South Africa is once again entering the global fashion arena as part of the BRICS Fashion Summit, which will take place in Moscow from September 28 to 30, 2026. The South African delegation will be represented at this event, which is officially included in the BRICS agenda and is one of the leading international events in the industry.
Throughout its history, the Summit has hosted experts from 109 countries worldwide. The BRICS+ Fashion Summit will once again gather industry leaders who are shaping responses to the rapidly changing global landscape, including heads of national fashion weeks, industry associations, manufacturers, retailers, and investors.
Participants will discuss major structural changes affecting the global fashion industry, such as logistics routes, consumer behavior, and the growing significance of regional production hubs.
Organizers of the BRICS+ Fashion Summit note that Africa remains one of the key supply and production centers in global fashion, and a new generation of local brands across the continent is actively seeking sales channels outside the domestic market. For South Africa, this Summit could open new entry points into the export networks of fast-growing economies, covering both textile manufacturing and designer retail.
For many participants, the forum provides an opportunity to establish direct business connections with industry professionals from markets in Asia, Latin America, Africa, and the Middle East, where production is expanding, new brands are emerging, and demand for fashion products is growing fastest. Thanks to its intensive format, the event serves as a practical platform for finding partners, suppliers, and distribution channels.
Steven Manzini, founder of Soweto Fashion Week and member of the BRICS+ Fashion Summit International Committee, emphasized that BRICS fashion has ceased to be merely a gathering of different countries in one place. He stated: 'The next step is to turn this dialogue into real markets, investments, and talent mobility. The Global South possesses creativity, production capabilities, and consumer markets to build a stronger fashion economy on its own terms. Our duty now is to create the connections that allow designers, brands, and businesses to move beyond representation and transition to genuine international opportunities.'
The business program of the BRICS+ Fashion Summit is structured around areas such as creativity, production and logistics, marketing and sales, and entrepreneurship and investment. Within these areas, over 250 speakers will examine supply chain restructuring, the use of cultural identity as a strategic asset, the implementation of artificial intelligence in design and retail, values shaping the new generation of consumers, and international expansion strategies for manufacturers.
Among the confirmed African participants for the upcoming BRICS+ Fashion Summit are Terry Karola, CEO of Seychelles Fashion Week; Nana Addo Tamakloe, CEO of Accra Fashion Week (Ghana); and Mustafa Hassanal, CEO of Swahili Fashion Week (Tanzania).
The BRICS+ Fashion Summit will coincide with another major event—Moscow Fashion Week, the main platform for emerging designers that facilitates their effective integration into the international environment. This event, taking place in Moscow from September 26 to October 1, will feature over 70 shows from designers from Spain, Sri Lanka, Turkey, the UK, Kazakhstan, China, Russia, and other countries.
