The 42nd Riga Fashion Week

We weren’t in Riga this season, but we were watching closely.

Riga Fashion Week operates on a different scale. It’s a smaller market, a more contained system, where the focus naturally shifts toward the designers themselves. And that’s exactly what makes it interesting - the possibility to see names earlier, to follow how they build, and to understand where a regional scene is heading.

This season brought together a mix of local designers and international participants, with a noticeable emphasis on material awareness, sustainability, and long-term value. But beyond the general direction, a few names stood out in particular.

A.Cont — Sinapsis

A.Cont approaches clothing almost like a study. Sinapsis looks at human connection - not in a literal way, but as something invisible, layered, and difficult to define. The materials reflect that thinking: raw mohair, felted surfaces, cotton left close to its original state. Pieces feel worked through rather than designed in a polished sense. You see the process, and that becomes the point.

BAE by Katya Shehurina x Adidas Riga — Upcycled Capsule

This collaboration takes familiar Adidas garments and moves them somewhere unexpected. Sportswear is cut, reassembled, and reshaped into dresses that hold a more sculptural, feminine line. The original elements - stripes, technical fabrics - remain visible, but their function shifts. It’s less about transformation as a statement, more about reusing what already exists and letting it evolve.

Hannes Rüütel — Softness and Control

Hannes Rüütel works with contrast, but in a controlled way. Light fabrics, bows, and movement are balanced with structured cottons and precise stitching. Nothing feels exaggerated. Even the more playful details, like small cherry motifs, sit quietly within the collection. It’s a clear, composed approach that doesn’t try to over-explain itself.

Anna Kruz — Permission

Anna Kruz frames this collection as a release from overthinking. Permission is about stepping away from constant control and allowing instinct to lead. That shift is visible, but subtle. The work still holds her focus on leather and quality materials, but the mood feels lighter, less rigid.

Iveta Vecmane — Melancholia XV: Morphine

Iveta Vecmane builds through precision. Melancholia XV: Morphine holds a certain distance: tailored silhouettes, structured fabrics, and a palette kept tightly within black, white, and muted red. Lace appears occasionally, but not as decoration. It’s placed deliberately, almost like a structural element. 

Una Bērziņa — Stories. Part 5

There’s a sense of slowness in Una Bērziņa’s work. Stories. Part 5 sits in that moment between sleep and waking, where everything feels slightly delayed. Handwork - embroidery, knitting, printed fabrics - brings texture, but also a different pace. It doesn’t try to modernize craft. It keeps it close to its original rhythm.

Laura Daili — Invisible Tension

Laura Daili builds her collection around a simple idea: tension that isn’t immediately visible. Invisible Tension uses glass as a reference - something fragile, but also resistant. That duality runs through the work.

There’s also a real-life layer behind it. On the morning of the show, Daili broke her arm but continued with the presentation. It’s the kind of moment that could sound symbolic, but here it simply aligns with the collection - fragility and strength existing at the same time.

Riga Fashion Week offers a different perspective on fashion — one where the scale allows you to pay attention to the details, the process, and the designers behind the work.

And sometimes, that’s exactly where the most interesting discoveries begin.

Photo credits: Courtesy of RFW, Mark Litvyakov, Toms Norde