Moscow has once again become the center of the global fashion life. Moscow Fashion Week started at the ‘Manege’. The first day kicked off the program with 12 runway shows and dozens of designers, setting a dynamic pace for the entire week ahead.
Here, students of the British Higher School of Art and Design reinterpreted the aesthetics of motorsport, while the Spanish brand Madame & Mister Sibarita wove Western elegance into an atmosphere of Eastern mysticism. Masterpeace convincingly proved that one can feel like a queen not only in Versailles but also on an ordinary Tuesday.
The first day of Moscow Fashion Week was a true manifesto: Russian fashion is setting the trends.
Masterpeace (Moscow)
Masterpeace does not subtly suggest – it makes it clear – that one can and should feel like a queen every day. The fashion house presented the “Roial Punk: Versailles for Every Day” collection, where noble Renaissance-inspired corsetry and the coquettish aesthetics of Marie Antoinette became the main highlights of the show. The brand’s creative director, Evgenia Linovich, dedicated the line to the inner theater. Despite the royal hems and the aesthetics of monarchs, the collection turned out to be quite practical: all thanks to transformer skirts, satin shorts, sheer corsets, and viral balloon pants and wide-leg pants, which are easy to mix and match with everyday pieces.
404 Not Found | (Moscow)
The image of the modern woman in a dynamic world was revealed by the fashion house 404 Not Found. The brand presented its new spring-summer collection, “Wild Roses”, where delicacy and fragility rhyme with strictness and strength. The materials also skillfully reflect the contrasts within the line: delicate silk is paired with sturdy leather, airy chiffon with refined tweed, and semi-sheer fabrics work in tandem with dense cotton. The collection is executed in calm, pastel shades – sandy beige, soft pink, blue-gray, white, and black became the key color palette.
Big Brooch (Yekaterinburg)
Olesya Zhuravleva, the creative director of the Yekaterinburg-based brand Big Brooch, presented the new spring-summer collection titled “EHE” (from Buryat, meaning “beginning, source”). The line tells the story of the union between East and West and their cultural dialogue, giving rise to a new vision of beauty. The collection’s title also embodies the idea of reflection and unity through the mirrored letters “E.” Traditions of Buryatia (the designer’s homeland) and the Urals (where the brand’s fashion house was first created) meet in the silhouettes in a modern interpretation: O-shaped sleeves, trapeze and fitted silhouettes served as a canvas for creativity, while accent decorations, playful beads, textured appliqués, sparkling stones, and dynamic fringe complemented the understated pieces.
Sasha Barbakov (Moscow)
Sasha Barbakov, founder and creative director of the eponymous brand, shared not just a new collection at Moscow Fashion Week, but a personal memory. Alexander recounted how, during a walk through a flea market, he experienced a sudden nostalgia for his early childhood. This theme is what the designer explores in the line, turning to a time of scarcity, which also encouraged people to create. Pieces with fringe and other dynamic appliqués referenced untidy details, while semi-sheer lace skirts and dresses alluded to lingerie aesthetics, and the plaid print recalled the very same duffel bags that also appeared in the collection as accessories.
Madame & Mister Sibarita (Spain)
The vibrant spirit of sunny Spain lit up the runways at Moscow Fashion Week with Madame & Mister Sibarita’s spring collection, Instinct Naturel. This collection beautifully merged Eastern mysticism with Western elegance. Traditional kimonos, capes, and dresses were decorated with large sequins, dynamic fringes, decorative knots, Eastern accessories, and hand embroidery. Flowing, asymmetrical silhouettes added a sense of lightness and movement to the lineup. The color palette consisted exclusively of noble shades, such as warm beige, ivory, olive, amber, coral, and turquoise. This range was chosen intentionally to reflect light and the true power of nature.
Universal University x British Higher School of Art and Design (Moscow)
The first day featured a collective show by talented students from the British Higher School of Art and Design, a leading Russian art education center and part of Universal University for creative industries. Students presented collections embodying their unique visions. The ‘Dream or Drive’ line drew inspiration from auto racing, with bold spirit reflected in leather, tire-track prints, and racing gear elements. Another collection, ‘Freakebana,’ explored modern floral designs with vivid colors and polka dots. Other student works delved into topics such as generational connections, frustration, life’s illusions, childhood, and self-discovery.
Fashion Factory School (Moscow)
Graduates of Fashion Factory School debuted at Moscow Fashion Week with a collective show. Their first collection is a blend of viral trends and complex looks that any avid fashionista can recreate. Combining dense fabrics with lace, rhyming pieces like pants, dresses, long tunics, and skirts, the collection embraced dynamic textures and current styles ranging from grunge to Boho chic Renaissance core and outdoor aesthetics. This served as an impeccable reference and a strong introduction to the hottest trends.
Solangel (Moscow)
Inspired by a frosty sunny morning, designer Irena Soprano brought the essence of winter to life in Solangel’s new collection. The show opened with blogger Maryam Tillyaeva in a snow-white knit suit adorned with pearl details mimicking snowflakes. The lineup also included other knitwear pieces: micro shorts, fur vests, cozy sweaters, anoraks, cardigans, and dresses – all decorated with shimmering elements reminiscent of snow sparkling in the sun. The show concluded with a stunning wedding gown worn by young star Aurora Kiba.
