Indian Label KGL Presents a Collection Inspired by Memory and Dreams in Moscow

Bold primary colors – red, blue and yellow – in the spirit of pop art, and blazers that look as though they have been assembled from two different jackets: this was how India appeared at Moscow Fashion Week, which wrapped up in early October. The new collection by KGL, titled Arc Echo, was presented by Kanika Goyal, whose designs are worn by Deepika Padukone and Priyanka Chopra.

Moscow Fashion Week is the largest event showcasing emerging fashion: new names appear every season, while independent brands from around the world gain the attention of the press, buyers and the public. This season, more than 350 designers from Asia, Europe, Africa and Latin America presented their collections. Following New York, London and Milan on the fashion calendar, Moscow provides a runway for a new generation of designers who bring local roots together with global trends.

Arc Echo was part of one of the season’s busiest fashion events: more than 350 designers from Asia, Europe, Africa, Latin America and North America presented new collections at Moscow Fashion Week. Moscow has become a leading international platform for emerging fashion and independent designers, opening up opportunities to enter new markets and attract the attention of the international press, influencers and buyers.

Clothing with a Sense of Déjà Vu

Kanika Goyal explores the human inner world, and Arc Echo is dedicated to fragments of memory, dreams and the familiar feeling of déjà vu – those moments when it feels as though you are seeing several versions of yourself at once. Mosaic knitwear conveys the layered nature of memory, while jacquard sweaters bring different facets of character together in a single piece. The coexistence of harmony and chaos evokes the structure of dreams. Surplus fabrics from mills are given a second life in KGL collections: jackets and trousers are weaved from thin strips of deadstock denim, dresses are patched from unused pieces, and artisans in New Delhi carry out the embroidery. “Upcycled Denim serves as the foundation, where we blend intricate Indian artisan skills with innovative methods, creating dynamic, textured surfaces through cutting, folding and weaving,” says Kanika Goyal.

KGL is known well beyond India. Its collections have been presented in New York and London, and in Paris they are featured at the Showroom Romeo. The brand’s collaborations include Disney, Adidas and Skechers. Grazia India named Kanika Goyal Designer of the Year, Harper’s Bazaar India awarded her the title of Spotlight Designer of the Year, and India Today included her in its Top 100 Women list.

The KGL show was held as part of a collaboration between the Fashion Design Council of India and Moscow Fashion Week. “Moscow and FDCI partnership brings to the fore Indian craftsmanship at its best; Russia has been a biggest admirer of Hindi cinema for generations, now they get a flavour of how dextrously our designers can add ancient techniques to modern silhouettes,” says Sunil Sethi, Chairman of the Fashion Design Council of India.

Fashion from Four Continents

Designers from 12 countries took part in Moscow Fashion Week, from China and the United Kingdom to Nicaragua and Sri Lanka. Spanish designer Miguel Llopis dedicated his collection to Valencia’s traditional dress. He crafted corsets and structured bodices from silk taffeta, evoking the Spanish silhouette that defined the country’s dress for centuries and infusing the collection with Mediterranean color and light. “Moscow Fashion Week is particularly valuable because its audience appreciates distinctive design, artisanal quality, and collections with a strong cultural identity,” says Miguel Llopis.

Kazakh designer Dinara Satzhan explored the history of national dress and the ornamentation that embodies ideas of community, identity and shared values, and found a contemporary way to reinterpret almost every element of the collection. American brand Amirah Creations combined modest fashion with expressive tailoring: flowing kimonos and kaftans sit alongside denim and leather, while pillbox hats adorned with flowers and stones complete the looks. Kenya’s KikoRomeo presented handwoven cotton, batik featuring Turkana motifs and hand-painted linen.

Flowers in the Digital Age

The Russian lineup at Moscow Fashion Week featured both debutants and established brands, many of which had significantly expanded their audiences by taking part in previous seasons. “In our view, Moscow Fashion Week is the top event of its kind in Russia,” says designer Alena Musaeva, whose collection brought elements of Russian folk costume together with Eastern references. Za_Za, a regular participant in the Moscow event, is also known in India: the brand collaborated with Aura, a multi-brand boutique chain based in New Delhi. Wildberries, Russia’s largest marketplace, is the general partner of Moscow Fashion Week, enabling independent brands to reach customers nationwide.

Tiny flowers made from six or seven different kinds of beads bloom across a mesh skirt by Ruban. The brand weaves it from its own fine silk cords, with a bead marking every intersection of the threads. Kiri has turned autumn into a herbarium: oversized flowers cover a corset made from tapestry-like fabric, the trousers are trimmed with feathers, and the defined waistline evokes the 1950s.

The 404 Not Found | brand compares the heroine of its collection to a rose with both thorns and petals: delicate silk meets sturdy leather, sheer chiffon contrasts with tweed, blouse sleeves resemble flower buds, and a bold leopard print is paired with feminine silhouettes. The Alexandra Serova fashion house dedicated its collection to Krasnaya Moskva (Red Moscow), the legendary fragrance that is more than a century old and was once known as “The Empress’s Favorite Bouquet.” Floral motifs and hand embroidery adorn satin, while rich red dominates the collection.

Through technology, Sber is opening up a world of fashion where looks emerge at the intersection of human imagination and AI. Sber is the strategic partner of Moscow Fashion Week, while its GigaChat neural network serves as the technological partner. Moscow Fashion Week also hosted a series of premieres bringing together the bank’s 185th anniversary, contemporary design and generative technologies.

To mark the bank’s 185th anniversary, SberShop and fashion house Ushatava developed a commemorative collection. It was presented at Moscow Fashion Week as a performance-based fashion show titled Version 185. Director Anna Guseva and the Sber team reimagined the bank’s evolution and transformation, from the rigid structure of a traditional savings bank to a modern, flexible ecosystem. Twenty-five performers presented the collection on the runway. Their performance was filmed in real time, with the video stream processed instantly by an AI-powered rendering platform. Neural network algorithms tracked the dancers on camera, separated them from the background and replaced their surroundings while preserving the depth and dimensionality of the image. The audience saw five unique visual effects created without post-production. The show was structured as a three-act journey set to electronic interpretations of classical music by Igor Stravinsky. The first act conveyed spatial confinement and formalism; the second brought separate elements together into a unified network, expressing the idea of a system’s growth; and the third featured individual character studies and synchronized movement, symbolizing Sber’s modern, technology-driven identity. This directorial approach made the bank’s complex corporate philosophy accessible and emotionally engaging to a broad audience.

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