By Chloé Dubois What will be the major trends that will reshape the industry in the years to come? How will production change over the next five years? In the creative process, is artificial intelligence a simple tool or a true co-creator? And who decides, today, what’s trendy?
These questions will be at the heart of the debates at the BRICS+ Fashion Summit – the fashion economic forum for high-growth countries – which will be held in Moscow from September 28 to 30, 2026 and will bring together delegates from all continents. Over the past few years, this summit organized in Moscow has established itself as an influential platform, where the fashion of emerging economies weighs more and more on the global agenda.
From Cotonou to Moscow
Benin, Congo, Tunisia, Morocco: the fashion weeks of these countries have already taken part in the Summit, and their work is better known in France than in many other European countries – a common language facilitates both exchanges and visibility. Among the participants was stylist Aristide Loua, creative director of the Ivorian brand Kente Gentlemen. Marie-Josée Natabou Ahounou, founder of Benin Fashion Week, explains that the Summit allows her to find partners among designers and institutions, to prepare the next edition of Benin Fashion Week by inviting international personalities and media, to obtain scholarships for young Beninese designers, and to strengthen the country’s place on the world fashion map.
More than a business matter
“The BRICS+ Fashion Summit offers a new and inclusive vision of fashion – one that values diversity, sustainability and the dialogue of cultures. It offers emerging markets a platform to make their voices and innovations heard on a global scale,” says Anis Montacer, founder and CEO of Tunis Fashion Week, who will participate in the forum again this September.
His counterpart from the African continent provides insight that has long resonated in France. “African fashion is opening up to global influences: Western cuts, international collaborations, digital distribution channels. However, it does not allow itself to be absorbed: African creators reinterpret global trends through their local cultural codes, giving birth to a singular and assertive aesthetic,” observes Marie-Josée Natabou Ahounou. In his eyes, “Made in Africa” becomes a symbol of identity pride, particularly among young people and within a growing middle class.
A Mediterranean outlook, which particularly resonates in France, is carried by Sergio Puig, director of Mediterranea Fashion Week Valenciareturning to Moscow this September. The future of fashion, he says, “will be global, certainly, but deeply diverse and rooted in the local.” He describes the objective of his presence as follows: “By participating in the BRICS+ Fashion Summit, I hope to consolidate the position of Mediterranea Fashion Week Valencia as an international crossroads, connecting the creativity, sustainability and cultural identity of the Mediterranean with the emerging and established markets represented by the BRICS+ countries”
What’s on the program
The Summit program, included in the list of official BRICS events, is structured around five main axes: creativity, production, marketing and sales, entrepreneurship and investment, as well as related sectors. Among the topics covered at the BRICS+ Fashion Summit are artificial intelligence in the creative process, innovative and sustainable materials, the place of craftsmanship in modern supply chains, sales via digital platforms, without forgetting themes that cut across all creative industries – from collectible design to the jewelry market. The question of influence, addressed during a dedicated session, takes on particular relevance for a generation raised on algorithms: on a structural level, the industry is increasingly globalizing, but on a meaning level, it is refocusing on the local, anchored in regional identity and stories.
Susan Sabet, board member and secretary general of Egypt Fashion Week, itself a member of the BoF 500, explains why high-growth industries come to Moscow: “The BRICS+ Fashion Summit has a strong focus on emerging markets, particularly in Africa and Asia, by creating a platform where designers, industry leaders, manufacturers and policy makers from developing fashion ecosystems can meet and collaborate. It highlights the creativity, know-how, innovation and business potential of these regions, while strengthening links on a global scale.”
In September, these links should become even closer: judging by previous editions, the Summit is preparing to welcome a record number of participants.
