The fourth BRICS+ Fashion Summit opens in Moscow on September 28, bringing together industry professionals from more than 60 countries for three days of discussions on design, technology, retail, and the future of global fashion.
The event is taking place at Zaryadye Concert Hall as part of the 7th Moscow Fashion Week, which runs from September 26 to October 1 at the Manezh Central Exhibition Hall. Organizers say the summit is designed to highlight the growing influence of fast-developing economies in shaping the global fashion market.
The business program, now published on the summit’s official website, spans topics including marketplaces, artificial intelligence, wearable technology, jewelry, local brand development, and investment in creative industries. Major Russian speakers include Tatyana Kim, founder of Wildberries and head of RWB, Anton Letushev, chief executive of Melon Fashion Group, Alyona Akhmadullina, and Olga Buzylyova, who heads the consumer goods division at Sibur.
International speakers include Kanika Goyal of India, Jenke Ahmed Tally of Côte d’Ivoire, and Aline Souza de Oliveira of Brazil’s FARM Rio, among others.
“This experience significantly expanded my understanding of the global fashion community and helped me move beyond seeing Western fashion systems as the only benchmark,” said Xie Fangming, vice president of the China Fashion Association, who previously took part in the summit. He said the event helped reveal “unique craft resources, forms of design expression and industry priorities” in BRICS and other fast-growing markets.
That theme of a more multi-centered fashion world also runs through the summit’s wider message. Ely Gu, founder of the Ontimeshow exhibition in China, argued that the future is not about one fashion capital replacing another, but about more places becoming globally relevant. “For me, the future is not about Moscow replacing Paris or Shanghai replacing Milan,” she said. “It is about fashion becoming more multi-centered.”
Ahead of the summit, industry representatives from China, the United States, Egypt, Ecuador, and Botswana also commented on the prospects for BRICS+ brands. Many said local labels are increasingly well placed to compete internationally, but only if they build a clear identity, stable quality, investment backing, and strong distribution networks.
Alongside the policy discussions, the summit will also showcase traditional culture in a modern form. One of the featured projects is ‘Khokhloma × Russian Designers,’ where the Khokhloma brand will present both contemporary collections and traditional decorative wooden goods.
The project aims to reinterpret one of Russia’s best-known folk art traditions through fashion, accessories, interiors, and design objects. “It is important for us that tradition not remain a museum object, but become part of modern culture, design, and business,” said Sofya Yudina, head of ANO Khokhloma.
Visitors will also be able to buy products directly at the venue.
The summit is organized by the Fashion Foundation, with support from the Government of Moscow. Sber is the strategic partner, Wildberries the general partner, and GigaChat AI the technology partner.
Admission to all events is free with advance registration.