Brics+ Fashion Summit Returns this September: Redefining the Global Order of Style

For decades, the global fashion axis has run firmly along a familiar route: New York, London, Milan, and Paris. These legacy capitals held a near-monopoly on style narratives, market access, and trends. However, a profound decentralization of creative power is quietly taking place. Returning this September from 28 to 30, 2026, the BRICS+ Fashion Summit in Moscow stands as a clear statement that the future of fashion belongs to the emerging, fast-growing markets of the Global South.

Hosting delegates, designers, manufacturers, and institutional leaders from over 60 countries across Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Middle East, this summit is not merely another date on the industry calendar. It represents a structural realignment of the international fashion trade.

While Western fashion weeks have often relegated designers from developing nations to niche or exoticized sidebars, the BRICS+ Fashion Summit provides equal standing. The forum acts as an accredited business event designed to foster direct trade, cross-border investment, and institutional collaboration without relying on traditional Western intermediaries.

In an era defined by trade barriers, shifting tariffs, and changing consumer habits, the summit connects every stage of the global fashion supply chain—from raw material producers to tech platforms, retail conglomerates, and independent designers.

Over the three-day BRICS+ Fashion Summit, African fashion brands and manufacturers will have the opportunity to connect with industry peers from across the continent, explore potential collaborations, and exchange knowledge and expertise with representatives from fast-growing economies in Asia, the Middle East, and Latin America gathering in Moscow.

One of the defining highlights of this September’s gathering is the prominent presence of creative leaders from the African continent and the Middle East.

Representatives from key regional hubs—including Soweto Fashion Week (South Africa), Accra Fashion Week (Ghana), Maroc Fashion Week (Morocco), and the Hub of Africa Fashion Week (Ethiopia)—are gathering to push forward a unified agenda. Rather than operating in regional silos, African fashion conveners are leveraging the summit to build umbrella networks, standardizing production capabilities, and establishing direct bilateral trade channels with major consumer markets across Asia and Latin America.

“The BRICS+ Fashion Summit provides a rare space where our voices, stories, and design philosophies are seen and respected on equal footing… It’s a gateway to connect with like-minded partners from the Global South and position fashion as both a creative and economic force.”

Stephen Manzini, CEO of Soweto Fashion Week

Simultaneously, key figures from the Middle Eastern fashion ecosystem—such as leadership from the Dubai Culture and Arts Authority, Egypt Fashion Week, and Baghdad Fashion Week—are utilizing the platform to bridge centuries-old artisan traditions with modern retail infrastructure.

Beyond runway showcases, this September’s business program tackles the systemic shifts reshaping the industry:

• AI and Digital Manufacturing: Integrating artificial intelligence into garment design, trend prediction, and supply chain management.
• Localized Production Networks: Strengthening regional hubs to make global trade more resilient against geopolitical logistics bottlenecks.
• Emerging Consumer Markets: Capitalizing on youth-driven demography in Asia, Africa, and Latin America, where demand for authentic, value-driven fashion is outpacing stagnant Western growth.

Running alongside Moscow Fashion Week (September 26 – October 1), featuring over 70 runway presentations from nations as diverse as China, Türkiye, Spain, Sri Lanka, and Nicaragua, the event pairs policy and business strategy with creative execution.