’d make my own accessories. Fashion felt unattainable, akin to space travel. If not for my friend’s advice, I would never have dared to knock on that door.”
Now a regular at global luxury events, Azanova is frequently spotted wearing cool Kazakh brands – WeNera, Ainur Turisbek, Malli, Zherebtsov and Aida Kaumenova to name a few. The list grows with new designers reinterpreting the rich Kazakh heritage. This artistic bloom doesn’t come without a challenge – there’s a shortage of factories for instance, a Soviet legacy from when Kazakhstan was exploited for its natural resources, skilled tailors and budgets. What makes it all viable, according to Azanova, is collective support. “We are in this together. Kazakh designers, models, photographers, artists, musicians, film industry workers, glossy magazines, we are mutually committed.” She’ll joke about her degree in philosophy (‘inherently unhirable’), and yet it is her philosophy – her ethics and her credo – that make Larissa Azanova a true visionary force.
Discover this piece inside the Central Asia Chapter at The Silk Road Issue 12
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