The September BRICS+ Fashion Summit in Moscow is a unique international industry event, bringing together a diverse range of participants and enabling direct connections between fast-growing production and trade markets. This is what attracts fashion leaders and visionaries from around the world – including speakers well known to the UK fashion industry through the BoF 500 index.
Taking place in Moscow from 28 to 30 September, the BRICS+ Fashion Summit is the largest international fashion business forum of fast-growing economies. It also serves as a key platform for negotiations: participants come here to find manufacturing partners, prepare for international market expansion, and align industry standards. The forum is accredited as an official BRICS event, and over several seasons it has welcomed representatives from over 100 countries.
Familiar Names in a New Context
London readers are likely to recognise some of the names among the Summit’s participants from the BoF 500 – the annual index of the fashion industry’s most influential figures compiled by London-based The Business of Fashion. This year’s confirmed participants include Susan Sabet, Co-Founder of the Egyptian Fashion & Design Council; Ozlem Sahin Ertas, Founder & CEO of Modest Fashion Week and Think Fashion Global; and Mahlet Teklemariam, Founder of Hub of Africa Fashion Week. BoF has previously covered the Summit, reporting both on the forum’s debut in Moscow and the establishment of the BRICS International Fashion Federation within the framework of the Summit. The interest is understandable given the scale of the event – last year’s Summit brought together 15,000 visitors and 265 prominent speakers, generating significant global media attention.
“BRICS+ Fashion Summit is an excellent example of how major events that bring together an international audience with a shared vision can become powerful drivers of cross-cultural exchange. Fashion and craftsmanship, which are increasingly important to a brand’s unique DNA, reflect the culture and character of a country,” says Susan Sabet, a BoF 500 member since 2014, a voter for The Fashion Awards organised by the British Fashion Council and the curator of Egypt’s showcase at the International Fashion Showcase at London Fashion Week.
A Shared Agenda
The topics shaping the programme are similar to those discussed at industry conferences at ExCeL and panels during London Fashion Week: artificial intelligence in design and manufacturing, advanced materials, certification and standards, the role of craftsmanship in modern supply chains, and distribution in the platform economy. The difference lies in the perspective. In London, these issues are often discussed from the viewpoint of a brand seeking manufacturing and sales channels. In Moscow, the focus is on countries that produce fashion and are increasingly looking to sell under their own names.
Mahlet Teklemariam explains what this means in practice: “There’s no reason why a Russian designer shouldn’t source high-quality leather from Ethiopia, for example. The opportunities are huge – honestly, it’s almost untapped potential.” She emphasizes that fast-growing economies need to move from isolated efforts towards genuine, long-term partnerships.
Participants see the importance of the platform as extending beyond practical business objectives. “We believe in fashion as a soft power, capable of bridging differences and promoting diversity and opportunities,” says Paulo Borges, a participant of last season’s forum and the founder and artistic director of São Paulo Fashion Week. He describes the Summit as an important communication platform for fast-growing countries: “It proposes new and diverse visions and ways in which fashion can thrive and be a transformative tool for all.”
The Business Environment
Moscow is an ideal location for this format: a metropolis of over 13 million people, a fashion market that has grown by 50% over five years, a developed digital retail sector and a notable wave of local brands. However, visitors are usually impressed by more than just numbers. “The city is impressive — its architecture, its cleanliness, its sense of order — but what I appreciated most was how well its cultural and fashion spaces function. From theatres to congress centres, everything is designed to host major international events. Moscow feels ready to lead with excellence,” says Sergio Puig, Director of Mediterranea Fashion Week Valencia.
The main value the Summit offers British businesses is direct access to the markets of fast-growing economies in Asia, Latin America, Africa and the Middle East – regions currently driving much of the growth in global fashion demand. For independent brands, it is an opportunity to connect with new manufacturing partners; for investors and consultants, it offers a chance to understand where the market is moving before others do. The upcoming BRICS+ Fashion Summit will take place in Moscow from 28 to 30 September.
