Season of Debuts: Riga Fashion Week Announces Its Program

A total of 17 brands from Latvia, Estonia, Lithuania, Poland, Belgium, and Uzbekistan will present their collections in Riga, with 12 of them making their RFW debut. In addition to the shows, a series of educational initiatives focused on sustainable development are planned, as well as exhibitions at the intersection of fashion and contemporary art.

This season, events will take place across three main venues: Hanzas Perons, Zunda Towers complex, and Latvian Design Stories (a space on the 4th floor of the Galerija Centrs shopping mall), the latter serving as a site for capsule presentations and workshops. On October 21, all interested visitors will be able to attend a fashion illustration masterclass by Laura Luīze Valtere, and the following day, a "Pārdizains Vol.2" workshop on fashion upcycling with Zaiga Brutāne). These events provide a unique opportunity for fashion professionals to gain hands-on experience from leading industry experts.

On the main runway of the capital, audiences will see collections from both established international brands — Szczygiel (Poland), Moel Bosh (Uzbekistan), and Pohjanheimo (Estonia) — and new names for Riga, including Embassy of Fashion Atelier, featuring three Tallinn-based designers: Aldo Järvsoo, Riina Põldroos, and Ketlin Bachmann. Another Estonian brand, Nora Isle, will present classic silhouettes enhanced with expressive modern details.

For the first time within RFW, renowned Lithuanian stylist Kęstas Rimdžius will showcase his signature performance in collaboration with Kukla Beauty Box. Two more newcomers to Riga: the Uzbek brand Mursak, which celebrates the value of traditional craftsmanship, and the newly established Belgian label Yevseyev, presenting a performance-format collection that explores the harmony of coexisting opposites.

Latvian brands are also ready to surprise audiences this season. Alongside Baltic fashion veterans BAÉ by Katya Shehurina, Natalija Jansone, and Amelii, as many as seven Latvian debuts will take place during RFW. Designer Megija-Luīze Pudāne, a graduate of a Paris fashion school, will stage a major show for her label Studio MX; Karina Kelle will present a collection of hand-painted kimonos, and Treimane Studio will unveil a capsule collection created from recycled clothing and home textiles. Two additional presentations will take place at Latvian Design Stories: Tribal Hotel by designer Simone Veilande and Zaiga Brutāne Studio. Both brands have been on the market for some time, but this will be their first appearance at RFW.

Former NOLO designer Viktorija Joniene will open her first solo art exhibition, "Crimson Current", during RFW, featuring a series of fashion-related art objects. After several years of creative silence, stylist Sergej Hatanzeyskiy will present his new project SVIESTS in collaboration with SEXYSTYLE, transforming the runway into a theatrical performance filled with provocation, mystery, and unexpected happenings. His show will take place twice — at Hanzas Perons and at Coyote Fly nightclub.

On the final day of Riga Fashion Week, October 24, a fashion photography masterclass led by Kertin Vasser (Estonia) with Sintija Selicka-Užane's team in partnership with ISSP will be held. For those unable to attend the runway shows — or for anyone wishing to get a closer look at local designers' work and perhaps purchase some pieces — special events will take place throughout the afternoon and evening in designer boutiques and studios, including Iveta Vecmane, Anna Led, Latvian Design Stories, Una Berziņa, Moel Bosh, and others.

The fashion parties, an integral part of RFW, will this season be hosted at Tribe Riga City Centre, Pullman Riga Old Town, and — after the final show — a lively all-night party at the official RFW club Coyote Fly, located in the newly opened ExPorto complex on the banks of the Daugava River. Riga Fashion Week will conclude with a private closing party and model awards ceremony at ICON Cocktail & Hookah Lounge, also within the ExPorto complex.