Venus in Aquarius, Samarkand, and the Guardians of Reia: Day Three of Moscow Fashion Week

Photos: https://disk.360.yandex.ru/d/OojiqgQCehkx7A

The September 28 program featured Russian and international designers, collective shows, childrenswear, and several collections inspired by history, art, and cultural codes. Kazakh ornaments, ancient Samarkand, Flemish painting, Russian traditional crafts, and astrology all appeared on the Moscow Fashion Week runway that day. Part of the program even moved beyond Manege, with Tatiana Larina and Viva Vox presenting their collections at off-site venues.

The third day of Moscow Fashion Week was particularly diverse in its geography and references. A Turkish designer looked to the Korean mountains for inspiration, Brisa Hernández brought her interpretation of Nicaraguan art to Moscow, Olga Filatova looked back to ancient Afrasiab, while Li Lab dedicated its collection to Venus in Aquarius. By evening, the program turned once again to Russian culture – through Pushkin, museum spaces, and a major Vereja retrospective.

The Moscow 24 TV channel’s on-site studio continues to operate at Moscow Fashion Week. The studio welcomed Yana Besfamilnaya, designer and founder of the Yana Besfamilnaya brand, and actress Vilma Kutavičiūtė. On September 30, Moscow 24 will air an interview with actress Linda Lapinsh, who recently appeared in the TV series Cold (Kholod); notably, Moscow Fashion Week is featured in one of the series’ scenes. The official photography service of Moscow Fashion Week is the Rodchenko Moscow School of Photography and Multimedia.

The AI fitting room powered by GigaChat neural network is also operating at the venue – the project has entered a new stage of development, with the technology moving from consumption to creation. The project is integrated into the Giga-Art competition, bringing together digital heritage – fairytale imagery from Russian culture reinterpreted by participants with the help of GigaChat – and the real runway – physical collections presented by models at the ‘Russian Fairy Tales’ show. The result is a unique experience for each guest, who can step into the role of the main character in a fashion fairytale. The strategic partner of Moscow Fashion Week is Sber.

The BRICS+ Fashion Summit – the largest fashion business forum of fast-growing economies – has kicked off at Zaryadye Concert Hall. Experts from more than 60 countries are discussing market trends, support for local brands, attracting investment, and the use of artificial intelligence. Registration for the sessions is open on the Summit’s official website.

The day opened with a collective show by the National Design Institute (Moscow), bringing together the work of eight designers. The show began on a delicate note: bridal silhouettes echoed the shape of a seashell, while the human body and natural forms served as a starting point for experiments with cut. Gradually, however, delicate shades gave way to saturated colors and deep black, while romantic pieces were replaced by more graphic constructions. By the finale, the show had moved into avant-garde and futurist territory.

“The opportunities that Moscow Fashion Week provides for educational institutions give students a good incentive for their further development and creativity, and, accordingly, for their continued growth. In this regard, I can definitely say that students who graduated last year and this year have been able to make their mark at Fashion Week and subsequently find employment. Some of them have even launched their own brands, which they are developing. They have clients and are already successful designers,” said a representative of the National Design Institute.
Photos: https://disk.360.yandex.ru/d/Pw8s7RGPoNcGNg
 
Addicted_to… (Moscow) chose to build its collection around contrasts this time. French chic was combined with Japanese minimalism: sheer lace bodices and skirts were paired with fitted jackets, while ostrich-feather minis were paired with leather corsets and blouses. Long fringes ran through almost the entire collection as a key detail: it replaced hems, appeared instead of the upper part of a garment, or simply added movement.
“Moscow Fashion Week is the strongest tool for promoting Russian designers today. The event gives us an opportunity to promote the brand not only in Moscow, but throughout Russia, as there is no other event of comparable scale. During Addicted_to…'s participation, we have managed to open a second retail store – we are now also represented in St. Petersburg – expand our cooperation with partner stores across Russia and beyond. The brand’s clothing can now be purchased in Makhachkala and Yerevan. All of this has led to an increase in inventory turnover, with production growing by approximately 30%. We have placed orders with additional production facilities in Cheboksary and Moscow. Our team has also grown, with a marketing department and new warehouse employees joining the brand,” said Olesia Kosopletkina, designer and founder of Addicted_to….
Photos: https://disk.360.yandex.ru/d/xzmN57d_GLj_Dw
 
Next, Kazakhstan Fashion Week presented Dinara Satzhan (Kazakhstan). The designer explores the history of Kazakh costume without direct quotation: lace-up dresses, evening gloves, and rugged leather are paired with airy silk, satin, and floral motifs. Traditional ornament appears in the details and textures, while a subtle punk note gives the collection a bolder edge.

“Moscow Fashion Week is more than just a platform for showcasing collections. It is a place to build professional connections, see the work of fellow designers, and understand the direction in which the industry is moving. I also see it as an opportunity to expand the boundaries of my creativity and reach a new audience. Moscow Fashion Week helps emerging designers gain recognition not only at the regional level, but also on the global stage,” said Dinara Satzhan, designer and founder of the brand.
Photos: https://disk.360.yandex.ru/d/ibEpJPcEoa18GA
 
After that, the runway was given over to children. Acoola (St. Petersburg), Choupette (Moscow), and Happy Baby (Moscow) showed what next winter could look like: bright, voluminous, and anything but boring. Denim, animal prints, vibrant shades, French terry, and knitwear were combined with skirts worn over jeans and other distinctly grown-up styling techniques. Despite the fashionable looks, comfort remains at the forefront, which is especially important for children’s wardrobes.
Photos: https://disk.360.yandex.ru/d/-NT48weTfohC-w

Immediately after that, the mood shifted completely. Antalya Fashion Week presented Gokhanyavas and Murat Aytulum (Türkiye). In the Armored Silence collection, Turkish culture is combined with the Korean landscape, with Naejangsan Mountain serving as the main reference. Black and graphite gradually give way to almost white, as if the eye were moving toward a snow-covered peak. Gold and rhinestones add a touch of sparkle, while textured shearling brings the collection back to Turkish tradition.

“Participation in Moscow Fashion Week has actually become our biggest project in 2026. Therefore, being able to execute such a major project before closing out the year 2026 is a great source of pride for us. Just like Gökhan, I am very happy and proud to be here. [...] We are both very happy and proud of this achievement, and we send our warmest greetings to all fashion lovers in Moscow from here,” said Murat Aytulum, designer and founder of the Murat Aytulum brand.
Photos: https://disk.360.yandex.ru/d/cygNLuZ4XaeVXg

Next, viewers were transported to Nicaragua. Brisa Hernández presented her debut collection in Moscow, offering her own interpretation of Central American art. Dried roots, natural elements, and sculptural forms appear directly on the garments, while the human body becomes part of the composition. Color played a particularly strong role: purple, yellow, and red gave way to white and deep black. Satin shirts, corsets, loose capes, and dresses made the collection resemble a still life in motion.
“Participating in Moscow Fashion Week this year has impacted my brand in an impressive way, as we managed to transcend borders and present my collection to a new audience. Most importantly, the Russian audience welcomed my collection with open arms; it was warmly received,” said Brisa Hernández, designer and founder of the Brisa Hernández brand.
Photos: https://disk.360.yandex.ru/d/5t0mv-Nnxryr8g

For feelatto (Nizhny Novgorod), the journey took a completely different turn – this time, it was historical. Olga Filatova turned to the ruins of ancient Samarkand and named the collection “Meeting in Afrasiab.” Sand, chocolate, and moss green evoked the colors of the ancient city, while corsets, robes, bras, and jackets combined Eastern motifs with contemporary forms. Natural pearls, vintage Uzbek silk, silk velvet, and Russian mattress ticking added texture. Hand weaving, embroidery, and painting added further detail – there is truly a lot to discover here.

“Participating in Moscow Fashion Week has helped the brand gain recognition. Our project developed within a single city for a long time, and last year we expanded to St. Petersburg. This year, Moscow. And, of course, we are very happy about it, because this is a very significant event for us. We had been working toward it and wanted it to happen,” said Olga Filatova, designer of the Feelatto brand.
Photos: https://disk.360.yandex.ru/d/O73B2BZNCZ8Ljg

For Lesel (Moscow), the story became personal. “Time Capsule” explores the memories that clothing can hold. Wide-leg trousers were paired with fitted jackets, quilted suede with openwork knitwear, sheer layers with dense fabrics. Even sequins appeared on classic pinstriped suit fabric. The final section of the show shifted toward refined eveningwear, with renowned model Elena Kuletskaya gracing the runway.
“Through our participation in Moscow Fashion Week, we opened a store in St. Petersburg, which was a big step for us. [...] We are optimizing the business and, most importantly, organizing and structuring it in our own minds. It really is a year of transformation, moving from purely intuitive design toward a more systematic approach to design,” said Larisa Vladimirova, founder and designer of the Lesel brand.
Photos: https://disk.360.yandex.ru/d/2Mfhflrc9kSOGA

Next came 17th-century Flemish painting. Evgeniy Sinitsa (Chelyabinsk) drew inspiration from a painting titled “Flowers” by an unknown artist and named the collection Vanitas, after the genre devoted to the transience of life and beauty. Hence the futuristic outerwear, intricate dresses and jumpsuits, a decadent mood, and deep shades of blackberry, black, and graphite.

“This is our first time participating in Moscow Fashion Week, and we are already receiving offers of collaboration. Tomorrow, for example, while we are still in Moscow, we have a shoot with a stylist scheduled. We have seen an increase in our social media reach and sales,” said Elena Maslova, a representative of the Evgeniy Sinitsa brand.
Photos: https://disk.360.yandex.ru/d/rvyMX3Y0tbXttw

Li Lab (Moscow) turned the color dial all the way up. The “Venus in Aquarius” collection is dedicated to an astrological placement associated with freedom, sensuality, and creative independence. On the runway came candy pink, scarlet, azure, lavender, blueberry, zebra print, and bold lettering. Long-sleeved tops were paired with pencil skirts and capri pants, satin blouses with ultra-short minis, while some looks were completed with fur coats and feather boas.

“We are participating for the seventh time now, and every season has been bright and unforgettable. Over these years, the brand has scaled up rapidly. We have participated in Fashion Weeks in Spain and South Africa and been featured in various international and Russian magazines thanks to our participation in Moscow Fashion Week. We have secured placements in major department stores in St. Petersburg and Moscow, and the geographic reach of our brand has expanded. Participating in Moscow Fashion Week gives the brand greater scale and helps increase its recognition,” said Ivetta Makarova, founder and designer of the Li Lab brand.
Photos: https://disk.360.yandex.ru/d/08MN4i23NOUrFQ

Sergey Sysoev (Moscow) draws on Russian art archives, traditional crafts, and architecture. But color is the collection’s main tool: the designer makes active use of color blocking, combining several different shades in a single look. Asymmetry and a mix of textures help avoid a direct reconstruction, leaving historical motifs as merely a foundation.

“I think Moscow Fashion Week is the only unique opportunity to showcase what you do live to such a large audience. There are no other events of this level in Russia, so it is always a highly anticipated date, the date of the show, when you invite the media and your followers. At Moscow Fashion Week, we presented our Imperial Porcelain collection last season, which is now sold in all our stores, but it was at Moscow Fashion Week that this collaboration received attention,” said Sergey Sysoev, designer and founder of the Sergey Sysoev brand.
Photos: https://disk.360.yandex.ru/d/YwfJM2y6yI7F3w

The theme of Russian culture continued with Alena Musaeva (Volgograd). This time, the designer turned to her own cultural roots, folklore, and traditional way of life, all familiar to her since childhood. The collection featured shirts, lace skirts, and sarafans, while Russian motifs were once again combined with Eastern ones – a pairing that has already become part of the brand’s signature style.

“Moscow Fashion Week has contributed to my business development. We started working in Moscow and presenting our collections at a showroom,” said Alena Musaeva, designer of the Alena Musaeva brand.
Photos: https://disk.360.yandex.ru/d/yfoMgNWyRnmt5Q

The day concluded with Vereja (Moscow). On September 28, as part of Moscow Fashion Week, Vereja presented “Guardians of Reia” at the Manege – the brand’s first concert-fashion show and a large-scale retrospective marking seven years of the Vereja universe.

For one evening, the exhibits from the Vereja exhibition “Beyond the Window Frame,” presented at the All-Russian Museum of Decorative Arts, left the museum and came to life on the Manege’s main runway. The show attracted more than 1,000 spectators and continued the story of Reia – the fictional world created by Igor Andreev, which was presented for the first time not only through clothing and installation, but also through music and performance.

“Guardians of Reia” served as a retrospective of Vereja: archival pieces from different years, iconic characters, and new looks came together on the runway. The muses of the brand – people who had become part of the Vereja world at different points over the years – became Reia’s characters for the evening.

The cast included Karina Murashkina, Sasha Teslond, Olga Parfenyuk, Katya Golden, Arina Danilova, Irina Gracheva, Ray, Irina Petrakova, Polina Favorskaya, Renata Kharkova, Sasha Sulim, Olya Monastyrskaya, Vika Chuma, Masha Chervotkina, and other muses and friends of the brand. A separate part of the show was the collaboration between Vereja and DOUBLE.STAFF, founded by Rodion Bashkevich. The designer also walked the runway as a model.

For the first time, Vereja’s clothing shared the runway with music written by the brand’s founder. Igor Andreev, together with singers Chloe, Diza, and Nastya Spiranskaya, performed his own compositions, including “Tuk-Tuk,” “Guardians of Reia,” “Batkota,” “Chih-Pauk,” and “Golden Hook.”

Thus, the show became a concert journey through Reia: models moved along the runway to songs directly connected to the characters, stories, and mythology of Vereja. The evening concluded with Igor Andreev performing “Tuk-Tuk” live – a song about a door behind which another world begins.

Ten knitters and one Golden Hook – participants in the Vereja reality show “Raspustilis” – held a special place in the story of “Guardians of Reia.” The project, which accompanied the preparation of the exhibition and show, also became part of the wider universe and received its own musical track, “Golden Hook.”

A large team worked on the show. Olga Charandaeva and her team were responsible for the makeup. Ivan Petrov prepared the show’s music track, while Ira Bobyleva was responsible for the casting. The lighting design was developed in collaboration with the technical team of Moscow Fashion Week.
For Igor Andreev, “Guardians of Reia” became a point of connection between several directions that had previously existed separately within Vereja: fashion, art, music, performance, and the brand’s own mythology.

The collection was not built around a single season. Instead, Vereja brought its own story together into a single work – from early pieces and characters to works created specifically for the exhibition “Beyond the Window Frame.”

The exhibition “Beyond the Window Frame” will be on view at the All-Russian Museum of Decorative Arts through the end of October.
Photos: https://disk.360.yandex.ru/d/Ms6BmJ-bhZPAZQ
 
Part of the third day’s program took place at off-site venues. Tatiana Larina (Moscow) presented her collection in collaboration with the State Museum of Alexander Pushkin. The collection was based on the classic novel in verse Eugene Onegin: the poet’s texts appeared on the garments, while fitted silhouettes, hand-knit pieces, silk, fine wool, cashmere, chiffon, and black lace referenced the era of the novel. The result was a fairly literal yet refined interpretation of the literary theme without theatricality.
Photos: Courtesy of the Tatiana Larina press office: https://disk.360.yandex.com/d/rrnLLixxD8zCKA

Another show took place at the Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts, where Viva Vox (Moscow) presented its collection. The red walls, sculptures, and the museum’s architecture itself became part of the show, making the clothing look completely different from how it would on a conventional runway. Black, long one of Viva Vox’s signature colors, once again came to the forefront: elongated silhouettes, leather, bodysuits, loose coats, trench coats with stand collars, and dark sunglasses. Sandy brown and beige tones provided a softer counterpoint. The designer combined eveningwear with street-style details, and this contrast worked particularly well in the museum setting.
Photos: Courtesy of the Viva Vox press office: https://disk.360.yandex.ru/d/61eQTN2oce5ywQ

Recordings of 81 shows by Russian and international designers and 10 lectures from the Moscow Fashion Week Lecture Hall will be available on RUTUBE. Users of the platform will be able to watch key events from Moscow Fashion Week, explore designers’ collections, and learn more about the event’s business program.

But the Moscow Fashion Week runway shows are not all there is. In addition to the shows, the Pop-Up Shop, co-organized by the Made in Moscow project, continues to operate at the Manege, alongside the Lecture Hall, with more than 90 brands represented. On the third day of Moscow Fashion Week, six sessions took place there: two discussions on how to attract buyers to your brand and the specifics of working with stylists in different fields; a case-study lecture by stylist Vasilisa Gamaleya-Gusarova on visual culture in the era of short-form content; a lecture by Daria Serezhkina, art historian and curator at the Fashion and Design Center of the All-Russian Museum of Decorative Arts, on the history of stylistic theories; a Q&A session with Moskvichka magazine; and a workshop with stylist Daniil Furs on how to create on-trend looks with a limited wardrobe. Selected recordings of sessions from the Moscow Fashion Week Lecture Hall will be available in the Lecture Hall’s VK community. Users of the platform will be able to watch talks by business program participants at their convenience and explore current topics and expert perspectives from the fashion industry.

The strategic partner of Moscow Fashion Week and the BRICS+ Fashion Summit is Sber.
The technology partner of Moscow Fashion Week and the BRICS+ Fashion Summit is the GigaChat neural network.

The general partner of Moscow Fashion Week and the BRICS+ Fashion Summit is Wildberries.
More content from Moscow Fashion Week and the BRICS+ Fashion Summit is available on the event’s official account on Wibes, an event partner, as well as via the hashtags #MoscowFashionWeek and #BRICSFashionSummit.

ICE PROFESSIONAL by NATURA SIBERICA is the official hair stylist of Moscow Fashion Week.