Moldovan Brands Runway returned from October 7–10 with its AW26/27 edition, continuing its evolution from a one-day local fashion event into a four-day platform spanning some of Chișinău’s most distinctive cultural, industrial and unconventional spaces.
The programme brought together established Moldovan brands, emerging designers, international media, photographers, creators and the wider local fashion community. Close to 2,000 attendees joined events throughout the four days, while international guests included representatives of Vogue Czechoslovakia, Vogue Adria, FashionUnited, RED-EYE Magazine and KALTBLUT Magazine, alongside independent photographers and creators travelling to Moldova specifically to document the season.
The edition opened on October 7, followed by a programme at Palatul Național Nicolae Sulac on October 8, where Caravasili, Șotropa, VYAZ and Julia Allert presented their collections.
October 9 was dedicated to a full day at Mediacor, bringing together four young designers and seven established and emerging brands. The programme included names such as IONEL, Georgette and Altezza, with the latter closing its presentation with an unexpected appearance by national artist Constantin Moscovici, who entered the runway from a Lotus car as part of a collaboration with MBR partner Lotus.
The final day moved once again across the city, with six shows and presentations in radically different environments. Alexei Sorokin opened the day with a nostalgic collection staged at a flea market, using repurposed materials sourced directly from the market itself and accompanied by Moldovan songs that transformed the presentation into an exploration of memory and local visual culture.
Later, ROTARI took its audience 60 metres below ground into a working mine, where temperatures reached approximately 14°C. Against the raw industrial setting, the brand presented eveningwear, corsetry and sculptural dresses, creating one of the season’s most unexpected contrasts.
Flori de Mai presented at the National History Museum, while Katea Gri introduced its collection through a dedicated presentation format. The programme concluded at the Viorica factory, where PATRU showed a fully upcycled collection before the venue transitioned into MBR’s closing celebration.
Among the season’s more theatrical moments was VYAZ’s “Who Killed Denis Vang”, conceived as a fashion murder investigation. Each model entered as a suspect, with individual looks accompanied by weapons and visual clues, before the narrative concluded with the symbolic rebirth of the designer. The performance turned the traditional runway structure into a fragmented storyline, placing character and narrative at the centre of the collection.
Across the programme, designers increasingly used their locations, casting, sound and performance as extensions of the collections themselves, reflecting a broader shift within MBR from conventional runway presentations toward more individual and immersive formats.
Partnerships played a particularly active role in AW26/27. maib, General Partner of the season, joined a growing group of Moldovan and international businesses supporting the development of the platform, while partners including Lotus, Viorica, Invitro and Borjomi became integrated into the programme through venues, activations, events and production.
Rather than functioning purely as branding partners, businesses increasingly entered the fashion- week environment itself. Lotus became part of a runway performance; Viorica opened its factory to MBR and hosted the closing programme; and Invitro developed a dedicated event combining drinks, music and conversations with medical professionals.
The edition was also supported by a wider network of institutional and strategic partners, including the Municipality of Chișinău, Pretura Sectorului Centru, Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Moldova, Innovate Moldova, Sweden, UK International Development and Invest Moldova, reflecting the increasing role of MBR within Moldova’s wider creative-industry ecosystem.
AW26/27 further strengthened MBR’s defining format: proximity to the people making the work. Rather than separating designers, press, audiences and industry guests into isolated environments, the four-day programme created repeated opportunities to meet designers directly, understand their references and processes, and experience collections within the city and cultural context from which they emerge.
Three years after its first edition, Moldovan Brands Runway continues to position Chișinău as an emerging point on the Eastern European fashion map, while retaining the intimacy, openness and creative freedom that have shaped the platform from the beginning.
