Feeric Fashion Week has once again taken place, marking its 16th edition. The city of Sibiu has once again come under the spotlight in the fashion world, thanks to this unique event in Europe that combines creativity, spectacular fashion show venues, and excellent hospitality.
The turning point for the future of Sibiu Fashion Week came when it decided to add an educational component to the entire concept. This has become the most important aspect, as it provides a comprehensive platform for any student from any corner of the world to showcase their talent. From India to Uzbekistan, from all over the Balkans, and not least, from most fashion universities in the country, more than 100 young designers presented their collections created over these five days in Sibiu, many as diploma projects. The chosen venues only served to highlight these daring creations of young designers preparing to step onto the global stage.

The first two days of this year’s edition were dedicated to the theoretical aspects of fashion, through a series of international workshops led by authorities in the field such as Giovanni Otonello from IED, Italy, Donald Gjoka, an expert in the use of artificial intelligence, Sara Maino from Italy, and professors from Westminster University. Young designers also had the chance to learn about the financial and marketing aspects of their products through Roxana Băiaș from NEPI Rockcastle.
The fashion shows began with a symbolic collection by the students of the Ukrainian Fashion Education Group. The show opened with a phone conversation between the students and Landiana, the vice-president of Feeric Fashion Week, interrupted by an air raid alarm and the sound of falling projectiles near the building where this school operates. To further emphasize the message from the Ukrainian students, the presentation took place in the Promenada Sibiu bunker, a setting unfortunately all too familiar for these young people. The columned hall of the Brukenthal Museum then hosted two presentations before the entire Feeric caravan moved to Sibiu’s newest park, Belvedere Park, where models strutted along the irregular shapes of the bike pump track. The second day of shows began at the Sibiu International Airport, where students from the University of Art and Design in Cluj presented their new creations on the baggage carousel in the arrivals terminal. After the shows at the Feeric Venue at Cinegold, Promenada Sibiu presented the new Synergia collection by designer Raluca Elena Cînean in a space transformed into a green garden in the mall’s basement. The second day of presentations concluded at one of the most unusual venues used in the 16 years of Feeric Fashion Week, the Venom Karting track. Drivers and go-karts were part of an amazing show that combined the delicacy of the clothing creations with the horsepower of the electric karts, adding an extra dose of adrenaline to the entire show.

Boromir Factory once again opened its doors for Feeric Fashion Week on the last day of the festival, with an unusual presentation in the flour mill, supported by designers from Croatia and the Republic of Moldova. Due to unfavorable weather, the festival returned to the columned hall of the Brukenthal Museum for three collections created by designers from the universities in Oradea and Tirana.
The Feeric Gala was in doubt until the last moment due to rain that seemed never-ending. At 9 PM, Cosmina Păsărin, the host of the Feeric Gala, kicked off the presentations despite the raindrops still falling on the runway set up in the courtyard of Brukenthal National College. The first two shows took place in the rain. The resilience of the models and the determination of the organizing team kept the audience engaged, watching the entire show from under their umbrellas. They had the opportunity to see collections prepared by students from the Faculty of Applied Arts Belgrade, Serbia, IED – Istituto Europeo di Design, International Design Academy, Jabalpur, India, and the National University of Arts, Bucharest. Designers Daiana Stăncioiu, Maria Triantafillidou, and Elena Deaconu also presented their collections at the gala. The Feeric Gala closed the 16th edition of Feeric Fashion Week with high hopes for the future, considering the growing interest from fashion schools worldwide to participate in future editions of the Sibiu fashion week.
“Beyond the spectacle and novelty, our primary goal is continuity and, perhaps most importantly, the consolidation of the community from over 40 countries, which functions as a whole. Through the commercial opportunities and exposure we offer designers, we manage to fulfill the purpose of the Feeric project, which is to change the face of independent fashion in this region of the world. What we achieved in this edition shows that we are succeeding,” says Mitichi, president of Feeric Fashion Week.

Feeric Fashion Week is co-financed by the Sibiu City Hall and supported by NEPI Rockcastle, Promenada Sibiu, Cinegold, and Ford.