Though fashion may not be the first thing that comes to mind when thinking of Russia's sprawling capital city of Moscow, art enthusiasts know that the city is also a hub for culture. The curious traveler would also be pleasantly surprised to find that Moscow is the largest fashion and culture metropolis in Europe and has been hosting its own fashion week for just shy of 20 years.
For president of Mercedes Benz Fashion Week Russia, Alexander Shumsky, helming one of the city's biggest cultural institutions comes from necessity. As the founder of the leading public relations agency for luxury fashion and lifestyle, Artefact Communications, Shumsky has spent decades supporting over 500 emerging brands and designers in the once-underrepresented Russian market. "I got a lot of requests from designers and brands that were demanding a professional event, " Shumsky says. "We created fashion week specifically for our clients, which consisted of 10 to 12 designers and so we launched in Moscow in 1996.” Also serving as president of the Russian Fashion Council, the former journalist and public relations professional has mobilized a community of artists and set the bar in Eastern Europe.
Expanding in scale since it's debut in the year 2000, Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Russia saw 60,000 visitors over the course of five days and showcased 117 designers from 14 countries represented on the runways. Having moved around various venues throughout the years, the Central Manege is home to the fashion week festivities that have been diversified to include live talks, panels, performances and a marketplace made of pop-up shops for attendees.
In addition to the tens of thousands of guests over the week-long event, the show's largest viewership comes from the streaming live across over 50 broadcasting sites. Of the ever-widening audience fashion week attracts, Shumsky notes that, "before, the designers would approach [him] to do shows in order to attract more buyers but today it's about media content.” By fostering a dynamic, multi-media backdrop for shows to take place, the event's founder keeps on top of engagement trends and emphasizes access as a main component of what makes the shows in Moscow special. "Thanks to our sponsors, we have Global Talents that are supporting by inviting different designers from different cultures. It's not famous designers either. For a lot of them, it's their first show ever and they are young, hip designers. The demand for something new is very high and it's quite entertaining and comfortable to stay here,” Shumsky says.
