Fidan Novruzova, a Moldovan designer based in Paris, has built a fashion label that blends futuristic shapes, sharp tailoring, and personal cultural references into pieces that feel both experimental and wearable. Her path began at Central Saint Martins in London, where her 2019 thesis collection was originally meant to serve as a portfolio for jobs at major heritage fashion houses. Instead, the collection attracted immediate attention from buyers and private clients, including model Bella Hadid, who purchased Novruzova’s sculptural “Havva” boots through Instagram. Within a year of graduating, and after only a Burberry internship, Novruzova launched her own brand.
Now 31, Novruzova presented her 11th collection in March during a cocktail event at her Paris showroom. For fall 2026, she looked to the vivid colors and self-fashioned glamour of 20th-century Polish painter Tamara de Lempicka, whose work influenced the palette of scarlets, emeralds, and teals. Like Lempicka’s portraits, Novruzova’s designs reflect a strong sense of authorship and control. The collection featured drop-waist trenches, leather bombers with tuxedo-style lapels, boleros with architectural collars, exaggerated polo shirts, and riding trousers tucked into over-the-knee versions of the Havva boot. While the clothes still carry the futuristic edge that first defined her work, Novruzova says they are now designed to fit into a modern woman’s wardrobe.
Novruzova grew up in Chisinau, the capital of Moldova, in a family of Azerbaijani heritage. Though she had little direct exposure to the fashion world growing up, she immersed herself in fashion online as a teenager and discovered the work of designers such as Azzedine Alaïa and Yohji Yamamoto. Her mother encouraged an appreciation for dressing well, and her heritage continues to shape her brand’s identity. Her original logo was a pomegranate, a symbol of prosperity in the South Caucasus, and her first collection drew inspiration from 1970s Azerbaijani starlets. One early dress was made of raffia crocheted to resemble wild rue, based on a folk belief passed down through her mother and grandmother.
The designer’s process begins with materials rather than sketches. She sources fabric from Italy and leather from Istanbul, while production remains centered in Chisinau, where she works closely with the same family of shoemakers who created the first Havva boot. Novruzova says sustainability, for her, is about longevity and versatility rather than trends or recycled materials alone. She wants clothes that remain relevant over time.
Six years after launching, the brand is growing steadily. Novruzova was a semifinalist for the 2024 LVMH Prize, becoming the first Moldovan designer ever nominated. She has also expanded into footwear and collaborated with Asics on a reworked Gel-Cumulus 16 sneaker. Looking ahead, she says she wants to keep evolving without abandoning her style, insisting that she never wants to be boxed in.
