Among the hordes of Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Tbilisi show-goers dressed in all-black-and-gray outfits and linear silhouettes (a classically Georgian look), Irma Sharikadze stands out as a dead ringer for Frida Kahlo. By accenting her deep gaze, elegantly prominent nose, and square-cut cheekbones, the designer, photographer, and artist is one of the most colorfully dressed characters in Georgia. Her daily uniform is a mélange of hues, including a mix of her own designs such as her signature silk embroidered robes in citrine and turquoise, as well as custom traditional Georgian garb, like a chokha, a men’s wool coat with ornamental cartridge holders, all accessorized with silver Dagestani or beaded necklaces. Sharikadze’s obsession with a vibrant palette began as a young child. “I was dreaming of becoming an actress, like every girl’s dream,” she says. “I was always trying to be on the stage and wear a beautiful dress.” The style took on a greater role in the designer’s life as a source of happiness during the early ’90s, when the Soviet Union fell and her country experienced a civil war. “In Georgia, there are not enough colors. And it wasn’t always like that, because the national Georgian costume was very colorful, but there is this dark ’90s and post-Soviet culture that was very difficult—socially, mentally, physically,” she says. “Dark colors somehow became the tradition, but I want to change this.” Sharikadze is changing the look of Georgia not just in her own wardrobe but in her collections. She is known for the theatrical aspect of her fashion shows, in which she uses groups of tango dancers or actors to “perform” her clothing. After working on a project for Georgia’s edition of National Geographic featuring Georgian gypsy families, Sharikadze has been infusing a bit of the rich nomadic aesthetic into her own look. It’s also the theme for her Spring 2017 collection. “The message is that ‘I am a gypsy,’” she says. “Even if it looks a little bit like Frida Kahlo in a gypsy style!”  

The post Meet the Frida Kahlo Look-Alike Shaking Up Fashion in Tbilisi, Georgia appeared first on Vogue.