Favorite dish: Blini

Mila Tarabashkina has been working with textile, fashion and craft design for the past 30 years. Her mediums and influences have grown throughout the decades, but have always reflected her delicate sense of tastes that blend both ethnic and European influences. A lifelong artist, during Soviet times, Mila empowered local women while teaching "crafts classes" that taught functional and aesthetic skills. After Kyrgz independence in 1991, she successfully applied her taste and skills to the challenges of the new economic environment with her entrance into the emerging fashion industry. Recently, she made another bold transition: from entrepreneur and enabler, back to designer -- exploring new techniques, rediscovering her roots and reinterpreting Kyrgyz design traditions. Aside from mixing contemporary and folk influences, Mila's current pieces are a reflection of her own artistic evolution. They bring her fashion tastes in touch with her passion for traditional materials, techniques and images.