Between October 15 and 18, Bucharest becomes the stage of the most important fashion event in Romania: Mercedes-Benz Bucharest Fashion Week – Fall 2025 edition. For four days, the city takes on the role of a reference stage, directly connected to the international pulse of fashion.
Mercedes-Benz Bucharest Fashion Week (October 15–18, 2025) debuts this season with the first edition of NEXT GENERATION Fashion Talent Award, a program designed to support and promote the new generation of creators and entrepreneurs in the Romanian fashion industry. Launched in March 2025, the NEXT GENERATION project is developed as an educational and creative ecosystem, meant to offer specialized mentoring, resources, and visibility to young designers and students at the beginning of their journey.
During the summer, the 10 finalists of the Fashion Talent Award competition benefited from individual mentoring sessions held by Massimiliano Giornetti, Director of Polimoda. The final fitting, held on September 13, represented the key preparation moment for the presentation on October 15, where their collections will be displayed for the first time in front of the public and the jury.
The prize awarded to the winner of the Fashion Talent Award consists of an international educational experience at Polimoda, completed by an internship at an international fashion brand two essential stages that will provide both high-level academic training and direct contact with the practice and dynamics of the global industry. In addition, their collection will benefit from exposure on a top e-commerce platform, offering visibility and direct access to the general public, thus consolidating the role of the project in creating real bridges between young Romanian creatives and reference fashion institutions.
“Fashion is at a crossroads with no return. Students must be trained with the awareness that their unique language is a force that must be preserved. Together with MBBFW, we launched this initiative out of the conviction that Romanian identity and cultural heritage must be amplified, not subdued. We collaborated with a selection of 10 young creatives, respecting their vision and, at the same time, offering them my knowledge and experience of the market. Working with recycled materials from already worn garments represents a challenge that today can be defined not only as sustainable but also ethical. It means valuing what already exists in order to create new forms of economy. Creativity has no limits.” – Massimiliano Giornetti, Director Polimoda
The NEXT GENERATION runway officially opens the Fall edition of Mercedes-Benz Bucharest Fashion Week and brings to the forefront an international jury, formed by representatives of Camera Nazionale della Moda Italiana, Polimoda, as well as industry professionals – from an international showroom and a profile publication, to an international influencer and top buyers.
The theme of the edition Cultural heritage in fashion. A bridge between tradition and innovation – invites new generations of designers to valorize tradition and local identity through a contemporary and sustainable vision.
An essential pillar of the project is sustainability. In partnership with Auchan Romania, participants integrated into their collections pieces selected from the “A new life” areas of the stores dedicated to circular economy. Through the process of deconstruction and reconstruction, the students gave clothes a new identity, exploring new forms of creative expression and environmental responsibility.
“We are glad to be once again partners of Mercedes-Benz Bucharest Fashion Week and to support the NEXT GENERATION project, which combines creativity and responsibility. Through the project ‘A new life’, dedicated to the circular economy, we offered the student designers not only raw material but also the opportunity to give new life to clothing items, transforming them into unique pieces with a strong message of sustainability. This collaboration highlights Auchan Romania’s commitment to sustainability and we are happy to see how the new generations of artists embrace these essential values in their approach to fashion.” Corina Dospinoiu-Imre, Sustainability Director Auchan Romania
Another important pillar of the NEXT GENERATION program is the business and entrepreneurship component, developed in partnership with Banca Transilvania, recognized for supporting local initiatives and creative industries. Within the competition, students will participate in a workshop dedicated to fashion entrepreneurship, meant to provide them with practical tools for managing a brand, from strategy and financial management to developing a long-term sustainable vision.
On October 15, 2025, before the official presentation of the collections, Promenada Mall Bucharest will host the NEXT GENERATION Conference, an event that brings together internationally renowned representatives and local industry experts. Under the theme “Next Generation in Fashion: Creativity, Business & Sustainability”, the conference will address the three pillars of the project design, entrepreneurship, and sustainability.
NEXT GENERATION enjoys the support of universities of arts and design in Romania National University of Arts Bucharest (UNArte), University of Art and Design Cluj-Napoca (UAD), consolidating its role as a platform for training and innovation for the future of the industry.
Event support
Title Sponsor: Mercedes-Benz
Main Partners: IQOS, Banca Transilvania, Auchan
Partners: Fashion Days, Oral-B, STIL Diamonds, Pepsi, adidas, Returo, Promenada Mall Bucharest, Heineken, Evian, Glenfiddich, Martini, Schwarzkopf Professional, Murfatlar, Wizz Air, Apivita, Filorga, Uriage, Regina Maria, JBL, BoConcept, Apius, InterContinental Athénée Palace
Institutional Partner | Event supported by the National Heritage Institute
