SHAPING THE FUTURE OF FASHION: MOSCOW FASHION WEEK OPENS ITS DOORS TO EMERGING NAMES
From the 26th September to the 1st October 2026, Moscow Fashion Week will continue the autumn calendar of the world’s major fashion weeks. During this period, Moscow Fashion Week will bring together more than 200 brands from around the globe to showcase their collections.
This season’s participants represent almost every single continent. Among the international participants are such brands as KikoRomeo (Kenya), Miguel Llopis (Spain), Limak by Kamil (Sri Lanka), Nohad Al Samarrie with The Black Crown Label (UK), a collective show by Gökhan Yavaş and Murat Aytulum (Türkiye), as well as designers from China, Nicaragua, the US and other countries. Russian fashion will be represented on the runway by well-known brands such as Gapanovich, Masterpeace, Unke, IgorGulyaev, Li Lab, Surovaya and others.
South Africa’s fashion industry is currently seeing significant growth, with a younger generation of consumers increasingly choosing local brands with a distinctive identity, many of which are already gaining international recognition. At the same time, the industry faces challenging conditions, with low-cost imports, limited access to international buyers and a lack of funding holding back the growth of even well-established brands. Meanwhile, South Africa is the largest fashion market in Southern Africa: according to industry estimates, the country’s clothing and footwear retail market was valued at around R235 Billion in 2025 and could grow to nearly R317 Billion by 2030. Against this backdrop, access to international buyers and new sales channels is becoming increasingly important for the growth of African designers.
Moscow Fashion Week has developed a comprehensive infrastructure for emerging brands, connecting them with industry professionals, buyers and consumers. Runway shows in Moscow are complemented by the Showroom for meetings with buyers, while the Pop-Up Shop provides access to a broader consumer audience, with the Business Program and World Fashion Shorts film festival giving their participants greater media visibility. Each season, Moscow introduces new names from around the world and creates opportunities for their growth and promotion.
Stephen Manzini, Founder and CEO of Soweto Fashion Week and President of South African Fashion Association (South Africa) and a frequent guest at Moscow Fashion Week, sees many similarities between the ambitions of Russian and South African fashion, “I think both Johannesburg and Moscow share a strong sense of identity. Designers in both cities are driven by passion; they tell stories through fabric, culture, and emotion. There’s also this hunger to be seen, to redefine how the world perceives fashion from our regions. We both celebrate where we come from while reaching for the future.”
Mmantlha Sankoloba, CEO of Botswana Exporters and Manufacturers Association (Botswana), speaks about what participation in Moscow Fashion Week can offer brands from fast-growing markets, “Participation in events such as Moscow Fashion Week provides an important platform to accelerate this journey. It offers designers the opportunity to showcase their collections to international buyers, retailers, media and investors while building relationships with global fashion stakeholders.”
Both Mmantlha Sankoloba and Stephen Manzini will also come to Moscow to attend the BRICS+ Fashion Summit – the Fashion Business Forum of Fast-Growing Economies, which will be held from 28-30 September 2026. Its agenda focuses on entering new markets, attracting investment, sustainable production and the role of artificial intelligence. Other heads of fashion industry organisations from across the continent will also represent Africa at the forum, including Mustafa Hassanali, Chairman of Swahili Fashion Week (Tanzania); Emmanuel Muchindu Miyoba, Director of Lusaka Fashion Weekend (Zambia); Anis Montacer, Founder and CEO of Tunis Fashion Week (Tunisia); Rick Anderson, CEO, Founder and Director of Mauritius Fashion Festival Week (Mauritius); Kalistu Ramos Mukoroli, Director, MTC Windhoek Fashion Week (Namibia), who has participated in the program for several years.
Kalistu believes that “What makes the Summit especially valuable is that it goes beyond runway presentations. It brings together designers, fashion-week organisers, retailers, policymakers, investors, educators, technology companies and other industry leaders to discuss the practical issues shaping the future of fashion.”
