NYC stylist Guvanch Agajumayev is a hero of gender-fluid fashion
The Turkmenistani stylist and designer talks about creativity, storytelling, and how his childhood under an opressive authoritarian government fuelled his fashion career in New York.
This article originally appeared in COLLAGE in 2020.
In a small, boutique concept store and showroom in New York’s Soho, a new gender-fluid fashion label is making waves.
GUVANCH NYC’s one-of-a-kind pieces transform beloved staples - the suit, the evening-dress - into distinctly avant-garde yet strangely familiar silhouettes.
Meshing stern structuring with exaggerated cuts and billowing candy-floss fabrics, GUVANCH NYC’s first collection is as much art as it is style. Behind the label is Turkmenistani creative director and freelance stylist, Guvanch Agajumayev.
A self-proclaimed champion of empowerment in the fashion industry, Agajumayev’s styling projects for Saks, Vogue, Paper Magazine, Out Magazine, and Glamour, always advocate for inclusivity.
His portfolio is audacious and refreshingly creativity in combatting convention, with plenty of gender fluidity, strange props (fried eggs, for example), piercings, body paint, collage, and drag.
Though it’s tempting to assume that New York’s famously freewheeling fashion scene has shaped Agajumayev’s beautiful and riotous assault on the mundane, his work has a very different origin.
“I believe fashion has no limits and lends people the ability to be whoever they want.”
Guvanch Agajumayev
Agajumayev grew up in Turkmenistan, an ex-Soviet territory in Central Asia bordered by Iran, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Afghanistan.
The UN says the country operates under “one of the most oppressive and authoritarian governments in the world” with “an atrocious human rights record”.
Media censorship is widespread, persecution of civilians and civic representatives, rife, and 'enforced disappearances’ of those who express discontent, common.
“In my country, fashion expression is restricted by strict gender norms - but I always loved and experimented with fashion and knew it as my passion,” Agajumayev says.
“I grew up at my grandma’s watching her sew her own dresses and with my mother who wore heels when the other moms wouldn’t dare.”
Guvanch Agajumayev
“My creativity is rooted in my childhood. I grew up in a small country, where beauty was not sparkly or shiny, but rather something I had to find in the ordinary,” he says.
“I was a lucky child because I grew up at my grandma’s watching her sew her own dresses, and with my mother who wore heels when the other moms wouldn’t dare. Over the years, I have realized that my creativity is my power, my strength and my voice.”
Oppression breeds resistance: under the asphyxiating climate of censure Agajumayev held on to his voice.
“My creative DNA is innately resilient because in my country, creative occupations are not usually taken seriously. I had to fight for my dream,”
At 19, Guvanch moved to New York to pursue his dream of working in fashion. 6 years and an internship at Paper Magazine later, he has established a foothold in the Big Apple as a stylist and designer.
“Moving to New York was my first exposure to the world of fashion. I found my way into the mix by having a vision and working diligently but also by networking and developing relationships with people in the business,” he explains.
As he climbed the ranks, he could be more selective about his collaborations. “It’s important for me to understand and agree with the purpose of the project. Overall, I choose to work with people and companies that have similar values as mine,” he says.
A recent project for Office Magazine saw Agajumayev style the singer-songwriter Allie X in an editorial publicising her new album Cape God.
“I met Allie X a little over a year ago at a shoot for another magazine and was immediately drawn to her energy and edgy style. She has such a cool, hypnotic voice and relatable songs,” he says.
It was a good match. Agajumayev’s styling is stark and melancholy – a perfect mirror to Allie’s introspective sound.
“I love working with Allie X because she truly appreciates and supports me as a new designer and continues to reach out for custom pieces.”
It’s a different satisfaction, styling vs. designing, he says - but he enjoys combining the two when he gets the chance.
“Now, as a designer, I can make pieces specifically for a shoot if needed.”
“I try to work with like-minded creatives but also challenge myself to see other people’s perspectives.”
Guvanch Agajumayev
His favourite project to date was a shoot for Refinery 29 that featured 13 transmasculine models.
“Growing up in Turkmenistan, I never saw an openly transgender person so I was blown away by how courageous and inspiring these women were,” he says.
It’s a playful and sensuous project, shot against a cloud-spattered summer sky, drenched in a palette of turquoise-blue and seashell-white, and accompanied by interviews on what Pride Month means to the women.
The models, sporting playfully long flicks of eyeliner and peachy eyeshadow are adorned in a cascade of baby-pink ruffles, chandelier earrings and faux-bridal pearls, gems and elbow-length gloves.
“After this experience, I realized how important it is for the media to make space for these women to share their stories, which is why I am dedicating my future work to uplifting and championing transgender people,” he says.
“When my art touches or resonates with someone, I feel successful, because ultimately, my goal is to impact people in a positive way.”
Guvanch Agajumayev
Agajumayev is better placed than most, with his deep personal understanding of overcoming social and political oppression, to describe the interplay between creativty and freedom.
“Fashion is one of the most powerful ways to express yourself visually and tell a story to the world,” he says. “And those stories have the power to help others.”
In that vein, Agajumayev makes space for supressed identities. In his projects, the bizarre, unusual, unheard and overlooked are made glorious.
GUVANCH NYC is a rebuttal to suppression. And, incidentally, it’s also chic as hell.