The Estonian Fashion Festival took off on 10 June online, featuring three fashion shows and highlighting the work of 30 designers, with a focus on sustainability and slow fashion.
All the shows this year take place without an audience and are streamed instead, broadcasted by the Estonian, Latvian and Lithuanian version of the online portal, Delfi, the L’Officiel Baltics website and by the Estonian Fashion Festival Facebook page.
The festival took off on 10 June with conceptual short films, highlighting the connection between fashion and the arts. On 11 June, the live stream will showcase the creations of 10 ethnic designers. The aim is to support the creation and use of clothes inspired by local heritage handicrafts and promote the principles of sustainable – especially slow – design movement.
The last day, 12 June, belongs to the collections of ready-to-wear clothes and accessories, where 11 upcoming designers will show their work. In addition to women’s fashion, there will also be collections of menswear, children’s clothing and numerous accessories’ collections – silk scarves, leather accessories and bags.
A platform for growth to the aspiring designer
“The goal of the festival is to not only offer an experience to the viewer but also to provide a platform for growth to the aspiring designer. To build a creative company in the given economy, it is necessary to give the designer knowledge, professional feedback, networking opportunities and courage. Sales and marketing materials are even more crucial, but these can also be the biggest cost items for a designer just starting out,” Kaari Soosalu, the organiser of the fashion festival, said in a statement.
Designers at the festival will get to use a web catalogue, photos and a video clip from their collection, which they can use to promote their brand. “In addition, our well-received tradition of enabling designers to receive personal feedback from top fashion professionals will continue this year, but through Zoom,” Soosalu said.
Each year, a winner of the festival will be chosen. This year, the winning collection will be shown at the International Young Designers Contest in Kyiv, Ukraine, in September and its designer will be awarded USD10,000 for the development of their brand.
Cover: A collection at the Estonian Fashion Festival. Photo courtesy of Eff.
