Runway
ZhSaken showcased a powerful ode to Kazakh national traditions and symbols, fusing traditional Kazakh attire with modern, avant-garde silhouettes, creating garments that are both an homage to ancestry and relevant to contemporary street style.
Updated 01:07 pm EDT, October 20, 2025
Published 01:06 pm EDT, October 19, 2025
Photo Courtesy: Visa Fashion Week Almaty
Photos: Epov Timur
ZhSaken showcased a powerful ode to Kazakh national traditions and symbols, fusing traditional Kazakh attire with modern, avant-garde silhouettes, creating garments that are both an homage to ancestry and relevant to contemporary street style.
Updated 01:07 pm EDT, October 20, 2025
Published 01:06 pm EDT, October 19, 2025
Photo Courtesy: Visa Fashion Week Almaty
Photos: Epov Timur
Saken Zhaksybayev is the name behind ZhSaken, a brand that pays tribute to its Kazakh roots with every creation. In this edition of Visa Fashion Week Almaty, his proposal stands as an ode to national traditions and symbols. The brand has a background deeply rooted in the fusion of contemporary aesthetics with traditional codes, creating garments that not only pay homage to the roots but also fit seamlessly within Kazakhstan’s current fashion landscape.
In the past, the label has collaborated with other designers such as Akmaral Zharaskyzy, creating pieces inspired by Japanese culture, its paintings, traditional kimonos, and other key elements. Thus laying the groundwork for future collections, collaborations, and creative paths for the brand, I feel like it serves as a way of expressing the designer’s deep love and appreciation for traditional cultural codes, and of highlighting how important it is to give them visibility within today’s fashion scenery.
In this Visa FW edition, the concept of the collection was based on the reinterpretation and adaptation of the designer’s influences. The proposal combines distinctive elements of traditional Kazakh attire with modern silhouettes and design techniques, creating garments that preserve the spirit of the ancestors while adapting to today’s lifestyle.
To achieve all of this, the show opened with a model wearing a contemporary reinterpretation of the traditional Kazakh male costume, imbued with strong symbolic and ceremonial significance. He wore a long chapan-style coat crafted from deep burgundy velvet, one of the most noble and characteristic fabrics of traditional attire. All eyes are drawn directly to his coat, richly embroidered with golden threads forming geometric and floral patterns along the edges, sleeves, and hem, evoking typical Kazakh motifs symbolizing protection and prosperity.
The look is completed with a wide-brimmed, conical hat matching the coat, equally adorned with golden motifs. This piece, inspired by ancient Kazakh ceremonial headwear, adds an almost theatrical air, transforming the ensemble into a statement of cultural pride and elegance.
Following this male model came a female model wearing a similarly inspired reinterpretation of the traditional female costume, followed by two more women’s designs imbued with a traditional richness that truly takes the breath away.
From there, the rest of the collection serves as a perfect reflection of what can be considered avant-garde fashion, while still honoring and respecting the reality of the streets. Neutral colors intertwined with traditional fabrics give each model, and each body, the presence they need on the runway, creating a whole that speaks of power, courage, respect, and a deep appreciation for those who came before.
With his work, ZhSaken seeks to demonstrate, and bring back into relevance, the idea that traditions are not merely history, but a solid and comforting foundation for facing the future. And this is a notion that often reaches younger generations in a diluted form, only for them to truly recognize its value with time and age.
The brand’s pieces allow everyday people to incorporate national motifs into their daily lives, staying connected to their roots and actually feeling part of their culture through fashion. This new collection stands as a symbol of respect for cultural heritage, while also inviting us to view traditional attire as a source of inspiration for contemporary style.
Lucía holds a master’s degree in communication management, specializing in fashion and luxury marketing. With a profound appreciation for art, fashion, and history, she has discovered her vocation in fashion journalism. Currently, she dedicates her efforts to this field in her early twenties, residing in the dynamic city of Madrid.
Get the latest fashion, culture, and art updates, including magazine releases release parties
Sponsored Content
