Moldovan Brands Runway: Emerging talent, local narrative, and political design looking towards Europe
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With temperatures hovering around 10 degrees Celsius, the start of autumn was palpable in Chisinau, the capital of Moldova, which hosted the sixth edition of Moldovan Brands Runway from October 1 to 4. Held just days after elections that reinforced the country's pro-European orientation, the event reflected Moldova's drive towards European integration, positioning fashion as a tangible reflection of its transformation.
As the country progresses in its accession process to the European Union, it seeks to consolidate itself as an emerging hub for investment and creativity in Eastern Europe. Backed by 47 free trade agreements and its growing role as a corridor to Ukraine, Moldova also seeks to position itself as fertile ground for independent fashion and new aesthetic narratives that emerge outside traditional circuits.
Amid Soviet-era concrete avenues and neoclassical buildings that defy time, local designers, artists and entrepreneurs explore their cultural identity from a contemporary perspective. Spaces such as Dofamin, brands such as Ok Kino and creative projects such as God Era or Sannat are today proof of the dynamism of a regional scene that flourishes amid political transition and social change.
“When we first opened, I had no idea how difficult it would be to develop a project like this in Moldova,”
On one of the streets in the centre of Chisinau is Dofamin, a concept store that could easily compete with the window displays of the major fashion capitals. Its founder, Evghenia Gruzdeva, has managed to articulate a strategic proposal that combines established brands, such as Mugler or Spanish brands Alohas and Camperlab, with independent Eastern European designers, such as Moldovan brand OK Kino and Ukrainian brand Litkovska. In the upcoming season, other big names such as Coperni, Maison Margiela and Dries Van Noten will also be added to the assortment.
“When we first opened, I had no idea how difficult it would be to develop a project like this in Moldova,” the founder told FashionUnited. “There was no market for independent designers, nor fashion media willing to support or promote them."
Even so, since its foundation in 2023, Dofamin has opted to work with brands under an exclusive representation model within the country. “When we opened, we only had seven firms on our map. What certainly helped us was having a physical space and a well-defined concept from day one.”
Today, the store has established itself as a local reference point and a bridge between Moldova and international fashion. Its clientele is diverse and cosmopolitan. Although it represents a minority in a country where the average monthly salary is around 650 euros, it reflects the growing interest in fashion, an interest that can also be seen in the street style of those attending Moldovan Brands Runway.
As part of the event, the Dofamin team also presented Patru, which means “four” in Moldovan, the fourth project born under its creative umbrella. It consists of a brand built entirely on the concept of reusing pieces from the store's archive and vintage household textiles, to which Gruzdeva and her team give a second life.
Ok Kino’s universe
Darya Golneva and Denis Caunov, founders of the Ok Kino label in 2023, welcomed us to their atelier to present their new collection in an intimate event that accurately captured the essence of the brand and the personality of its creators.
The label’s aesthetic proposal falls within an architectural minimalism, with a conceptual and sculptural approach to volume. The garments, with clean lines and structured cuts, explore the disproportion and movement of the fabric, generating silhouettes that defy conventional functionality.
Although the collection exudes a contemporary air, its roots are firmly rooted in everyday life and in local references that reflect a unique cultural identity. Among them are gestures as everyday as the way the designer's grandfather used to layer several shirts, reinterpreted here as a white piece whose appearance changes depending on how it is fastened.
The use of white, an omnipresent colour among the neutral nuances of the collection, also has a symbolic meaning. It pays homage to the whitewashed streets and facades of Moldova, whose paint leaves a thin layer of white dust on those who pass or lean on them, making dressing in white almost a tradition.
Since its debut at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Tbilisi, Ok Kino has experienced rapid international projection. Its first orders from the US strengthened its confidence and allowed them to expand into Europe. Today, its collections reach markets such as Romania, France, Italy and Germany. They have also participated in events such as Milan Fashion Week (2023, within the project The Designer for The Planet), London Fashion Week (2024) or Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Bucharest.
With prices ranging from 150 to 800 euros, the firm distributes its garments through its online store and concept stores such as Demain Retro in Paris. Looking ahead to the next five years, its goal is to carefully expand its international network, collaborating only with spaces that share its aesthetic and artisanal vision.
What if a queer person becomes president?
Nino Goderidze, a designer originally from Georgia and head of the God Era brand, decided to present her latest collection in Moldova, motivated by a strong political and emotional connection between the two countries. “What really inspired me was the similarity between Georgia and Moldova in our political situations. Both countries are at a crossroads, choosing between the European or the Russian path,” she explains.
For her, that contrast —a country that is approaching Europe and another that seems to be moving back towards Russia— represents an opportunity to reflect on change and freedom. Her proposal takes on even more relevance in the context of the recent approval of an anti-LGBTQ law in her country: “The entire catwalk was conceived as a fictitious political party, one in which a queer person becomes president.”
The collection, presented under the God Era label, stood out not only for its political message, but also for a diverse and representative casting. “It was essential that the casting reflected the values of the collection, beyond traditional beauty,” she notes.
Although the brand is still expanding, God Era already collaborates with concept stores in Georgia and abroad, and recently presented at Tranoï Tokyo and Parco Shibuya. Japan, in fact, is the market where its designs have been best received. “I think my futuristic aesthetic and the way I perceive the human body resonate with the Japanese sensibility towards form and design.”
Looking ahead, Goderidze seeks to internationalise her brand without losing its political essence: “Fashion has lost its political edge. My contribution is to insist that clothing can be political, performative and transformative at the same time.” The prices of the collection vary between 200 and 1,200 euros, depending on the garment.
The presidency of “absurdistan”
Although it is common for designers to use theatres and other similar spaces as a backdrop, Sannat went further by integrating its presentation into the same stage that inspired it, inviting attendees to experience the 90 minutes of work that gave rise to its proposal based on the absurd, and in particular on the play “The Viscount” by Eugène Ionesco, directed by Slava Sambriș.
"The show has already begun" read a note left on the seats of the theatre. At first glance, we might think that it referred to the models who, with designs from the brand (which we would later learn in a conversation with the designer that they were pieces from past collections), welcomed the attendees of the Luceafărul Theatre.
However, the phrase actually alluded to the costumes worn by the actors themselves during the play, made by the designer. In addition, at certain moments, the action stopped in a “slow motion” interpreted by the actors, while soft instrumental music marked the passage of the models, who walked the stage like ushers with flashlights in hand.
Unusual spaces and creativity
Other firms also opted for unconventional settings to present their collections. In a subway corridor, passers-by became part of the spectacle as models paraded in Alexey Sorochin's designs accompanied by the creator himself, who camouflaged himself as a street musician to avoid being recognised.
For her part, designer Liudmila Storojuc, head of Altezza Fashion, chose the old Republican Stadium of Chisinau as a backdrop, a space steeped in history that is currently destined to be the new US embassy. From this curious location, Storojuc presented a collection dominated by power suits, two-piece sets with architectural silhouettes, which included a fencing show.
Also in this line, Caravasili's proposal stood out within the event as a whole for its architectural reading of classic tailoring and the use of colour.
While most of the collections remained faithful to a monochromatic palette dominated by whites, blacks and greys, Caravasili introduced warm and earthy nuances —olive green, beige and brick red— that brought freshness.
The silhouettes, with structured shoulders and defined waists, evoked a powerful elegance, balancing the rigidity of the construction with the dynamism of mermaid skirts and wide trousers that accompanied the movement.
In addition, this edition of the event presented a selection of emerging brands in a one-day pop-up format. The space brought together proposals from Rebro, Atelier Cappa, Niche, Igla Bags, Evasha, Contradraft, Straderm and Vois, covering everything from fashion and accessories to jewellery and personal care, seeking to highlight emerging talen.