“My biggest dream and goal is to introduce Miras to the world”

22.08.2021

In her interview to Klass, famous Azerbaijani businesswoman and artist Nigar Helmi spoke about the success of Bee Goddess and the journey of her luxury jewelry brand Miras (Heritage).

Nigar Helmi has undertaken a new and different initiative in the jewelry sector with her jewelry brand Miras, the Azerbaijani distributor of Bee Goddess, which is a world-renowned brand widespread in the most prestigious locations around the globe. She has crowned her success with the Entrepreneurial Business Woman of the Year Award at the International Golden Palm Awards Ceremony.

Nigar Helmi aims at introducing the Azerbaijani brand to the world’s jewelry market with her Miras-i Karabakh collection, which reflects the culture and history of Azerbaijan. Using unique designs and symbols, this collection describes the liberation of Karabakh. Nigar Helmi is also an artist.

We interviewed her for our Klass readers to get an insight into her life as an entrepreneur and to learn what the Entrepreneurial Business Woman of the Year Award means to her. We also asked her about the brand Bee Goddess, which has already been a focus in Azerbaijan, and the Miras-i Karabakh collection, which holds a special meaning.

- Nigar, you won the Entrepreneurial Business Woman of the Year Award at the International Golden Palm Awards Ceremony. So, what were your feelings when you stepped out onto the stage to receive the award?

- Well, I went onstage to receive the award with a feeling of great pride. You know, it is a great deal of happiness and encouraging when your hard work is rewarded. As for everyone else in the world, 2020 and 2021 were very challenging years for me, too. I tried to turn the lockdown days into an advantage for myself, and for 11 months I isolated myself in the studio to prepare for my solo exhibition.

- In addition to being an artist, you are also known for your entrepreneurial activity. How did you come up with the idea of ​​going into business?

- After I received my third university degree in 2006, we established a family business to provide services in the field of event and décor management in the same year. For 12 years, we were working tirelessly and completed outstanding projects; we were engaged in conferences, weddings, and various parties, alongside the event management for both private and state companies. Since I have artistic leanings, I was involved in all the conceptual designs in our company. But when my kids were accepted into the American International School, TASIS, in London, my business life quickly climbed into the back seat, and there was an intense period of me regularly traveling back and forth between Baku and London.

But I never quitted painting and neither had I lost my interest in art. I was back to my entrepreneurial business when one of my sons got onto the Business Management course at the University of Westminster, while my other son was admitted to Purdue University to study Political Science in the United States. And, of course, my return was with Bee Goddess, because I loved the philosophy of this brand as one of its faithful customers. In fact, we had long been thinking about ​​opening a boutique in Baku. However, we had to postpone the project because there were ups and downs in the market. And finally, on March 1, 2019, we opened our Baku Bee Goddess boutique.

- Bee Goddess boutique has achieved great success on Aziz Aliyev Street, one the most prestigious locations in Baku. Can you share the secret of your popularity among the Azerbaijani people with us?

- Everyone in Baku loves Turkey, our fraternal country, very much. After getting to know this brand, they saw how different and stylish the products it offers are, and what a deep philosophy it has. I think that’s what makes Bee Goddess different. Moreover, how you represent the brand is also an important issue; working with the right people and determining the right marketing strategy is the most important part of the job.

- You’ve created Miras-i Karabakh, a new collection of your brand Miras (Heritage). What is the meaning of this collection?

- I’d been thinking for a long time about establishing this brand, and when I saw the injustice done to Azerbaijan by European countries during the Second Karabakh War, which lasted for 44 days under the excellent leadership of Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, I decided to put this idea into practice.

It was time to introduce an Azerbaijani brand to the world jewelry market. We established our brand in a very short period of time and dedicated our first collection to Karabakh, naming it Miras-i Karabakh. This collection was inspired by our national, historical, and cultural values. With all its grace, the Kharybyulbyul (Ophrys caucasica), the rare flower of Karabakh, in combination with bullets, tells people how difficult and proud this struggle was. The Special Forces of Azerbaijan, armed with small guns and knives, liberated the city of Shusha from its 30-year occupation by climbing rocks as high as 1,420 meters, while using wire ropes under very difficult weather conditions. Therefore, in this collection, chains and bullets symbolize the wire ropes used by the Azerbaijani Special Forces. As you may know, the tulip was the symbol of the Ottoman Empire, and hence, we also used tulips in the Miras-i Karabakh collection as a sign of our thanks to and respect for the Turkish nation.

- What kind of pieces do you have in your collection?

- The collection includes rings and earrings decorated with the Kharybyulbyul and the bullet, wired earrings, as well as necklaces and rings decorated with tulips. In the near future, we will also make a special collection for men. Moreover, the Karabakh series of oil paintings and silk shawls will be presented to complete my collection.

- What are your goals for the future in the jewelry sector?

- It is my biggest dream and goal to introduce the brand Miras to the world. I hope that by doing my best, my dream will soon become true. I’d like to introduce the brand Made in Azerbaijan, which embodies the deep civilization and historical values ​​of Azerbaijan, to the world.