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Fashion, Caspian Style: Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Wraps Up In Moscow

By Nargiz Mammadli October 28, 2017

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Now in its sixteenth year, the event featured collections for the 2018 spring and summer seasons, and attracted fashion designers from Kazakhstan, Georgia, Spain, Russia, the U.S. and Australia. / Ekaterina Chesnokova / Sputnik

More than 80 fashion designers and brands from the Caspian region took part in the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Russia (MBFW), a major fashion event held in Moscow from October 21-26.

Now in its sixteenth year, the event featured collections for the 2018 spring and summer seasons, and attracted fashion designers from Kazakhstan, Georgia, Spain, Russia, the U.S. and Australia. Two venues in the city, Moscow Manege and the Museum of Moscow, hosted the event.

Opening day featured collection dubbed “Linen and Lace,” designed by creators from nearly 20 Russian facilities that specialized in linen clothing production. The organizers of the show believe that the joint work on the project has united these facilities and demonstrated the capabilities of Russian industries. The idea behind the concept of using linen for the opening was to integrate elements of folk art into modern looks, and to create a fashionable Russian collection for industrial production, according to the organizers of the show.

Spanish designers, as well as collections by famous Russian designer and painter Slava Zaitsev, were featured early on in the week-long program.

“The Generation M” was a special project featured on October 22, which was launched to support young talent in the fashion industry. Selected from more than 4,000 participants from all over Russia, young designers presented their very first collections created under the guidance of famous fashion maestros, including Slava Zaitsev; Igor Gulyaev, who is best known for his fur collections combined with various fabrics; and Dasha Gauser.

The Caspian region was well represented at the show, and also included fashion brands from Kazakhstan, as well as Georgian designers Tinatin Magalashvili and Ekaterine Buzaladze.

Kazakhstan’s designers Dinara Satzhan, Aida KaumeNOVA and Naiyl Baikuchukov, who receive state funding and support through the “Spiritual Renovation” state program launched by Kazakhstan’s President Nursultan Nazarbayev, showcased their collections on October 24.

Aida KaumeNOVA, who was visiting Moscow for the first time, decided to focus her collection on national motifs, which showcased the rich heritage of nomads, or ancestors of modern-day Kazakhstanis.

“We never forget about our national traditions, our culture. In our collection we want to show that Kazakhstan has an incredibly deep and rich culture, and that our creative search coincides with the idea of the “Spiritual Renovation” program. This is something new, our special national code,” KaumeNOVA told the Russian online news outlet Dni.Ru.

Ten designers presented clothing centered on the color red, meant to support a social campaign dubbed “Russian Designers Against AIDS,” which was launched in cooperation with the Russian Healthcare Ministry.

Russian Fashion Week has been held in Moscow for 16 years, while the “Mercedes-Benz” prefix was added after the two sides agreed on a partnership in 2011.