Day Six of Moscow Fashion Week: “Several Pieces Were Already Sold Before the Show Had Even Ended”

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On October 1, Moscow Fashion Week wrapped up at the ‘Manege’. The final day was particularly packed: student collections were followed by shows by Russian and international brands, actors took to the runway wearing the costumes of their characters from the film Toothy Nanny, designers drew inspiration from Dostoevsky, The Nutcracker, and Soviet-era perfumery, and Igor Gulyaev brought the event to a close in the evening.

Life at Manege continued beyond the runway as well. On the second underground floor, the Pop-Up Shop and Showroom continued to operate, co-organized by the ‘Made in Moscow’ project, with more than 90 brands represented. At the Lecture Hall, speakers discussed how to turn a strong idea into a product, how to maintain a balance between creativity and business, and what the fashion industry is looking for today. Participants included Ilia Vershinin, a talent agent and casting director, co-founder of Viral Talent Management and Identikit casting bureau, and author of the Ethics of the Uncanny Valley Telegram channel; Fashion Paper Editor-in-Chief Antonina Golubeva; U Magazine Fashion Director Marina Kobrina; and other industry experts. Selected recordings of sessions from the Moscow Fashion Week Lecture Hall Program will be available in the VK Lecture Hall community. Users will be able to watch presentations by Program speakers at their convenience and explore current topics and expert perspectives from across the fashion industry.

A pop-up studio of the Moscow 24 TV channel was also on site, with actress Ekaterina Volkova and designer Victoria Andreyanova, founder of the eponymous brand, among its guests. The shows also attracted plenty of star guests: Russian designers were supported from the front rows by TV journalist Andrey Malakhov, actors Daniil Belykh and Sergey Burunov, fashion influencers Sophie Martinson, Tatyana Biryukova, Mariya Bezhko, and Lizywashere, figure skater and figure skating coach Daniil Gleikhengauz, and many others.

The GigaChat AI fitting room, developed by the event’s technology partner GigaChat, also continued to operate at Manege. The project has entered a new phase, moving from trying on ready-made looks to creating original ones. As part of the Giga-Art competition, participants reimagined fairy-tale characters from Russian culture with the help of GigaChat, and their digital ideas were then brought to life on the real runway through the Russian Fairy Tales collections. Sber is the strategic partner of Moscow Fashion Week.

As evening approached, the program became noticeably more packed. Moscow-based brand Victoria Andreyanova took to the runway with its Within collection, featuring a selection of garments familiar from the Russian wardrobe: a white shirt, a padded jacket, an apron, and a coat. Here, however, their usual functions were constantly reimagined. Shirts became layered dresses and tunics, tapestry motifs appeared on puffer jackets, while O-shaped jackets, faux-leather sundresses, and long coats were also featured. The finale offered a brief demonstration of the garments’ versatility: Victoria Andreyanova took to the runway with Vika Chuma and showed the audience how a transformable tunic could be turned into a shirt.
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For Moscow-based designer Alexandra Serova, the main inspiration was a scent – more precisely, one of the most iconic fragrances in Russian perfumery. The designer dedicated her “Krasnaya Moskva” (Red Moscow) collection to the history of the fragrance, from Empress’s Favorite Bouquet to its status as a Soviet classic. Across 30 looks, tailored suits alternated with evening dresses, while satin, silk, and leather were complemented by floral embroidery referencing the original bouquet. Alexandra Serova herself highlighted the capabilities of the venue: “For me, the most important thing is having a great venue with absolutely professional lighting and sound, perfectly equipped to put on a great professional show.”
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The show by Moscow-based fashion house Yana at the Petrovsky Travel Palace offered a glimpse into the traditional culture of early 20th-century India. At the heart of the story was the love between the last Maharaja of Indore, Yashwant Rao Holkar II, and his wife, Sanyogita Devi, symbolized by Manik Bagh Palace – the “Garden of Jewels.”

Yana Raskovalova and Daniil Berg recreated its atmosphere within the palace’s historic interiors. The centerpiece of the décor was a set of 28 vases symbolizing the 28 states of India. The glaze was specially brought from Jaipur by sculptor Mikhail Richter, while the shapes and ornaments were based on archival photographs, making them exact replicas of the vessels once found in the Maharaja’s palace.
In collaboration with the Moscow Tea Time project, a tea room was created in the aesthetic of Manik Bagh. The collection brought together Indian luxury and drama with the restraint of European tailoring: hand embroidery, natural fabrics, French jacquard, feathers, and fur emphasized the femininity of the silhouettes, while music specially composed for the show combined traditional Indian instruments with electronic sounds.
Photo courtesy of Yana brand press service: https://disk.yandex.ru/d/4h0DTrwmy4d93A 

The runway suddenly looked much colder – at least visually. Moscow-based brand Mexa Ekaterina presented long, voluminous fur coats, leopard print, Bambi motifs, hussar-style jackets, leather, and lingerie-inspired details. Russian winter met old money and rock, while the traditional fur wardrobe proved far less conservative than expected. Brand owner Ekaterina Akkhuzina says the impact of the show can be measured quite literally in sales: “Interest in the brand grows after the show: we gain new followers and new clients. The show hadn’t even ended before several pieces had already been sold.”
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Following the graphic exploration of form by Moscow-based brand Kiri, the runway filled with colours. The fall collection resembled a vivid herbarium, with large blossoms appearing on skirts and corsets made from fabric reminiscent of antique tapestry, alongside wool cardigans and feather-trimmed trousers. At its core was a 1950s-inspired silhouette with a defined waist and carefully balanced proportions. “Moscow Fashion Week is always an opportunity for us to gain visibility. There is never the same surge of interest, follower growth, and sales outside Fashion Week,” says founder and creative director Ekaterina Kirichkova.
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Moscow Fashion Week came to a close with Moscow-based brand IgorGulyaev and its Legacy collection. Igor Gulyaev returned to the signature techniques associated with his Fashion House – complex textures, handcraft, rich hues, and generous volumes – and reinterpreted them in a more contemporary way. Structured tailoring gave way to sheer details, heavier fabrics to lighter ones, while monumental forms stood alongside softer silhouettes. The final show provided a fitting conclusion to the entire week: here, the idea of heritage was explored not through literal historical references, but through the garments, techniques, and craftsmanship that the designer continues to preserve and develop. “The IgorGulyaev Fashion House and the Fashion Fund share a common mission: to create and promote contemporary fashion of the highest standard based on quality, craftsmanship, and respect for cultural heritage, to showcase it in Moscow, and to demonstrate that Russian design is capable of competing on equal terms with international brands and the global fashion industry,” said designer and brand founder Igor Gulyaev.
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Moscow-based brand 404 Not Found presented its Wild Roses collection. The wild rose became the collection’s central metaphor – delicate in appearance yet covered in thorns. The designers translated this duality into their choice of materials, pairing silk with leather and sheer chiffon with heavyweight tweed, while the sleeves of cotton blouses were gathered to resemble flower buds.
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The sixth day’s shows began with students from the Sergey Sysoev fashion school Kosygin University. They chose cinema as their starting point, drawing inspiration from Alice in Wonderland and The Hunger Games to Interstellar. The runway featured a white maxi dress with a silicone detail tracing the lines of the body, an orange sequined top with a hood, and a sheer shirt resembling plastic. For emerging designers, presenting their work on a major platform is already an important part of professional practice. “For emerging designers, it primarily provides visibility and an opportunity to introduce themselves in person. The fashion designer’s profession is not shaped in the digital environment alone. Moscow Fashion Week allows a designer to present themselves both as a clothing designer and as an artist creating an entire concept,” says Sergey Sysoev, head of the school. Student Yulia Bronnikova says the impact is felt almost immediately: “We have an opportunity to show our work to a much larger audience than we can within the university. We are pleased that even international publications are taking notice of us.”
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St. Petersburg-based brand Arngoldt continued the fairy-tale theme, this time with The Nutcracker. Its Mari, Where Are You Going? collection captured the spirit of winter without the usual snowflakes or literal Christmas references. Instead, there were floral crepe de chine, organza boas, merino wool, alpaca, oversized bows, and shimmering details. Dresses and skirts adorned with large flowers alternated with soft suits and layered looks, while almost all the silhouettes remained fluid and dynamic. “For us, Moscow Fashion Week is an opportunity to show a new chapter in our story,” says Alexandra Lavrova, heir to the Fashion House and its designer.
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The final international participant of Moscow Fashion Week was Kenyan brand KikoRomeo. Its Interweaving Cultures collection arrived on the runway almost like a change of season: after more restrained looks, the space filled with yellow, coral, lilac, pistachio, and chocolate brown. Designers Ann and Iona McCreath, a mother-and-daughter duo, work together, using organic cotton, handwoven fabrics, and even buttons made from coconut shells. Traditional African motifs came through in the colors and materials, while the silhouettes remained contemporary: bandeau tops, halter tops, loose shirts, wide-leg trousers, and flowing dresses. “It is extremely important for us to learn about other cultures around the world. Russia, too, has an opportunity to experience another side of fashion,” says a brand representative.
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The focus then shifted dramatically from Kenya to Ivanovo. Novikova Dsgn presented “Chintz Nights” – a collection inspired by the world of Dostoevsky and created in collaboration with “Shuya Chintz”. Archival 19th-century patterns from the collection of the Ivanovo Calico Museum appeared on dresses and evening looks alongside velvet and heavy dark fabrics. The result was a dark, almost Gothic story in which familiar calico no longer looked like a purely utilitarian material. Ksenia Demyanenko, the brand’s director and designer, says that after shows like these, the practical side is particularly important for the brand: “Moscow Fashion Week is very helpful in introducing our work to a wider audience, finding new clients and new buyers. It also gives us the impetus to move forward, grow, create and find new suppliers.”
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For Moscow-based brand Alina Assi, the past also became a starting point, but without direct historical references. The “New Heirloom” collection was built around contrasts: leather was paired with chiffon, corset structures with sheer fabrics, while deep black and milky white were offset by mustard and red. In some looks, the strict architecture of the silhouette seemed to literally dissolve into light, almost weightless layers. 
 
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The viewers then saw a show resembling a film premiere for a few minutes. The Entire Film Studio team presented costumes from the family musical film “Toothy Nanny”, which is due to premiere in 2027. Kirill Zaytsev, Pelageya, Aleksandra Rebenok, Natalya Medvedeva and other members of the cast took to the runway. The looks were created by producer Lina Arifulina, designer Alena Akhmadullina, costume designer Tatyana Platonova, top stylist Dmitry Vinokurov, make-up artist Yury Stolyarov and others. Alina Mieva of the Rendez-Vous Foundation oversaw footwear production for all the characters as well as the production of the children’s collection. Animal and bird characters were given human silhouettes, complex tailoring and a natural colour palette.
 
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Ivanovo-based brand Alexander Smirnitskiy made form itself the key material of the “Parallels” collection. Flat fabric was folded into waves, rigid geometric structures and almost sculptural elements. The sources of inspiration, however, were firmly rooted in the natural world – clover leaves, a road through a field and the channels of northern rivers. The voluminous tops and jackets looked particularly striking alongside lightweight skirts and trousers: the complex construction at the top literally dissolved towards the hem.
 
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The Moscow-based project Fashion in Sport 4.0, together with the Kremlin Equestrian School, presented the performance show “Beyond the Arena”. It took place as part of Moscow Fashion Week in the historic arena of the Centre for National Equestrian Traditions at VDNH, in Pavilion No. 42, home to the equestrian theatre. “Beyond the Arena” brought together designers of costumes for aesthetic sports, as well as contemporary and professional equestrian fashion – from artistic sportswear and the historical allusions of Garnett’s Carousel to the riding gear of St Petersburg-based brand LISSIR.

The event opened with a ribbon choreography performance by CSKA. The main production was divided into three thematic chapters. The first explored the imagery of the warrior and knight: protective apparel, the texture of chainmail and elements of armour were reinterpreted through the language of contemporary design. The second focused on women’s equestrianism and the transition of equestrian aesthetics into the urban wardrobe – through riding coats, corsets, high boots, gloves and headwear. The third revealed the expressive power of clothing in motion, drawing on the movement of vaulting and aesthetic sports. The group show presented more than 60 new designer looks and styling concepts. Alongside the models, professional CSKA athletes also took to the runway.

St Petersburg-based brand LISSIR, founded by Elena Lisina, took part in the show. The brand creates clothing for professional equestrian sport and riding, combining athletic functionality, high-tech materials, precise fit and contemporary aesthetics. LISSIR’s founderbelongs to the equestrian community and follows the principle of “created by a rider for riders”.

Family brand Garnett’s Carousel, founded by Irina and Maria Konovalova, presented part of its Eternal Garden collection. It is a creative dialogue between cultures and eras, combining Japanese street fashion with a Russian emotional code. Through motifs of Gothic architecture and floral imagery, the collection explores the paradox of time: how the fleeting can acquire the qualities of the eternal.

The Lastoria brand and its founder Olga Kukushkina provided handmade jewellery for the show, adding luminous accents to the models’ looks. The brand is known for its collaborations with European workshops and for creating statement jewellery.

The founders of Cardinal&Margo – Olga and Vladimir Dolgopolov – complemented the collection with headwear. Their hats, kepis, headscarves and knitted helmets offered a completely new, daring take on sporting classics.

The show also featured COSARÊVE, the brand of Oksana Kosareva, which positions its clothing not as a replaceable wardrobe, but as an extension of the identity of a woman who chooses herself, her time and her values. It is an intellectual approach to fashion rooted in a philosophy and aesthetic of the future, where form responds to substance.

The joint show also featured sportswear designers Olga Sukhova, Anna Lev, Yana Maltseva, Nadezhda Boldyreva, Anna Repina, Elena Demyokhina, Olga Bogunova, Marina Shestakova, Polina Ponosova, Anna Chernykh, Viktoria Chashchina, Irina Melnik, Yuliana Eremina, Svetlana Razzhivina, Olga Kaynova, Irina Alonova, Natalya Kutilina, Olga Malysheva, Varvara Kupyanskaya, Aurora and Aglaya Maltseva, Oksana Semenova, Maria Kadobnova and Anna Tamarova, Yana Roslova, Tatyana Vasilenko, Oksana Subbotina and Olga Anfimiadis.

Photo courtesy of the Fashion in Sport 4.0 project press service: https://disk.360.yandex.ru/d/tjjdqMLiMlE2kg 

The Rostov Fashion Week multimedia project “IMMERSION” also took place – a conceptual show that blurred the boundaries between the physical runway and digital art.  
The project was staged at the innovative FUTURIONE arena at VDNH (part of the Skolkovo Innovation Center). Curated and produced by Elena Maltseva, head of Rostov Fashion Week (RFW), the project presented an innovative format of communication: the interactive space responded to every movement of the models, transforming the classic catwalk into an immersive art performance.

• Joanna Evstigneeva (Moscow): Inspired by ballet, the designer presented her debut signature collection, “Angels”. The highlight of the show was the legendary “dance of the hands” created by the great Maya Plisetskaya. The runway performance was accompanied by live vocals from Anna Sklyar, a participant in the TV show The Voice.
• Kibovskaya (Sevastopol): The “Element” line showcased the power and harmony of nature, while the “Couture” section brought together the brand’s finest eveningwear pieces. The shows were once again accompanied by the voice of Anna Sklyar.
• Lana Pushkina (Moscow): A master of stage costume and haute couture, the designer presented a handmade collection combining lightweight flowing fabrics, lace and velvet with rugged leather and metal hardware in understated monochrome silhouettes.
• MuR (Regina Muratova) (Naberezhnye Chelny): The “Lotus Bloom” collection was a profound ode to femininity. A contrast of textures – from bold leather to delicate lace in chocolate, olive and pink tones – told the story of a woman in whom strength and softness exist in harmonious unity.
• Vintage Boutique Three Sisters (Rostov-on-Don): The brand presented its “Roskoshnitsa” philosophy, masterfully incorporating exclusive pieces with history, meaning and soul into the contemporary wardrobe.
• “Love Is Love” project (Cyberhumanism performance) (Rostov-on-Don): The season’s most profound philosophical manifesto. The performance became a dialogue about the human being amid digital algorithms and screens. Garments assembled from customised fragments, anatomical and 3D elements asserted the human right to freedom and to preserving the living essence in the age of technology.
• BerVi (Moscow) presented a collection in which status was taken to the absolute. Italian exotic reptile leather and luxury auction fur formed the basis of pieces aspiring to the status of works of art. BerVi’s impeccable quality reaffirmed the brand’s world-class standing.
• Giza (Georgiyevsk): The “Era” collection brought the cult of corsetry and a refined silhouette back to the runway, recalling timeless ideals of feminine beauty through a contemporary lens.
• Natalia Bekkaeva (Bekkati): An eveningwear collection.

Young models arriving from across the country drew particular attention from the audience. They confidently presented collections by leading designers in the children’s fashion segment, including the fairy-tale aesthetic of Natalia Khalanskaya and the impeccable elegance of Yuliya Andriyash (Little Dress).
On October 1, Moscow-based brand Arkhipova.Moscow presented its new Bridal Trousseau collection at the Yesenin Center.

Twenty-two looks. Lace, deep blue, soft textures, pearls, and white roses. The welcome area featured the story of the last Russian Empress, Alexandra Feodorovna, through photographs, details from the era, and memories of home that became one of the collection’s motifs.
The music for the runway show was composed specially for Bridal Trousseau. The evening’s musical guest was DIM. “Bridal Trousseau is not something that is given to us. It is what stays with us. Memories. Love. Habits. The voice of home. Something that cannot be bought again.”
Photo courtesy of Arkhipova.Moscow brand press service: https://disk.360.yandex.ru/d/QYrVW5IePh3JDA

This marked the end of six days of Moscow Fashion Week – from student debuts and international participants to major Russian Fashion Houses, cinema, technology, the Lecture Hall, the Pop-Up Shop, and live broadcasts from the venues. Recordings of 81 shows by Russian and international designers and 10 lectures from the Moscow Fashion Week Lecture Program will be available on RUTUBE. Users of the platform will be able to watch key events from Moscow Fashion Week, explore designers’ collections, and discover the event’s Business Program.

Strategic partner of Moscow Fashion Week – Sber.
Technological partner of Moscow Fashion Week – GigaChat neural network.
General partner of Moscow Fashion Week – Wildberries.
More content from Moscow Fashion Week is available on the event’s official account on Wibes, the event’s partner, as well as via the hashtag #Московскаянеделямоды.
The official photo service of Moscow Fashion Week is the A. Rodchenko Moscow School of Photography and Multimedia.
ICE PROFESSIONAL by NATURA SIBERICA was the official hair stylist of Moscow Fashion Week.