Organizers of Riga Fashion Week Present an Extensive Educational Program

Alongside the runway, visitors will enjoy lectures, exhibitions, and creative presentations, creating a space for exchanging ideas, inspiration, and professional growth.

One of the highlights of the educational program will be the lecture series "Fashion Photography", which for the second time is being held in collaboration with the contemporary photography platform ISSP. On October 22, from 11:00 to 16:30, three back-to-back seminars with short breaks will take place at the ISSP venue (Berga Bazārs, Elizabetes St. 83–85). Experts from the fashion industry will share their vision of fashion photography as an art form and provide professional advice. The speakers will include: Julia Sinka ("Details of Beauty Photography"), stylist Sintija Seliсka-Užane ("From Idea to Result: The Stylist in Modern Branding"), and renowned Estonian photographer Kertin Vasser("Behind the Flash: A Conversation with Kertin Vasser"). The lectures will be valuable both for professionals and for those just beginning their journey in this field.

Continuing the program, on October 24 a workshop by Estonian fashion photographer Kertin Vasser will take place at PER Form Studio (Vagonu St. 21). During this practical session, participants will witness the entire process of creating a fashion photoshoot: from concept to final image, as well as gain hands-on experience in working with a model and a creative team. Stylist Sintija Seliсka-Užane will also take part, giving participants the opportunity to view the shoot from the perspective of different professionals involved.

"Through the ISSP educational program, we aim to inspire professionals to go beyond the familiar clichés of the industry and embrace creative experiments, for which the modern fashion environment offers favorable conditions," said Julia Berkovicha, head of ISSP.

"Collaboration with RIGA FASHION WEEK and ISSP allows us to see fashion in a broader way — to understand why designers choose certain forms and colors, how it connects to advertising, human behavior, and trends. Such workshops give us the opportunity to better understand why some trends change every season while others become a permanent part of fashion. At the same time, they show the role of the stylist as a creative producer, forming a coherent visual result," explained stylist Sintija Seliсka-Užane.

In addition, a special place in the program is given to creative workshops at the Tribal Hotel brand's pop-up space, located at Galerija Centrs (Audēju St. 16, 4th floor, Butterman premises). On October 21, a creative workshop on Fashion Illustration with Laura Luīze Valtere, a graduate of the Art Academy of Latvia, will be held. Participants will be introduced to fashion illustration as a collaborative creative process, where not only technique matters but also the exchange of ideas. Each work will become unique thanks to imagination, improvisation, and the use of various available materials.

The second workshop will focus on Upcycling Fashion, continuing the project "Redesign. Vol. 2", curated by designer and doctoral student of the Art Academy of Latvia Zaiga Brutāne. The session will explore ways of extending the life cycle of clothing and showcase practical techniques for giving an old T-shirt a new shape and character. Participants will be able to work with their own garments, clearly seeing that fashion can represent not only aesthetics but also a responsible approach to consumption.

"Collaboration with RIGA FASHION WEEK is important to us, as such projects allow us to unlock creative potential, unite different approaches, and create new opportunities for developing the creative environment,"emphasized Simona, designer of Tribal Hotel.

Among the events is also the exhibition "I Love Art Deco" at the Fashion Museum (Grēcinieku St. 24), dedicated to the style and elegance of the 1920s–1930s. The exhibition is already open to visitors, and October 20 will be the last day to see rare Art Deco dresses and accessories from the collections of famous couturiers and museums.

The expanded cultural program of RIGA FASHION WEEK demonstrates that fashion is not only about the runway but also a part of a broader artistic process, where different forms of art and socially important ideas come together.