Glitz, glamour, creativity and colour
Highlights of 13th Tbilisi Fashion Week

A four-day celebration of Georgian fashion is over but Tbilisi remains captivated by the passion and creativity of designers who presented their latest works in Georgia’s capital.

From March 31 to April 3 Tbilisi hosted the 13th seasonal Tbilisi Fashion Week (TFW) and presented 20 shows. About 200 guests attended each show; among those on the front bench were fashion blogger Daria Shapovalova, famous Street Style photographer Adam Katz Sinding and stylist of Madonna and Beyonce, Justo Artigas.

The 13th season of TFW presented designers’ Fall/Winter 2016-2017 collections.

The main venue for this year’s TFW was Rooms Hotel Tbilisi, where a long catwalk, backstage and press room were arranged. Shows were also held at the state Opera and Ballet Theatre and Marjanishvili Theatre.

Model Ana Shelia wearing Atelier 27. Photo by N. Alavidze/Agenda.ge.

About 20 international fashion magazines including VOGUE (UK, Italia, Russia), GLAMOUR UK, Twenty6 magazine, Style du Monde, W Magazine, FW-DAILY.COM, INTERVIEW, Glass Magazine, Oyster Magazine, Allure.ru, Nargis.az, Dazed & Confused, Le21eme.com, frou frou, Dash Magazine, NAYLON Mag will cover the fashion news from Tbilisi.

Furthermore, a group of international fashion buyers were in town to view the new collections, including H Lorenzo, Not Just a Label, Glass Pineapple, SMETS, Anatomie and AIZEL. TFW organisers invited them on a walking tour of Tbilisi and nearby Chateau Mukhrani so they could learn more about the historic country.

This year’s collections were dominated by leather, velvet and fur.

A team from Agenda.ge attended TFW, discovered the latest trends and important highlights which we are sharing with you, the reader.

Click here to see in Pictures the photo reportage of Tbilisi Fashion Week 2016.

Day 1- A mix of different cultures

Three designers presented their latest collections on day one of TFW. All three collections were vastly different but they all had one thing in common – the theme of women being strong and self-confident.

At Lako Bukia’s opening show models sashayed down the catwalk wearing velvet items in bold colours, mainly grey, green, red and blue. The designer used leather in her collection to portray strength and confidence in the wearer of her clothes.

Lako Bukia Fall/Winter 2016-2017. Photos by TFW.

I want women to be more open and fill their wardrobes with experimental clothes. Fit a different image and use lots of colours, do not limit yourself. Be more self-confident and believe in yourself,” said the designer.

Next up models presented contemporary jackets and creative fashion pieces by Georgian artist Nino Chubinishvili, known in the industry as Chubika.

Chubika’s show left viewers amused with the presentation of her 2016-2017 Fall/Winter collection. Models wore fabulous quadrangle hats with Georgian traditional hat – Papakhi - elements and clothes in a theatrical way.

Chubika Fall/Winter 2016-2017. Photos by TFW.

Ingredients was the name of Chubika’s collection and it really showed the mixture of cultures standing at the crossroad of Europe and Asia. The collection was full of national and the religious symbols.

You should use anything that empowers you. I perceive myself very multinational and I hope it was reflected in my collection. I play with international details. I have the right to play,” said Cubika.

Day one of TFW ended with Dalood’s show at the renovated state Opera and Ballet Theatre. The Dalood sparkling collection, presented in the eastern halls of the building, and the music which rocked the walls, left viewers speechless.

Dalood by Maka Kvitsiani. Photo by TFW.

The collection showed the silhouette of woman from the 1990s. Designer Maka Kvitsiani said the idea of the collection came to her when she looked at a photo album of her parents.

I took the most memorable elements from the 90s, such as high-waisted skirts, massive belts, wide shoulders and thigh-high boots, otherwise known as botfords. I showed different characters of the strong woman,” said Kvitsiani.

Day 2 - Classical yet innovative

A luxury brand based in New York City with Georgian origins, Gwen Salakaia, was a fitting opener for day two of TFW. At the closed event at Marjanishvili Theatre, designer used models to portray sophisticated women with strong presence and accents of femininity and elegance.

Gwen Salakaia Fall/Winter 2016/2017 collection. Photo by TFW.

[The collection] is for sophisticated women who care about quality, values timelessness of elegance without compromising contemporary and practicality and above all wants to be a real woman,” said the designer.

Next up was the debut show of Lalo Cardigans, a Georgian brand of knitwear and handmade clothes, which was much loved by the international guests.

Twin sisters Lalo and Nina Dolidze decided to show their whole collection at one glance. About 20 models wearing the designs emerged from backstage and stood all together in front of the audience so everyone could get a closer look. Viewers were even able to touch the designs. The models remained in the hall for 15 minutes, ensuring guests had the time to look closely at the creations and remember all the details of the collection.

Lalo Cardigans. Photo by N. Alavidze/Agenda.ge.

We used different kinds of thread and an ostrich plumage. All the collection was handmade,” said the designers.

The second day of TFW was full of non-traditional shows. After Lalo Cardigans’ unusual performance, TFW continued in the Rooms Hotel Tbilisi parking lot. There guests discovered an unexpected exhibition where models were the exhibits together with old and strange items which had been collected by the designer.

Models wearing Maxime Machaidze clothing sat in Soviet-time cars. Photo by N. Alavidze/Agenda.ge.

Little boy attracted by the toy cars. Photo by N. Alavidze/Agenda.ge.

Some models were swinging and others were skateboarding. Photo by N. Alavidze/Agenda.ge.

Several models wearing Maxime Machaidze clothing sat in Soviet-time cars, while some were swinging and others were skateboarding. Visitors found themselves among a moving fashion show, which was all based on improvisation by the designer and models.

The day was continued with the Dalood by Ani Datukishvili show, which presented young women in different styles. Her collection presented a mix of classic, casual and sport styles. The designer explained young people have different tastes and often changed their outfits several times a day depending on their mood. Following this idea, the designer offered a range of outfits for young people.

Dalood by Ani Datukishvili. Photo by N. Alavidze/Agenda.ge.

Music was an integral party of Inky Gold’s collection. The designer used a mix of Mick Jagger songs that had been morphed into a more rock-and-roll genre to present her collection of pink, golden and red using natural materials.

Salome Gviniashvili Fall/Winter 2016/2017 collection. Photo by N. Alavidze/Agenda.ge.

Famous Georgian model Salome Gviniashvili decided to use her modelling experience to assist her as she designed her own collection. Inspired by famous photographers’ photos, Gviniashvili presented a care-free collection that was distinguished with sharp colours. Velvet and leather dominated her clothing line. Her self-titled debut collection Salome was appreciated by the audience and fashion buyers, who particularly seemed to love her yellow thigh-high boots, long distressed leather trench coats and metallic short jackets.

Salome Gviniashvili Fall/Winter 2016/2017 collection. Photo by N. Alavidze/Agenda.ge.

The last show by Gviniashvili took place in the Rooms Hotel Tbilisi garden.

Day 3 – Tango tells the story

Tango de la Rosa – this was the name of photographer Irma Sharikadze’s performance which took place in the basement of Marjanishvili Theatre.

Four women dressed in Sharikadze’s silk dresses told their stories while dancing the Tango. Photo by N. Alavidze/Agenda.ge.

Four women dressed in Sharikadze’s silk dresses told their stories while dancing the Tango. The women told stories of love and passion, pain and depression, and then again love and desire, and their performances through dance left the audience speechless. A highlight of the show was when one dancer-model shaved her hair on stage, making her performance very dramatic.

One dancer-model shaved her hair on stage. Photo by N. Alavidze/Agenda.ge.

While Tango dancers typically wore black and red costumes, Sharikadze broke this rule and dressed her models in blue, light red, yellow and pink silk dresses. She wanted her women to glide and be able to move smoothly while dancing.

Tango de la Rosa - performance by Irma Sharikadze. Photo by N. Alavidze/Agenda.ge.

ANOUKI invited guests to a boutique store to view its latest collection. The new ANOUKI clothing was saturated with the scent of Italian men from 17th Century.

The next collection was presented by More is Love. The catwalk was occupied not only by models but also by friends of the designers. The collection was saturated with creative items, including a black cut-out dress with metallic pink fringed coat, a textured long black coat and textured top with three-quarter length pants with side split.

Actress Ruska Makashvili dressed in More is Love. Photo by N. Alavidze/Agenda.ge.

Meanwhile Mariam Gvasalia’s latest collection was very distinctive, stylish and feminine. Grey coats with dark red pockets, leather trousers and coats with grey and orange lines and grey with sparkling green details was what Gvasalia offered for the next fashion season. All her models wore a cloth choker too.

Mariam Gvasalia Fall/Winter 2016/2017 collection. Photo by TFW. 

Materiel by Lika Chitaia showed models wearing new colours and silhouettes. The designer used to work on black, cocoa-colour and white colours however this season she added brilliant material in grey, orange and light blue hues with green shoes.

Fur and sharp colours was the focus of designer duo Mach & Mach. The brand offered black outfits involving short skirt with sparkling, large sequins, a light pink fur dress, jeans and trousers with bows on them and yellow fur on the shoulder. Fringed dresses added movement to the models’ walk. The designers offered chic shoes with sparkling lilac-coloured heels.

Mariam Archemashvili wearing Mach & Mach. Photo by N. Alavidze/Agenda.ge.

Ani Chikhladze wearing Mach & Mach. Photo by N. Alavidze/Agenda.ge.

On day three of TFW designer Nata Tskipurishvili offered her new collection for people with disabilities. The day ended with Kristina Jgenti’s show.

Day 4 – Inside Out

Day four – the final day of TFW was full of various shows; Diphylleia, Tamanini, Atelier 27, Association Anika, Tamta Shindelishvili, Nini Chelidze, Ukrainian brand Blue Flax and the feature show of TFW by George Shaghashvili.

Ana Akhvlediani wearing Aterlier 27. Photo by N. Alavidze/Agenda.ge.

Nini Chelidze Fall/Winter 2016/2017 collection. Photo by TFW.

Tamta Shindelishvili Fall/Winter 2016/2017 collection. Photo by TFW.

Shaghashvili was inspired by Japan and Japanese culture for his latest collection. Black was the only colour the designer used in his collection. The buyers and the audience were surprised how Shaghashvili could create so many variations by using only one colour – black.

Shaghashvili show lasted for 40 minutes. In the first part of the show models were dressed in black and white dots. This part of the collection was inspired with the 'Dots Obsession' series of installations by Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama.

'Dots Obsession' series by George Shagashvili. Photo by N. Alavidze/Agenda.ge.

After presenting his all-black collection, at the end of the show the audience was in for a big surprise. Darkness enveloped the catwalk until flood lights suddenly illuminated Georgian model Tako Chkeidze on the catwalk. She wore a magnificent kimono designed by Shaghashvili. After walking down the runway she removed the coloured kimono piece-by-piece and showed off the impressively large, black inside-out kimono.

Tako Chkgeidze showing a magnificent kimono designed by Shaghashvili. Photo by N. Alavidze/Agenda.ge.

This was the final show of TFW. For the final time this season the lights went out and models vacated the catwalk.

As for guests, they mingled around the Rooms Hotel Tbilisi garden and discussed the brilliance of Tbilisi Fashion Week 2016.

George Shaghashvili and Tako Chkeidze. Photo by N. Alavidze/Agenda.ge.