There is always a certain delight in being back in Moscow. Between the fashion, the food and the unmistakable flair of the city, there is never a shortage of things to enjoy. But beyond the beautiful sights and stylish crowds, my return to the Russian capital for the 2026 BRICS+ Fashion Summit and Moscow Fashion Week offered something more to think about: the future of fashion in a world increasingly shaped by artificial intelligence, even for African creatives.
Held from September 28 to 30, the BRICS+ Fashion Summit brought together industry experts, designers, business leaders and fashion professionals from more than 60 countries to discuss the forces shaping the industry. Alongside it, Moscow Fashion Week, which ran from September 26 to October 1, provided a closer look at the creativity, craftsmanship and cultural influences finding their way onto the runway.
And if there was one conversation that stayed with me, it was about artificial intelligence and what its growing influence means for human creativity.
There is no denying that AI is making its way into almost every corner of the fashion industry. From predicting consumer behavior and generating design concepts to creating digital visuals and improving production processes, the technology is changing how brands work.
At the Summit’s session, Artificial Intelligence in the Creative Process: Tool, or Co-Author?, industry professionals explored a question that is becoming increasingly difficult to ignore: when technology can create designs in seconds, what happens to the human creativity that has always made fashion exciting?
Kanika Goyal, founder and creative director of Indian brand KGL, offered a useful perspective, arguing that while AI can assist with design, it cannot understand how a model feels or whether a particular piece of embroidery belongs in a specific place. Those decisions still require human judgement.
Sergio Puig, director of Mediterranean Fashion Week Valencia, also cautioned against the possibility of brands losing their individuality if everyone relies on the same technological tools.
It is a fair concern. Fashion is more than putting together colours, fabrics and silhouettes that look good on a screen. It is about emotion, identity, culture and the occasional creative decision that makes you wonder how someone even thought of it.
AI can generate ideas, analyze trends and make the design process faster, but can it replicate the experience of a designer drawing inspiration from childhood memories, traditional craftsmanship or a culture they have spent years understanding?
Perhaps the bigger question is not whether AI will replace designers, but whether designers will allow it to dictate their creativity.
For emerging brands, particularly those working with limited resources, AI presents opportunities to compete in a market that might otherwise be out of reach. However, the challenge will be using these tools without producing collections that all look and feel the same.
Technology may be changing the fashion business, but originality remains its greatest currency.
Kiko Romeo Brings Kenyan Rhythm to Moscow
Away from the conference rooms, Moscow Fashion Week offered its own compelling argument for why human creativity still matters. I also had the chance to experience some incredible runway showcases, thanks to our fashion facilitators, Ksusah Shalygina and Angelika Sarkisyan, who ensured we had front-row seats to take in the best of the fashion week.
One of the highlights for me was the showcase by Kenyan fashion brand Kiko Romeo. There was something particularly exciting about watching an African brand bring its designs to an international runway, accompanied by the sounds of Muthoni Drummer Queen and Blinky Bill’s Sina Makosa.
The music gave the presentation an unmistakable East African flavour, adding rhythm and personality to the models’ strides. It was a reminder that fashion does not exist in isolation. The brand unveiled its printed collection consisting of cotton easy styling pieces that brought that African flair to the runway.
For African designers, platforms such as Moscow Fashion Week offer an opportunity to introduce their work to audiences beyond the continent, while showing that African fashion is not a single aesthetic or story. It is a collection of influences, ideas and creative expressions that deserve space in the global conversation.
The BRICS+ Fashion Summit reinforced this point through discussions about cultural identity, international cooperation and the importance of helping local brands access new markets.
For African fashion to grow internationally, visibility is important, but so are the business relationships, production capacity and infrastructure that allow designers to turn attention into sustainable opportunities.
Another memorable presentation took place at the Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts, where Moscow-based Viva Vox staged its showcase.
The setting alone made the experience special. The museum’s red walls, sculptures and striking architecture became part of the visual story, offering a refreshing departure from the conventional runway.
Viva Vox presented a black themed collection, with elongated silhouettes, leather pieces, bodysuits, loose coats and trench coats featuring stand collars. Dark sunglasses added a sharp finishing touch, while sandy brown and beige tones softened the collection.
The interplay between eveningwear and street-style details was particularly interesting. Against the museum’s grand backdrop, the clothes seemed to occupy a space between fashion, art and everyday life.
It was also a fitting reminder of a recurring theme at the Summit: fashion and cultural institutions have much to offer each other. Museums preserve history, while designers reinterpret it, giving familiar ideas new meaning for contemporary audiences.
Moscow-based Solangel is one of the labels I always look forward to seeing at Moscow Fashion Week, and this season was no exception. The Designer, Irena Soprano dedicated the collection to Russian ballet, sending voluminous dresses, sculptural corsets, long gloves, pearls and crystals down the runway. Real ballerinas in classic tutus joined the models, adding a theatrical touch to the showcase. There was an exciting Hollywood connection, too with this showcase. One of Solangel’s creations that featured in this showcase recently appeared in The Devil Wears Prada 2, worn by Meryl Streep as Miranda Priestly.
Beyond these highlights, Moscow Fashion Week offered a broad picture of the industry’s diversity, from experimental graduate collections to designers reinterpreting traditional Russian dress, intricate lacework and heritage textiles.
There were collections that celebrated history, others that embraced bold contemporary silhouettes, and presentations that demonstrated how fashion can tell stories without relying on words.
Together, they reinforced the idea that while technology may influence how clothes are designed, produced and marketed, the industry still thrives on the ability to communicate something meaningful through what we wear.
And then, of course, there was Moscow itself.
While I had come for the fashion, our daily strolls from the Ararat Park Hotel, where we were staying, to the various show venues became an experience of their own. Along the way, we enjoyed the city’s remarkable sights, including Red Square and its surrounding historic buildings.
There is something beautiful about walking through a city where history and modern life sit so comfortably alongside each other. Moscow’s architecture, grand streets and rich cultural character provided a fitting backdrop.
I returned for the clothes, the designers and the conversations, but left with an even greater appreciation of the city. Moscow’s beauty is, in my view, underrated, and experiencing it on foot made that realization even sweeter.
If the BRICS+ Fashion Summit was about imagining where fashion is headed, Moscow Fashion Week was a reminder of what makes it worth watching in the first place: the people, the stories, the culture and the creativity behind every collection.
AI may well become an indispensable part of the industry’s future. But as long as fashion continues to draw from human experience, cultural memory and individual imagination, I suspect its soul will remain firmly in human hands.