RUNWAY BRANDS (ARMENIAN)
THEMIS
Designer Nelly Aghababyan’s Themis continued to champion individuality through color and bold construction. Founded in 2021, the brand is known for patterns that read like signatures—distinct, expressive, and carefully considered. Inspired by the Greek goddess of law and wisdom, the collection feels intelligent, playful, and deliberate in its design.
NARNY
Narine Harutyunyan’s new collection for Narny drew from The Little Prince and the timeless symbolism of the rose. Soft fabrics, gentle draping, and meticulous embroidery created a mood of quiet romance. The pieces carried an understated grace, offering a meditation on femininity that felt intimate rather than idealized.
LOOM WEAVING
Inga Manukyan’s The New Liberté traced the cultural energy of the late 1960s and early 1970s, reinterpreting the freedom of that era through a modern lens. Drawing on icons like Jane Birkin and Loulou de La Falaise, the collection balanced nostalgia with restraint. Silhouettes were relaxed yet confident, materials tactile but never excessive. Manukyan’s understanding of ease as elegance made the collection one of the week’s most cohesive statements.
MOMENT OF WHITE
Alena Konnova’s Moment of White explored the purity and complexity of simplicity. The white shirt became the central motif, refined into sculptural forms that suggested power through restraint. Alongside it, was a capsule collection titled Moment of Art created in collaboration with the Russian Art Museum in Armenia. Konnova’s work invited reflection on how light, fabric, and form can express character without embellishment.
FAINA
Architectural rigor met natural poetry in Faina Harutyunyan’s latest collection. The designer’s fascination with contrast played out in precise tailoring softened by organic motifs. Minimalist suits and dresses featured cut-out patterns resembling leaves or fragments of light. The palette—ivory, black, blue, and lime—conveyed balance and restraint. Photographed among white cliffs, the campaign reinforced Faina’s vision of quiet strength and elegance drawn from the natural world.
CRELAB TAVUSH X KOTAYK
Septa-Cord was the most conceptually ambitious project of the week. Created by Natacha Kalfayan and Mane Melikyan, the collection unfolded as a seven-part narrative tracing memory, resilience, and renewal. Layers of translucent fabric, handwoven details, and sculptural silhouettes spoke to heritage as a living force rather than a static reference. Developed within CreLab’s community-driven framework, the collection also highlighted fashion’s potential to empower and connect women across generations.
RUZANĒ
Ruzanna Vardanyan’s Ecosystem found poetry in imperfection. Using leftover materials and discarded fabric, she created pieces that mirrored natural processes of decay and rebirth. Each garment carried unique textures and irregularities that felt purposeful and alive. The collection’s emotional depth came from its honesty—an acknowledgment that beauty often exists in what is unfinished, worn, or renewed.
HARMONY
The Morphea collection by Harmony, led by founders Lilit Tonakanyan and Mika Danielyan, took inspiration from the almond as a symbol of awakening. Delicate fabrics such as organza, jacquard, and silk unfolded in a palette of soft neutrals, creating gowns that radiated lightness and strength in equal measure.
THE WSHOP
Kristina Uzunyan’s The WShop featured power shoulders, corsetry, and tailored silhouettes. The pieces felt deliberate and wearable, made for a woman with a strong sense of identity. Uzunyan’s work reaffirmed her ability to translate memory into something forward-looking and intelligent.
MANUK ALEKSANYAN
In Our Land. Our Home. Our Future., Manuk Aleksanyan used fashion to speak about environmental consciousness. Earth tones, organic textures, and purposeful simplicity shaped a collection rooted in respect for nature. The designs carried symbolic weight, expressing care and responsibility through restraint. Aleksanyan’s approach proved that sustainability can be emotional as well as ethical.
RUNWAY BRANDS (INTERNATIONAL)
AAVVA
Dubai-based label Aava, founded by Ahmad Ammar and Vincenzo Visciglia, presented Pietà, a study in structure and emotion. Sculptural tailoring and fluid drapery played against one another, reflecting the tension between devotion and desire. The designers’ architectural backgrounds were evident in every line and seam, resulting in garments that felt as considered as they were expressive.
AZAMAT SOMATOV
Uzbek designer Azamat Somatov brought quiet confidence to his collection Legacy of Elegance. Focused on cut, proportion, and fabric, his work balanced precision with ease. Tailored jackets, fluid trousers, and subtle embroidery spoke to a belief in understatement.
ALEXEI SOROCHIN
Moldovan designer Alexei Sorochin presented L’éclat, a meditation on presence and silence. Centered on a black palette, the collection explored how texture and light can redefine simplicity. Each look was minimal but emotionally resonant, revealing a designer attuned to nuance and atmosphere.
ADDICTED_TO
Lesia Kos’s Addicted_To embraced confidence through structure and texture. Leather, velvet, and patent materials were arranged in sleek, architectural silhouettes that exuded modern sensuality. The collection’s energy lay in its control, serving a reminder that boldness can come from precision rather than excess.
REZA NADIMI
Tehran-born designer Reza Nadimi unveiled Littoral, a collection shaped by the rhythm of the sea. Tulle, silk, and feathers softened sharp tailoring, creating an interplay between strength and fragility. The gradient palette—from sand to deep blue—captured the fleeting beauty of transition.
ZHSAKEN & AKMARAL
Kazakhstani designers Saken Zhaksybayev and Akmaral Zharaskyzy joined forces for a thoughtful collaboration that combined power with poise. Their shared collection examined the balance between featured controlled silhouettes and symbolic detailing. It was a quiet triumph, proving that collaboration can produce clarity rather than compromise.
PRESENTATIONS
ARIGA TOROSIAN
Ariga Torosian’s Heritage Reimagined installation explored historical Iranian and Armenian influences through a contemporary lens. Sculptural headpieces crafted from felt and minimal materials reflected cultural memory with modern restraint. The exhibition offered an elegant study of form, identity, and evolution.
TERYAN CULTURAL CENTRE
The Teryan Cultural Centre presented restored and reinterpreted Armenian festive costumes, merging ethnographic research with modern craftsmanship. Under the direction of art historian Lilit Melikyan, the Centre’s work reaffirmed the importance of preservation as an active and creative process. Each garment reflected a dialogue between history and present-day artistry.
TUMO STUDIOS
TUMO Studios showcased the next generation of Armenian designers through a student-led jewelry and fashion presentation. The results were spirited and inventive, proof that a new creative language is forming that is rooted in skill and experimentation. The exhibition demonstrated the value of education as a form of design culture in itself
SHABEEGClosing the week, Mary Sukiasyan’s Shabeeg reinterpreted symbols from the Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia in modern form. Prints and patterns inspired by ancient manuscripts appeared on contemporary silhouettes, offering a bridge between art and everyday wear. The work felt accessible yet meaningful, ending the week on a note of cultural pride and modern clarity.
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