International activities of Belarus Fashion Week
and guests of the ninth season of BFW

In November 2014, the ninth spring-summer season of the international cultural project Belarus Fashion Week ended. As in previous seasons, the event brought together many fashion figures, designers and journalists from different countries. Brands from Italy, Germany, Georgia, Armenia, Latvia, Estonia, Russia, Ukraine and the United Arab Emirates showed their collections on the podium of the Fashion Week in Belarus. Such an abundance of foreign brands once again confirms and underlines the undoubted interest of professionals in the Belarus Fashion Week event.

The event received special support from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Belarus, which served as the beginning of cooperation between the Belarusian Chamber of Fashion and the embassies of the Italian and German republics in Minsk and, as a result of cooperation, the launch of the Embassy Designer Support Program. Thus, designers from Italy - Sergey Grinko (GRINKO brand, Milan Fashion Week) and Germany - Ivan Manzukich (IVANMAN brand, Mercedes - Benz Fashion Week Berlin) became the honored guests and participants of the project.

The screenings with the support of the embassies in Minsk gathered an honorable audience: heads and representatives of ministries and other state bodies, international guests, embassies, and the press.

Taking into account the cultural interest and common history, cooperation with the states of the Transcaucasus, namely Georgia and Armenia, is actively developing and developing in the fashion industry. On the podium of Belarus Fashion Week this season there were 2 shows at once from designers from Georgia, brands Tamuna Ingorokva and Tinatin Magalashvili. Unlike her compatriot, Tinatin presented the collection in Belarus not for the first time, the designer always gladly comes to Minsk with a show and sees potential clients in Belarusian women.

The Tamuna Ingorokva brand also found its consumer, after the show a significant number of guests expressed genuine interest in the collection. The long-awaited Shadoyan Fashion show (designer - Kevork Shadoyan, Armenia) was a success this season at BFW. Special guests of this show were representatives of the Minsk International Club of the Wives of Ambassadors and Political Diplomats.

Also this fall, the organizers of Belarus Fashion Week and Fashion Week in St. Petersburg signed an agreement on cooperation and cultural exchange of designers. In October 2014, Belarus Fashion Week presented the Apti Eziev brand, and in return, the Russian brand was brought to Minsk - Fabric Fancy. Representatives of St. Petersburg Fashion Week noted the high level of collections of Belarusian designers and already during their stay in Minsk met with the head of Belarus Fashion Week Yanina Goncharova, where they confirmed their desire to continue cooperation.

In addition to representatives of foreign media who regularly visit the project, the organizing committee received guests from the Italian Vogue and the content agency IMAXtree.com, whose photo and video materials are used by the largest publications in Italy and other countries.

Close cooperation of the Milan and Belarusian Chambers of Fashion began several seasons ago, during which time a considerable number of business meetings and visits of the leaders of the parties to events in Milan and Minsk took place. The next step of the partnership was the show of the Italian designer at Belarus Fashion Week, as well as close work with Vogue Italy magazine. It should be reminded that the magazine is the organizer of the international competition for young designers MUUSE x Vogue Talents Young Vision Award, which arouses undoubted interest of the Belarusian side.

In December this year, the head of Belarus Fashion Week, Yanina Goncharova, met with the organizers of the competition in Milan, where the parties could discuss the terms of cooperation, as well as designers who could become participants in Vogue Talents next season.

The head of the Black Sheep Project (Italy) Marco Redaelli and the heads of the Reptilia shoe brand (Ukraine) Nikolay Milabinskiy and Elena Gazda also became guests of honor of Belarus Fashion Week.

A rich program was prepared for the international guests of the project, including walks around the city, visiting restaurants and clubs (After Parties BFW). All the honored guests of the project lived in the comfortable conditions of the five-star Beijing Hotel.

Project manager Yanina Goncharova held talks with the embassies of Italy and Germany to continue cooperation to support designers. Also, negotiations were held with the French Embassy in the Republic of Belarus and the French Federation of Designers about involvement in the support program.

Note that thanks to her professional and personal qualities, Yanina Goncharova draws attention to the project from more experienced colleagues and influential figures in the fashion world. Yanina is a guest of honor at fashion events outside the Republic of Belarus, which also contributes to the growth and development of the project.