Since the first edition of the BRICS+ fashion summit in November of 2023, the conference has been committed to its mission of creating a platform for designers, fashion enthusiasts and executives to share ideas and spark new discussions. The summit that was held in Moscow this October was a culmination of valuable conversations aimed at moving the fashion industry in BRICS and allied countries forward. The goal remains to significantly strengthen professional connections among representatives from over 100 countries present in Moscow.
My experience at the summit started a day late. On October 4th, 14 sessions and a series of TED talks took place, many of them happening simultaneously in different halls. I chose to attend an early session about the creative industry by 11 am and the plenary session about fashion factories that followed right after at 12:30 pm, both in the Grand Hall of the Zaryadye. The next day, I was excited to return for 2 vital conversations about fashion education and appropriation that wrapped up the summit.
Day 1: Creative industries, factories and the runway
The first session I attended was called Creative Capital; the role of creative industries in economic development. Creative industries have long been recognised as vital drivers of economic growth globally. In the panel were Marina Banovic, Vice President of Montenegro Fashion Week, Anna Uvarova, who runs a department store in Moscow, Ümit Temurçin, a journalist with Aksam Newspaper, Camila Ortega, CEO of Nicaragua Diseña and Kseniya Katysheva, curator of the BHSAD Fashion and Textile Design program, who moderated this session.
During this session, these experts examined how creative fashion can sustain itself as an economic force, attract investment, and foster stable connections among people, industries, and communities. The speakers told stories evident of their years of experience in the fashion industry.
Industry on Trend: Fashion beyond the runway
The plenary session was next and speakers addressed the challenges the consumer goods and textile sectors are currently facing, with a focus on the shortage of qualified personnel. Akashdeep Singh, President of the Indian Business Council, and Mubashar Naseer Butt, Chairman of the Pakistan Readymade Garments Manufacturers and Exporters Association both highlighted how their respective countries are making strides to attract young people to the fashion industry, not just on the runway but also in production.
Other speakers, Sladjana Milojevic, Director of the Fashion Apparel Cluster of Serbia, Aleksandra Kaloshina, founder of fashion house, SOLSTUDIO and Aleksey Romanenko, Managing Partner of NEO Consulting, a fashion consulting company expressed concerns that the education system in fashion is lagging behind the industry’s needs. They proposed collaborative solutions involving companies to engage students in real-world processes. The insights exchanged emphasised the importance of collaboration, both internationally and within the industry in clusters. Where countries with similar interests come together to improve their textile industry.
Day 2: Self-taught or school-taught?
The conversation in this panel brought to the fore and answered a very important question that is rampant in the fashion industry. Should all designers go to fashion school? Or can they be self-taught? The panel was split at first with speakers Natalya Maetnaya, Founder of White Crow; Karina Demidenko, Director of Carec.o; Julia Dalakian, Designer of the Julia Dalakian Fashion House; Angelina Kushtina, Editor-in-Chief of GRAZIA and Independent Media; and Antonio Maurizio Grioli, Dean of Pearl Academy India on different sides of the topic.
The participants eventually concluded that while education alone doesn’t guarantee success, it can provide valuable opportunities if structured correctly. The time students spend in training is a vital resource, allowing them to develop their ideas without the pressures of the market or financial obligations. This period offers them a chance to deeply understand the processes involved in creating and managing a brand, experiences that can become significantly more challenging when they enter the business world and encounter operational hurdles.
Conversely, successful designers can emerge as self-taught individuals, creating pathways for talented people who may not fit traditional educational models. However, marketing and self-promotion are critical components in this process. Without a strategic approach to promotion, even the most gifted designers risk going unnoticed.
Cultural appropriation in a fast-changing world
This plenary session, kicked off an essential discussion on a pressing global issue: distinguishing between being inspired by a national culture and engaging in cultural appropriation. The speakers were representatives of different cultures in Africa like Tsepang David Teba, from Lesotho Fashion Week and Soma Njie, from Gambia Fashion Weekend who gave insight on different instances of cultural appropriation.
They highlighted the importance of understanding and respecting indigenous cultures when borrowing visual symbols. They emphasised that elements of national costumes, art objects, and various cultural artefacts are imbued with deep symbolism and meanings. Therefore, replicating these elements without a proper understanding of their significance is deemed unacceptable.
When drawing inspiration from traditions, designers must thoroughly research the styles, colours, and patterns they intend to use, as well as the cultural implications. Furthermore, the session addressed the troubling issue of unique products created by indigenous peoples being appropriated by Western brands, often resold at significantly higher prices. This could be seen as a form of imperialism, where Western brands are still benefiting off Indigenous people and using their privilege to make more money off other people’s cultures.
Lessons for the Road
The conversations from the BRICS+ fashion summit ignited a curiosity for the broader process of the fashion industry in ways that I have yet to be before now. Very often, I found myself imagining these conversations in a Nigerian context. The conversation about formal education in fashion reminded me of the reality of fashion education in Nigeria. Most of it is passed down informally through vocational education and apprenticeship, where artisans and designers pick up hands-on experience. While experience is good, a lot of modern techniques that allow Nigerian designers to compete with a global audience needs to be self-taught. And this is because fashion education is often too expensive for those who need it.
We have managed to hold our own really well, but it would also be amazing to see a fashion fund or initiative set up officially to provide affordable formal education for those who need it. Beyond that, our creative industry will benefit from a level of regulation to incentivise young people as they venture into the passion of fashion.
