You know that feeling the night before a fourth-grade field trip, when you can’t fall asleep from excitement, as if you’re about to fly to the other side of the world and not just spend a few hours on a bus to a nearby town? Time slows down, your heart races, and every hour feels endless. When I received the invitation to Yerevan Fashion Week, I didn’t even notice how quickly the days passed. That same feeling of excitement returns every time I travel somewhere I’ve never been. The moment my feet touch the ground of another continent, all the exhaustion, back pain and heavy luggage disappear, as if I’d taken a magic potion. Yerevan was a city I didn’t know what to expect from, but I sensed the surprise would be unforgettable. At the foot of Mount Ararat, whose snow glitters even when the horizon is hazy with dust, everything feels like it belongs to a different timescale. A city full of history, heritage and incredible landscapes delivered exactly what I hoped to see at fashion week: a meeting of international and local brands that highlighted everything Armenia has to offer. The fashion scene, still in the process of growing, showed strong potential on the global map, especially within the Central Asian region.
Armen Aghayan and Mosh Sahakyan
In that kind of environment, fashion week doesn’t feel like a break from tradition but like its continuation. On the runways, local and international brands met, old motifs blended with new forms, what we remember intertwined with what is only just emerging. Fashion, much like the city itself, felt both wistful and determined to move forward. And I, as always when I discover a new place, felt that childlike joy again, the same one that keeps you awake the night before a trip. Maybe it’s because back in May, at fashion week in Tashkent, I discovered that Central Asia has a special kind of energy, one that ties together tradition and modernity, melancholy and ambition. That was the first time I realized how many untold stories and undiscovered talents the region holds. And Tina, our fashion editor, brought her own stories from faraway Almaty and somewhat closer Chișinău, pulling me even deeper into that map. Maybe that’s why Yerevan felt familiar from the very first moment, like part of the same line connecting cities that are only now stepping onto the global fashion stage, but doing so with heart and a strong sense of identity.
Below are a few shows that stood out to me at Yerevan Fashion Week.
Armen Aghayan and Mosh Sahakyan
Favorite shows from Yerevan Fashion Week:
THEMIS (Armenia)
“Bright, bold, without borders; colorful, elegant, distinctive, confident and unafraid to show the true colors of its soul; a form of expression that embraces the uniqueness of every individual, crosses boundaries yet never goes out of style” – this is how one of the most intriguing Armenian brands is described. Their slogan, “Don’t be afraid to show the true colours of your soul,” perfectly captures what THEMIS stands for. Founded in 2021, THEMIS is one of the rare Made in Armenia brands that immediately stood out with a clear identity. In just four years, they’ve presented seven collections, confirming their authenticity. What makes the brand special are the original patterns the designer develops herself, creating pieces that allow the wearer to express their own individuality.
The founder and designer, Nelly Aghababyan, holds a PhD in law, and the brand’s name connects to her first profession – the Greek goddess of justice and wisdom, Themis. With a blindfold over her eyes and scales in her hands, she symbolizes truth that comes from within. Fashion, however, has always been Nelly’s true passion, and like Themis, she creates guided by her inner voice. Her strong sense of line, color and proportion is visible in designs that blend avant-garde, dandy style, urban elegance and bold color.
Themis, Victor Boyko
Manuk Aleksanyan (Armenia)
The moment we stepped out of the main hall and into a room that opened into a vast, airy space with an open roof and chairs arranged in a circle, it was clear we were about to witness something unusual. At the very center stood a huge inflated replica of the Earth, giving the space a sense of monumentality, almost a sacred quiet before the beginning. When the models started walking in a circle around it, it felt as if they were orbiting the very essence of the collection’s message: the planet we need to protect. Founded in Armenia, Manuk Aleksanyan is a distinctive fashion brand that blends traditional Armenian elements with contemporary design. At Yerevan Fashion Week 2025, they presented the collection Our Land. Our Home. Our Future., dedicated to the most precious value of all: our planet. Every detail carried symbolism, every silhouette held a message of respect for nature, a striving for balance and a hope for a greener future. On the runway, Manuk Aleksanyan told a story where style meets responsibility, and art becomes an expression of care for the world we share.
Manuk Aleksanyan, Victor Boyko
RUZANE (Armenia)
The Ruzanē show was held in a botanical garden, a place that felt like a small world of its own. Botanical gardens always seem to me like little planets: self-contained, quiet, full of life moving at its own pace. This one, perhaps the most special I’ve visited, had a rustic beauty and a strong character. In that setting, under tree canopies and among plants that felt like a living stage set, the collection appeared almost organic, as if it had grown from the very ground it was presented on.
The Armenian brand Ruzanē, founded by Ruzanna Vardanyan, is known for its elegant, refined aesthetic that blends ease with a bohemian softness. Since 2013, the brand has been recognized for thoughtful, carefully crafted collections that celebrate individuality. Since 2016, Ruzanē has been present in stores in Yerevan and on online platforms, firmly positioned as an authentic voice of contemporary Armenian fashion. “This collection was born from thinking about the ecosystem, about the endless cycle of nature in which even decay becomes the beginning of new life. Flowers wilt, fruit rots, wood cracks with time, human skin changes shape, and in each of those transformations a special kind of beauty emerges. The textures of aging, decay and rebirth became the inspiration for dresses whose fabric reflects the living rhythm of nature.
“The ecosystem never stops breathing: seeds are carried by the wind, molds give birth to mushrooms, life continues in new forms. The same applies to my work – I don’t discard material, I give it a second life, creating unique pieces from remnants and fragments that seem worthless. These dresses aren’t made for mass production, but for depth and uniqueness. Each one is like a living organism, an embodiment of the beauty of transformation and the endless breath of nature,” the designer said.
Ruzane ,Victor Boyko
LOOM WEAVING (Armenia)
In recent years, knitwear has become a material many brands are eager to experiment with, looking for ways to refresh it and reshape its identity. Still, knitwear always carries something that can’t be imitated – a sense of warmth, softness and comfort, the feeling of touch and home that doesn’t easily fit into contemporary minimalism. Very few manage to strike the right balance, but LOOM WEAVING has done exactly that. In their interpretation, knitwear becomes both sophisticated and familiar, light yet strong, much like the women this collection is dedicated to. LOOM Weaving was founded by Inga Manukyan in 2014. Blending hand embroidery with a modern aesthetic, LOOM offers warm, striking and rich pieces that are both practical and timeless. Since its founding, the brand has participated in numerous fashion fairs and shows in Yerevan, Kyiv, Moscow, Los Angeles, Milan, Athens, Madrid and Stockholm.
Their latest collection, The New Liberté, brings back the spirit of freedom and expressiveness that defined the muses of the late sixties and early seventies, a time when the world pulsed with music, freedom and bold elegance. Inspired by legendary icons such as Betty Catroux, Loulou de La Falaise, Elsa Peretti, Jane Birkin and Paloma Picasso, the collection celebrates women who turned every appearance into a style statement. Each of them contributed her own essence: mystery, romance, courage, eccentricity, yet all were united by a love for fashion and a deep sense of individuality. Their legacy, once an inspiration to designers around the world, is now reimagined through this collection. In the spirit of bohemian chic, The New Liberté carries a touch of nostalgia, but expressed through a modern lens. Every outfit pays homage to its muses, Birkin’s effortless elegance, Picasso’s graphic sensibility, Peretti’s artistic freedom. This is a collection for the modern woman, one who appreciates the beauty of the past but lives fully and unapologetically in the present.
LOOM WEAVING, Victor Boyko
CRELAB TAVUSH X KOTAYK (Armenia)
CreLab Tavush and CreLab Kotayk presented Septa-Cord, a journey through seven generations – a spiritual exploration of the past, present and future through fashion. Rooted in heritage but expressed in a contemporary voice, the collection unfolds through rich silhouettes, translucent layers, futuristic forms and textured fabrics symbolising strength, healing and renewal. Defined as a creative social platform, CreLab is an inclusive community based in Tavush and Kotayk, specialising in handmade garments, jewellery and accessories. Through this initiative, many women from rural regions have taken their first steps toward economic independence, transforming creativity into empowerment and sustainable change.
Across seven stages, Septa-Cord threads ancestral wisdom into modern expression, reflecting the continuous flow of cultural memory. The collection was designed and curated by Natacha Kalfayan and Mane Melikyan, while the concept was developed by Mariam Zakarian, whose vision laid the foundation for this artistic journey.
1.Knowing the Past: We rose from the mountains, carrying the breath of those who built before us. Their strength, carved in stone and memory, became the base of who we are.
2.Healing the Present: Time has tested and wounded us, yet the spirit endured. Through forgiveness and creation, we cleanse the scars of history and rediscover our peace.
3.Freedom of Self: With a lighter spirit, we find the courage to speak, to move, to create without fear. Freedom becomes our language — instinctive, raw and unapologetic.
4.Strengthening the Spirit: From freedom comes clarity. We now understand our own strength — steady, wise and mature enough to protect what truly matters.
5.Guarding the Future: Through silence and struggle, the spirit has learned to stand tall. Within us it has become unbroken, bright, a quiet force that holds us together.
6.Passing on Sacred Knowledge: Wisdom travels like a flame through generations. Every story, every song, every symbol we carry becomes a bridge between yesterday and tomorrow.
7.Renewing the Circle: And so we begin again. From ashes and dawn, from memory and hope, the circle continues – unbroken, endless.
Septa-Cord stands as a tribute to resilience, a bridge between generations, a place where memory becomes art and tradition meets the future.
CreLab Tavush x CreLab Kotayk, Armen Aghayan and Mosh Sahakyan
