Moscow Fashion Week was held in the Russian capital from 26 September to 1 October 2026. The programme’s main hub was the historic Manege exhibition hall in the city centre. Over the six-day event, local and international brands took to the runway, while Turkey was represented by two names: Gökhan Yavaş and Murat Aytulum. The two designers staged a joint show as part of a collaboration between Moscow Fashion Week and Antalya Fashion Week. According to ELLE Türkiye’s assessment, this season in Moscow was defined less by a single dominant trend than by a range of very different approaches.
A packed programme at the Manege
According to The Friday Times, the week opened on 26 September with a busy programme at the Manege. Three runway halls in the building ran simultaneously, with a show taking place almost every half hour throughout the day. On the lower floor of the same building, a pop-up store was set up that visitors could enter free of charge after registering in advance; around 100 Russian brands took part. The organisers reported 1,047 applications from 63 regions of Russia, about half of them from brands applying for the first time. Alongside the shows, the programme also included a series of talks on fashion education, technology and career opportunities.
The week was not limited to local designers. According to a report Karar published ahead of the event, designers from Spain, Sri Lanka, the United Kingdom and Kazakhstan were set to show collections alongside Russia, with more than 70 shows planned. Khaleej Times, in its review of the event, reported that more than 350 brands from Asia, Europe, Africa, North and Latin America were presented to industry professionals. Among them were Momiwei from China, Miguel Llopis from Spain and Amirah Creations from the US.
Collection highlights
The shows covered by ELLE Türkiye illustrate how broad the week’s spectrum was. The Slava Zaitsev fashion house presented Dédicace au Créateur, a haute couture collection paying tribute to its founder Vyacheslav Zaitsev; antique fabrics, natural silk and handcraft took centre stage. Solangel drew on the heritage of Russian ballet: corseted shapes, voluminous dresses and long gloves were shown, and real ballet dancers walked alongside the models.
Li Lab, in its Venus in Aquarius collection, combined shades of red, pink and blue with zebra prints and miniskirts. SOL Selivanova Olga, in designs inspired by painter Adele Levitova, featured fringe details and a large flower appliqué on a brown jacket. Viva Vox held its show not at the Manege but at the Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts, among red walls and sculptures, presenting a series dominated by black, sheerness and fluid cuts. Za_Za, in its collection titled Life Cycles, projected the models’ childhood photographs onto the backdrop; asymmetric, textured pieces completed this personal narrative.
The view from Turkey: from Antalya to Moscow
The presence of Turkish designers in Moscow is the result of a partnership between the two fashion weeks. According to Karar, Gökhan Yavaş and Murat Aytulum were selected to represent Turkey this season from among the names who regularly take part in Antalya Fashion Week. Eda Meltem Yılmaz, founder and president of Antalya Fashion Week, said the partnership gives Turkish designers the opportunity to meet international press and buyers, build new collaborations and gain recognition in different markets.
See Antalya Fashion Week's post on Instagram
Murat Aytulum showed his Selam collection for the Spring-Summer 2027 season. According to Khaleej Times, the womenswear collection reinterprets menswear silhouettes with Eastern influences and places leather at its centre. ELLE Türkiye also wrote that the collection brings together the cultural memory of the East, handcraft and traditional rhythms. Known for his leatherwork and intricate cuts, Aytulum had previously shown collections in London, Istanbul, Hong Kong and Moscow.
See Antalya Fashion Week's post on Instagram
Gökhan Yavaş’s collection was titled Armored Silence. Both sources cite Naejangsan Mountain in South Korea as the collection’s point of inspiration. In a series dominated by snow white and graphite tones, architectural tailoring and layering stood out, with textures ranging from wool to faux fur and from vinyl to lace. ELLE Türkiye interpreted the woolly fur textures Yavaş used as an elegant nod to Turkish traditions. Yavaş’s collections had previously been shown at London Fashion Week, Istanbul Fashion Week and Expo 2025 Osaka.
See Antalya Fashion Week's post on Instagram
Why it matters
Moscow Fashion Week is one of the events that sit outside the calendar of the major fashion capitals but aim to open up space for new brands. The number of applications and the share of first-time participants show that the event serves above all as a showcase for new talent. For Turkish designers, what really stands out is that their participation came not through individual invitations but through an institutional bridge built by a local platform such as Antalya Fashion Week. This model shows that fashion weeks in Turkey can be not just a local stage but a gateway that connects designers with buyers and press abroad.
You can find the fashion weeks’ season schedule and key dates in our Fashion Week Calendar 2026-2027 guide.
Sources
- ELLE Türkiye — Moscow Fashion Week: A Local Aesthetic, an International Stage
- Karar — Turkey’s fashion brands head to Moscow
- The Friday Times — Moscow Fashion Week opening
- Khaleej Times — Moscow Fashion Week brings together emerging labels from around the world
Image: The historic Manege exhibition hall in Moscow, May 2026 — Perituss, Wikimedia Commons, CC0
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