Fashion is no longer simply about what happens on the runway.
For emerging designers, the bigger challenge is what happens after the final look leaves the catwalk.
Finding buyers. Reaching consumers. Building international relationships. Securing new sales channels. And creating the visibility needed to turn creative ambition into sustainable growth.
That is where Moscow Fashion Week is positioning itself as it prepares to open its doors to designers and brands from around the world.
Running from 26 September to 1 October 2026, the event will bring together more than 200 brands, with participants representing almost every continent.
And among the international names heading to Moscow are designers and brands from Africa, Europe, Asia, the UK, Türkiye, the United States and beyond.
A Global Fashion Meeting Point
This season’s international participants include KikoRomeo from Kenya, Miguel Llopis from Spain, Limak by Kamil from Sri Lanka, Nohad Al Samarrie with The Black Crown Label from the UK, as well as a collective show featuring Gökhan Yavaş and Murat Aytulum from Türkiye.
Designers from China, Nicaragua, the United States and other countries will also take part.
Russian fashion will be represented by established names including Gapanovich, Masterpeace, Unke, IgorGulyaev, Li Lab and Surovaya, among others.
The scale of participation reflects an increasingly connected fashion landscape, where emerging names can use international platforms to move beyond their home markets.
For African designers, that access can be particularly significant.
Why International Access Matters for South Africa
South Africa’s fashion industry is experiencing significant growth.
A younger generation of consumers is increasingly choosing local brands with distinctive identities. Many of these brands are already gaining international recognition.
However, the industry also faces serious challenges.
Low-cost imports, limited access to international buyers and a lack of funding continue to restrict the growth of even established brands.
At the same time, South Africa remains the largest fashion market in Southern Africa.
According to industry estimates cited in the press release, the country’s clothing and footwear retail market was valued at approximately R235 billion in 2025 and could reach almost R317 billion by 2030.
That creates both opportunity and urgency.
As the market grows, access to international buyers and new sales channels becomes increasingly important for African designers looking to expand.
More Than a Runway
Moscow Fashion Week’s offering extends beyond runway presentations.
The event has developed an infrastructure designed to connect emerging brands with different parts of the fashion ecosystem.
The Showroom provides an opportunity for meetings with buyers.
The Pop-Up Shop gives brands access to a wider consumer audience.
Meanwhile, the Business Program and World Fashion Shorts film festival provide additional opportunities for media visibility.
Together, these platforms are designed to give emerging names more than a moment in the spotlight.
They create opportunities for brands to meet industry professionals, buyers and consumers while building visibility and relationships.
Each season, Moscow Fashion Week introduces new names from around the world and creates opportunities for their growth and promotion.
Johannesburg and Moscow Share a Fashion Conversation
For Stephen Manzini, Founder and CEO of Soweto Fashion Week and President of the South African Fashion Association, the connection between Johannesburg and Moscow goes beyond geography.
Manzini, who is also a frequent guest at Moscow Fashion Week, sees a shared ambition between the two cities.
He points to their strong sense of identity and the way designers use fashion to communicate culture, emotion and personal stories.
For him, the relationship is also about looking forward without losing sight of where designers come from.
“We both celebrate where we come from while reaching for the future.”
That idea captures an important part of the conversation around emerging fashion markets.
International visibility does not necessarily mean leaving local identity behind.
Instead, it can provide another stage on which that identity can be presented.
Creating Opportunities for Fast-Growing Markets
The potential benefits of international participation extend beyond South Africa.
Mmantlha Sankoloba, CEO of the Botswana Exporters and Manufacturers Association, highlights the importance of platforms that connect designers from fast-growing markets with the wider fashion industry.
According to Sankoloba, participation in events such as Moscow Fashion Week can help designers showcase collections to international buyers, retailers, media and investors while building relationships with global fashion stakeholders.
That kind of access can become particularly important for brands looking to enter new markets.
And the conversation will continue beyond the runway.
BRICS+ Fashion Summit Comes to Moscow
From 28 to 30 September 2026, Moscow will also host the BRICS+ Fashion Summit – the Fashion Business Forum of Fast-Growing Economies.
The forum will focus on some of the major issues shaping the fashion industry’s future.
Its agenda includes entering new markets, attracting investment, sustainable production and the role of artificial intelligence.
Manzini and Sankoloba will both attend the Summit.
They will be joined by fashion industry leaders from across Africa.
Among them are Mustafa Hassanali, Chairman of Swahili Fashion Week in Tanzania; Emmanuel Muchindu Miyoba, Director of Lusaka Fashion Weekend in Zambia; Anis Montacer, Founder and CEO of Tunis Fashion Week in Tunisia; Rick Anderson, CEO, Founder and Director of Mauritius Fashion Festival Week; and Kalistu Ramos Mukoroli, Director of MTC Windhoek Fashion Week in Namibia.
Mukoroli has participated in the programme for several years.
He believes the value of the Summit extends beyond the runway.
“What makes the Summit especially valuable is that it goes beyond runway presentations.”
For Mukoroli, the forum creates space for different parts of the fashion ecosystem to discuss practical challenges and opportunities.
Designers, fashion-week organisers, retailers, policymakers, investors, educators, technology companies and other industry leaders will come together to examine the issues shaping the industry’s future.
Fashion’s Next Chapter Is Being Built Now
The upcoming Moscow Fashion Week arrives at a moment when emerging fashion markets are looking for greater international access.
For South Africa and other African markets, the challenge is not simply creating distinctive fashion.
It is creating pathways that allow those brands to reach buyers, consumers, investors and industry networks beyond their home markets.
Moscow Fashion Week is positioning its runway, showroom, pop-up shop, business programme and film festival as parts of that wider infrastructure.
From 26 September to 1 October, more than 200 brands will bring their collections to Moscow.
And alongside the clothes, another story will unfold.
A story about emerging names.
About international connections.
About African designers seeking new markets.
And about a fashion industry increasingly looking beyond traditional borders to shape what comes next.
