A unique collection by Italian-Haitian fashion designer Stella Jean and craftswomen from the mountains of Kyrgyzstan was presented at Milan Fashion Week. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) reports.
The collaboration is reportedly supported by FAO through its Women’s Committee and the Mountain Partnership Products initiative, a global branding scheme promoting products from small-scale producers in mountain areas.
Stella Jean, a champion of ethical fashion, partnered with the Mountain Partnership Products initiative after being introduced by the FAO Women’s Committee to the work of the Kyrgyz women from Barskoon, a settlement at 1,750 meters elevation in the northeast of the country.
«When I saw all that beauty, the richness of the colors, the symbology, the history behind this culture, I was blown away,» Jean said. «These women are custodians of a naturally circular economy, totally equitable, and with the lowest environmental impact.»
Working with a local designer based in Bishkek, she came up with a capsule collection of five pieces featuring Kyrgyz embroidery in felt work - an integral part of Kyrgyz culture.
