Tbilisi Takes the Stage: Highlights from Georgia Fashion Week

From November 8 to 9, 2025, the Georgian capital once again became a vibrant stage for fashion, hosting the 6th season of Georgia Fashion Week. The event celebrated the creativity and craftsmanship of talented Georgian designers, showcasing a harmonious blend of contemporary design, ethnic influences, and meticulous tailoring.

Georgia Fashion Week opened with a poetic showcase by its founder, designer Tinatin Magalashvili. 

Inspired by her childhood sketches and early creations for her dolls, the designer revisited those dreams through her new collection “Dreams Come True.”

Centered around delicate floral motifs - each petal crafted by hand - the collection radiated purity, imagination, and devotion to artistry.

The second show of the day was entrusted to Iva Papidze, whose collection was a celebration of freedom and individuality. The philosophy behind the designs was to break free from all constraints, allowing each wearer to express their unique personality and embrace absolute creative liberty. Bold silhouettes, inventive details, and unexpected combinations reflected this vision, while remaining rooted in modern Georgian aesthetics.

“The philosophy behind my collection is to break free from all boundaries and bonds and express one’s individuality through fashion. My motivation was to turn freedom into Art” said Iva Papidze. 

Operating in the Georgian market for six years, Iva Papidze continues to push creative boundaries, offering a diverse range of pieces across menswear, womenswear, and children’s fashion.

Over the years, the designer’s collections have travelled far beyond Georgia, gracing runways and showrooms in Milan, Paris, New York, Scandinavia, and other European destinations, cementing the brand’s presence on the international fashion stage.

The brand operated by the creative visionaries at ArtMaster Kazakhstan presented a deeply eco-conscious collection rooted in upcycled materials. Cloaked primarily in rich blacks and deep greys, the pieces were brought to life through vibrant Kazakhstani fabrics, colorful embroideries, and symbolic national motifs. The resulting aesthetic was both striking and meaningful: minimalist in palette, yet rich in cultural narrative.

The masterful Georgian designer Sofya Kharchi presented a collection that lingered in the memory long after the show ended. Titled Lost Sun, the collection was a moving homage to the lost homeland of Sokhumi, a narrative woven through fabric, silhouette, and detail. The opening looks, draped in deep black, carried the weight of absence and longing, with Sokhumi inscribed delicately on the models’ arms - a subtle, haunting echo of memory.

Every element spoke of loss and love: bags bore images of the homeland’s buildings, garments whispered of stories untold, and each piece seemed to carry the pulse of a people yearning to be remembered. Yet, in the final moments, the palette shifted - soft greens and muted greys infused with bright yellow and white in headpieces - a quiet declaration of hope and resilience.

Through Lost Sun, Kharchi transformed sorrow into poetry, pain into art, and remembrance into a gentle promise that even in the shadow of loss, there is always hope.

Another standout presentation at Georgia Fashion Week was Modabaze 81 by designer Marika Modabaze. The collection celebrated evening elegance and eclectic charm, where exquisite gowns intertwined with delicate ribbon details, creating a subtle, playful tension. Sparkling elements caught the light across luxurious fabrics, while wide-brimmed hats added an unexpected, theatrical flourish. The collection exuded a sense of modern glamour with a whimsical edge, leaving the audience enchanted by its craftsmanship and imagination.

Two Armenian models Albert Abrahamyan and Grisha Karapetyan represented Armenia at Georgia Fashion Week standing out among the select international talent, featured this season.

Both models appeared at Yerevan Fashion Week earlier this season (October 23 -26) and Georgia Fashion Week became their first appearance on the Georgian runway. Now both of them are moving toward international fashion weeks.

“I was invited to Georgia Fashion Week last season and because of a leg injury wasn’t able to take part. I’m glad that I finally made it this year – I have really come to appreciate Georgia fashion Week and my experience here. I would also like to add a few words about Yerevan Fashion Week: based on my participation in different fashion shows I can say that Yerevan Fashion Week was also truly well organized” said Albert. “I’ve had multiple appearances on Dubai runways and now I’m preparing for my first official participation in Dubai Fashion Week”.

In his turn, Grisha Karapetyan noted that Georgian and Armenian fashion scenes share certain similarities.

“During my participation here I have appreciated several of the collections. Among the shows I walked for was that of the Georgian designer Iva Papidze: after visiting his showroom yesterday I found that his style reminded me of the style of the Armenian designer Manuk Alkesanyan and it’s indeed fascinating to see these creative parallels between the fashion scenes of our neighboring countries” said Grisha.

Christer Nedstrom, 63, from Sweden started his modelling career two years ago after a friend involved in modeling suggested he could become a great model. “At first I thought “No, of course not”, he recalled. “But in course of time the idea of starting something new appealed to me, so I reached out to a modelling agency. Since then, I’ve taken part in different runways and photoshoots and I do love it”.

Georgia Fashion Week 2024 marked his first international fashion week and throughout this time, he has made many friends in Tbilisi. “I feel at home in Tbilisi and I’m really enjoying Georgia Fashion Week. I like this part of the world – I like Caucasus. And yes, of course, starting a new career at 61 as a model is something different but why not? It’s fascinating to share the runway with much younger models – some might have been a grandsons or granddaughters to me - but that makes it even more interesting” said Nedstrom.

Georgian showman and TV presenter Gia Jajanidze shared his insights on the unique fashion sense of his compatriots.

“I have travelled all over the world but I have never seen a taste like that of the Georgians. Georgians always know what to wear, when to wear it and how to carry it – and I love that very much. And today as you can see yourself, it’s a truly great fashion week with excellent collections” said Jajanidze.