Moscow — Fashion industry leaders, designers, and manufacturing executives from across Africa will gather in the Russian capital later this month for the fourth season of the BRICS+ Fashion Summit, scheduled to take place from September 28 to 30, 2026.
As an accredited BRICS event, the summit has grown into a major international business forum for emerging fashion markets, drawing more than 15,000 attendees and delegates from over 60 countries during its previous edition.
The 2026 edition features a prominent delegation of African industry heads, institutional leaders, and retail founders looking to expand cross-border trade, establish designer exchange initiatives, and access fast-growing consumer markets across Asia, Latin America, and the Middle East.
Key participants from across the continent include Stephen Manzini, CEO of Soweto Fashion Week and the South African Fashion Association; Colleen Eitzen, co-founder of retail brand The Space; Mmantlha Sankoloba, CEO of the Botswana Exporters and Manufacturers Association; and Kalistu Ramos Mukoroli, Director of MTC Windhoek Fashion Week in Namibia.
North and West African representation features Susan Sabet, Board Member and Secretary General of the Egyptian Fashion & Design Council; Hind Joudar, Founder and CEO of Maroc Fashion Week; and Nana Addo Tamakloe, representing Accra Fashion Week in Ghana.
East and Central Africa will be represented by Mahlet Teklemariam, Founder of Hub of Africa Fashion Week; Brian James Kihindas, Director of the Kenya Fashion Council and Nairobi Fashion Week; Tery Carola, CEO of Seychelles Fashion Week; and Dawson Deng, Co-Founder and Executive Director of South Sudan Fashion Week.
For African creative enterprises, the summit serves as a launchpad for international expansion and commercial partnerships. Several tangible commercial discussions are already underway, including Botswana-based label House of Ditso exploring entry into Russian and CIS retail markets, and Namibia’s MTC Windhoek Fashion Week negotiating designer exchange frameworks with Moscow Fashion Week.
The forum has also catalyzed deeper intra-African collaboration. Following initial discussions at the summit, African fashion week conveners from North, South, East, and West Africa established a unified network to share best practices on production standards, sponsor engagement, buyer acquisition, and logistics.
Kenya Fashion Council Director Brian James Kihindas explained that inspired by the broader BRICS framework of multilateral cooperation, conveners made a collective decision in Moscow to build a unified umbrella body. He noted that what started as a pivotal meeting has evolved into an active digital community where regional organizers regularly exchange insights on production standards, buyer acquisition, and event logistics suited for African markets.
Stephen Manzini of Soweto Fashion Week emphasized the strategic value of the platform, noting that the summit provides a rare space where African voices, stories, and design philosophies are respected on equal footing. He added that the forum offers a vital gateway to connect with partners across the Global South, positioning fashion as both a cultural and economic force.
Held alongside the summit, the new season of Moscow Fashion Week will run from September 26 to October 1, featuring more than 70 runway presentations from international designers spanning China, Spain, Türkiye, and Sri Lanka.
