Dappled thighs reverberate down the runway, their young owners blissfully unaware of the stigma attached to fashion models with cellulite in other parts of the world. These young women clearly had spent more time watching Baku’s basic cable staple “Fashion TV” than hitting the gym.
With an economy fueled by oil riches from the Caspian Sea, a dictator who keeps a tight rein on things and thuggish neighbors to the North, South and West, Azerbaijan is becoming known as the oasis between Iran and Chechnya. Baku, its booming capital city, perches on the southern lip of the Absheron peninsula like a gray canker.
Modeling, and the fashion industry that depends on it, are nascent in Azerbaijan. But as the riches pour in, demand for extravagant designer fashion among those with more money than taste is surging. Baku recently hosted The Best Model of Azerbaijan competition, which pitted 30 model wannabes between the ages of 15 and 25 against each other for the chance to move on the clumsily-named The Best Model of the World competition in Istanbul, Turkey.
The Mosaika Collection
