Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Russia is taking place on October, 19-23 at 8 Moscow-based venues simultaneously. Shows from the capital will be topped up with livestreams from four Russian cities. Around 60 designers and fashion houses will showcase their new collections, and all the shows and presentations will be streamed in the social media and at partner websites.

Due to the current epidemiological situation in the capital, the organizers of Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Russia decided to move this season’s shows from Manege to independent venues with a focus on livestreams. “Our objective is to prevent crowding and comply with every letter of the sanitary guidelines introduced because of the coronavirus infection spreading. Today, safety of our participants and guests is our number one priority. At some venues, we’re going to manage the process so not to change the spirit and efficiency of the event by the glove-mask mode,” says Alexander Shumsky, President of Russian Fashion Council and Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Russia. The upcoming season is going to be unique, as MBFW Russia schedule is going to unite livestreamed shows from other cities and countries. This time, Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Russia will include special shows by Russian designers, based in St. Petersburg, Sochi, Krasnodar, and Yakutsk. Moreover, a joint show by Indonesian designers livestreamed right from Jakarta will take place during the event. Other announcements on the schedule include fashion houses from Argentina, Peru, UK and USA. “The new COVID reality in 2020 offered us an unprecedented opportunity to experiment with the Fashion week format. MBFW Russia is going to become the first fashion week to livestream the shows from 6 locations throughout the globe. This is both technologically and organizationally challenging, and nevertheless, we’re starting this project with other cities and countries this season. This format is going to have high potential not only during the closed skies period,” Alexander Shumsky is sure. Presentations of the new collections will be available for viewers from all over the world at various online platforms and media websites, as well as at VK – the major social network of Russia and CIS. Starting with the first virtual season in spring, projects by MBFW Russia have in half a year attracted 2.5+ mln followers from Russia and many other countries to their livestreams.

GRANTS FOR FASHION BRANDS FROM FASHION FUND

To support emerging talents during the pandemic-caused economic recession Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Russia together with Fashion Fund have started a large-scale grant program focused on Russian designers. From 50 entries, Advisory board has chosen 13 winners: Lokoto, Marfa Fedorova, Lubovi, BUTS8, k∅d, Ola Ola, Les’ by Lesia Paramonova, Maison Esve, 1377, Maison Kaleidoscope, Za_Za, Mad Daisy, Innominate. With the grants provided by Fashion Fund, designers from Moscow and other Russian cities will be able to present their shows at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Russia without an entry fee.