The fourth season of the BRICS+ Fashion Summit will take place in Moscow later this month, from 28 to 30 September 2026.

Over the past several years, the summit has become the largest event for the fashion business of fast-growing economies and one of the key fixtures on the international industry calendar. It is among the accredited BRICS events, and last season it brought together more than 15,000 attendees and delegates from over 60 countries.

In 2026, the forum will feature a broad range of African participants, underscoring the particular relevance of this year’s agenda for the continent. South Africa will be represented by Stephen Manzini, CEO of Soweto Fashion Week, and Colleen Eitzen, co-founder of major retailer The Space. Leaders of key fashion institutions from across the continent will also attend, including:

• Susan Sabet, Board Member and Secretary General of the Egyptian Fashion & Design Council and a BoF 500 member
• Mahlet Teklemariam, Founder of Hub of Africa Fashion Week and a BoF 500 member
• Hind Joudar, Founder and CEO of Maroc Fashion Week
• Nana Addo Tamakloe of Accra Fashion Week
• Brian James Kihindas of Kenya Fashion Council
• Mmantlha Sankoloba, CEO of Botswana Exporters and Manufacturers Association
• Kalistu Ramos Mukoroli, Director of MTC Windhoek Fashion Week
• Tery Carola, CEO of Seychelles Fashion Week
• Dawson Deng, Co-Founder and Executive Director of South Sudan Fashion Week

Many other key stakeholders will also be present.

Over the three days, African brands and manufacturers will have the opportunity to discuss cooperation, network and exchange experience with colleagues from across the continent, as well as with representatives of fast-growing economies in Asia, the Middle East and Latin America who will travel to Moscow.

For South African businesses, the summit offers export opportunities and new ways to enter the markets of other fast-growing economies. African participants have already built a notable track record. Botswana-based brand House of Ditso is discussing the possibility of establishing a presence in the Russian and CIS markets, while MTC Windhoek Fashion Week is in talks with Moscow Fashion Week about a designer exchange programme, among other results.

Kenya Fashion Council and Nairobi Fashion Week Director Brian James Kihindas hosted an important meeting at the summit in Moscow, bringing together fashion week organisers from East, West, Southern and North Africa around the same table for the first time. With fashion industries across the continent largely developing in isolation and focused primarily on promoting local talent within their own borders, opportunities for cross-border trade, designer mobility and collective negotiating power have remained fragmented. The meeting marked an important step towards changing this, creating a platform for African fashion leaders to connect, collaborate and explore a more unified approach to growing the continent’s fashion industry.

“In Moscow, inspired by the broader BRICS framework of multilateral cooperation, we made a collective decision: to build a unified umbrella body for African fashion week conveners. What started as a pivotal meeting in Moscow has evolved into an active, everyday network driven by our dedicated digital community hub. Conveners regularly exchange insights on production standards, buyer acquisition, sponsor engagement and event logistics suited for African markets,” Kihindas explains.

No stranger to the summit, Soweto Fashion Week and South African Fashion Association CEO Stephen Manzini returns to Moscow for the 2026 edition. He describes its role in Africa’s creative industries:

“The BRICS+ Fashion Summit is a critical communication platform for emerging countries, especially for Africa. It provides a rare space where our voices, stories and design philosophies are seen and respected on equal footing. For African creatives, it’s a gateway to connect with like-minded partners from the Global South, share our cultural richness, and position fashion as both a creative and economic force.”

Alongside the summit, a new season of Moscow Fashion Week will take place from 26 September to 1 October 2026 in Moscow, Russia. The programme will feature more than 70 runway shows by brands from over ten countries, from Türkiye to Sri Lanka and from Spain to China.

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