Notes from the British Council Uzbekistan team diary

October 23-28 2011. Art Week StyleUz. 5000 visitors attend the British Council ‘’Cultural Heritage and the Making of Contemporary Fashion exhibition that celebrates the work of the UK’s leading fashion designers such as Paul Smith, Vivienne Westwood, Hussein Chalayan, Peter Jensen, Sophia Kokosalaki, Marios Schwab and Osman Yousefzada.

The key words in visitors’ comments: amazing, what a fusion of national and international, cultural heritage looks so contemporary, interesting, unusual, learning experience, creativity, innovation, partnership, friendship.

October 22. The ’’Success Stories’’ documentary talking about career prospects and success stories in fashion and design produced (In co-operation with the Youth Employment Centre, 18 mln to view).

October 23. 40 students of arts and textile colleges and institutes take part in the Final of the competition: How I see the fusion of cultures in fashion’’.

The 1st prize winner, Dildora Olimova: ‘’I am delighted that my portfolio was chosen as the best. I am so happy and proud that I was able to apply what I learnt though the exciting Skills for Employability project between my college and the college in the UK’’.

October 23: 24 well established and emerging Uzbek designers attend a new taster Course by London College of Fashion: «Entrepreneurship, Business Start-up and Fashion Marketing».

October 23: More than 300 students take part in the Exclusive master-class from London College of Fashion: «Combining National Tradition and Modern Trends in Fashion».

October 24: 200 participants attend the UK-Uzbekistan «Business and Women» Forum. Phillipa Watkins from the Royal College of Arts shares her experience of working with uzbek weavers under the British Council project to make national textiles more appealing to international audience.

October 25:  40 participants, key stakeholders take part in the ‘’Encouraging closer links between education and creative industries’’ Round Table facilitated by British Council, LcF and Tashkent Textile Institute. A working group formed to work out further steps to address employer engagement agendas.

October 28: A round up and action planning meeting of Uzbek and UK participants of the Week. The goals and expected outcomes of a new project to develop university enterprise and internationalize HE agreed. Next TEMPUS deadline is February 2012.

One of our key contacts said: ‘’You [the British Council] never just take part, you make a difference”.