As the global fashion market continues to see modest growth, demand is increasingly shifting towards Asia, Latin America, Africa, and the Middle East. BRICS+ Fashion Summit, the largest international forum for fast-growing economies, will bring together representatives of major businesses, heads of fashion associations, entrepreneurs, industry organisations, manufacturers, and retailers in Moscow from September 28 to 30. Last season, the large-scale Summit welcomed 15,000 guests from 65 countries.
The Route After the Summit
For many international industry experts and entrepreneurs, a key reason to take part in BRICS+ Fashion Summit is access to fast-growing markets that account for a significant share of global consumption. For manufacturers and brands, the Summit provides access to buyers and distributors across several countries at once; for organisers of industry events, it creates opportunities to meet in a professional environment where international partnerships and joint programs take shape.
Shirene Rifai, Founder and CEO of Jordan Fashion Week, will return to the Summit this year. Following her participation in BRICS+ Fashion Summit in 2025, she was invited to speak at Noir Fashion Week in the US and began discussions with the heads of other fashion weeks about hosting their designers in national pavilions as part of Jordan Fashion Week. In addition, Shirene is preparing to present the work of a designer she met at the Summit at Paris Couture Week. “For me, that’s the true value of the BRICS+ Fashion Summit. It doesn’t end when the event ends. It changes the way you think,” she says.
For Mmantlha Sankoloba, CEO of Botswana Exporters and Manufacturers Association, a connection made in Moscow led to negotiations over representing Botswana-based brand House of Ditso in the Russian and CIS markets. “This potential partnership reflects exactly what the BRICS+ Fashion Summit is designed to achieve by connecting emerging brands with global markets through meaningful business relationships,” she comments.
Following the BRICS+ Fashion Summit, Tokhir Ibragimov, CEO of Tajikistan Fashion Week, invited Russian designer Igor Gulyaev and Turkish designer Emre Erdemoğlu to participate in Tajikistan Fashion Week. According to him, over the past ten years, the number of professional designers in Tajikistan has grown from two to more than 36, with some already operating on a commercial scale. This makes them particularly interested in the international visibility that new partnerships formed at the Summit can provide.
Kalistu Ramos Mukoroli, Director of MTC Windhoek Fashion Week, says that discussions with Swahili Fashion Week, Nairobi Fashion Week, and Abrynz Fashion Awards on designer exchanges have reached an advanced stage. These examples point to a clear pattern: BRICS+ Fashion Summit is becoming a catalyst for launching joint projects between participants from different countries.
What’s on the Agenda for September
The BRICS+ Fashion Summit program, which will bring together more than 200 speakers, focuses on the issues shaping growth strategies for fashion industries in fast-growing economies: where to find customers, how to integrate into new supply chains, and how to build a brand in the competitive landscape of the next decade. Buyers will have a dedicated session on scouting local brands; brands will discuss how to get on the radar of a new generation of consumers and earn their trust; and industry event organizers will explore fashion weeks as economic platforms. The adjacent industries section will cover collectible design, wearable devices, and who is shaping the standards of taste today.
The Summit’s Business Program will be complemented by Moscow Fashion Week, taking place from September 26 to October 1. It will showcase Russian and international brands, including British label Black Crown Label, as well as designers from Spain, Türkiye, Kazakhstan, Sri Lanka, and other countries.