One of the most buzzed about up and coming fashion weeks is Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Tbilisi in Georgia. It is seven days chockablock full of strong fashion shows from a variety of different designer perspectives. However, during a week of strong collections, these five fashion shows stood out for not only the clothing on the catwalk but for their bravado when it came to location, mise en scène, and overall vision.
Keep on reading to find out all about the details that transformed these shows into thrilling epic spectacles, and to get a rundown of the top 10 most viewed collections on GPS Radar.
The Situationist is king of the hill
The brand that pretty much all the international press and buyers could agree on as having the most global potential was The Situationist. Launched by the Georgian native Irakli Rusadze in 2016, when he was just seventeen years old, the autodidact designer has already become well known enough globally to have shown his work during Paris Fashion Week. With his latest collection, he flipped the concept of “go big or go home” on its head, by doing both – He showed the collection in his home country at the monoethnic open-air memorial, The Chronicle of Georgia (think Stonehenge with more sculptures).
There, between sporadic rain showers and while battling an epic wind that almost knocked a few models over, Rusadze presented a coed collection that showed off a minimalistic Eastern European aesthetic that still found ways to be daring. He accomplished this by twisting and curving the fabric to leave the navel, chest or shoulders exposed, or by fashioning knitwear pieces that featured naïve naked bodies woven into the garments. The earth-hued collection was both powerful, provocative and seemingly impactful, as the brand made it to the top 20 viewed collections on GPS Radar.
Datuna turns to Dance
Designer Datuna Sulikashvili has made a name for himself with his love of theatrical show settings and eveningwear. However, this season he outdid himself. He presented his glamorous collection down the aisle of the Georgian National Opera Theater. The show was quite dramatic with its flowing gowns and impressive voluminous coats being worn by models holding oversized black blooms as they walked from the back of the theater all the way across center stage.
Sulikashvili saved the best for last with a rousing finale on the main stage that saw the theater’s repertory of ballet dancers taking to the boards in full force. All of them dressed in Datuna designs as they performed to tango music. But Datuna didn’t stop there. Suddenly, the floor opened up to reveal more dancers wearing outfits, each with a different Georgian letter emblazoned across the body. Then finally the Georgian born prima ballerina and grand dame Nino Ananiashvili appeared from the depths of the theater wearing an equally grand black dress. The result was a feast for both the eyes and ears; the brand garnered 1031 views on GPS Radar making it to the 3rd position of our ranking.
Djaba Diassamidze’s Ode to Chanel
Designer Djaba Diassamidze was inspired by and dedicated his latest collection to, Karl Lagerfeld and Coco Chanel. It was a homage that was that much more poignant considering the recent passing of Lagerfeld in February of this year. And, Diassamidze took a page out of Lagerfeld’s playbook by presenting his collection in an iconic setting, the Writer’s House of Georgia, one of Tbilisi’s most storied cultural venues.
There, in a salon-style setting reminiscent of the golden age of fashion shows, models walked from room to room holding up number cards so the guests would be able to more easily jot down the digits of the dresses or suits they wanted to buy. And, there was much to choose from in the predominantly black and white coed collection – from the shimmering black short jacket and matching black velvet pencil skirt that opened the show through to the gold, black and white harlequin dress and sharply tailored tuxedos to the large ballgowns that filled the doorways as they moved from room to room that closed out the presentation. This collection was a celebration of sartorial sophistication, a successful bet that allowed the brand to gather quite a considerable amount of views for its gallery on GPS Radar.
Anouki gets Airborn
Invitees were told to bring their passports to attend the Anouki show this season. The designer, whose name is Ana Areshidze but everyone calls her Anouki, sent all her international guests back to the airport to see her 80s inspired offering. There, after going through customs and taking a shuttle bus to an airplane hangar just off a functioning runway, the audience was treated to a show that incorporated an airplane into the presentation.
Anouki, who studied at the Istituto Marangoni and Accademia del Lusso in Milan, was cheered on by her husband, retired pro footballer and the current mayor of Tbilisi, Kakha Kaladze as her glamazon models circled the airplane. Each of them wore dramatic accessories like big bows, floor-skimming crystal earrings or statement eyeglasses along with their roomy checked suit jackets or sexy leather dresses. And, when they had finished their turn around the catwalk they all took their seats inside the show’s centerpiece airplane before disembarking again in dramatic form for a dynamic finale.
Bessarion Brings the Big Guns
Designer Besarion Razmadze closed out Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Tbilisi with his latest Bessarion collection, which he presented inside an old silk studio factory in the city. There, before guests had even entered the venue they were treated to oversized black and white images of the 72-year-old model Galina Gerasimova looking down on them. She gazed out onto the crowd with a regard that sent the message that she should not be trifled with as she modeled some of Razmadze stark creations. This choice of model pointed to the fact that the designer has hit on the inclusivity movement that is currently sweeping fashion.
Later, before the show had even started, the audience was presented a black and white video montage without sound. It caused the crowd to quieten down and focus their attention even more intently on the screen. And once that was over, the show music kicked into gear and the designer had one more big surprise for his guests. He had the famous Ukrainian model, Nadia Shapoval close out his striking show filled with models sporting black matrix style sunglasses as they wore hot pink gowns, glossy grey patent leather ensembles and pitch black silk dresses. It made for a fine finish to this impressive fashion week, with a show that certainly sparked buzz, as the brand’s collection gathered 1267 views on GPS Radar, making it the most viewed brand on the platform!
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BEssARION AW19/20 LOOK 13 @vogueparis @mbfashionweektbilisi Model: @tekladvalishvili
Don’t hesitate to take a look at our other quick summaries covering Tokyo Fashion Week and Paris Fashion Week! And if you’d like access to downloadable pictures of all the fashion shows from this MBFW Tbilisi, log into the only dedicated online community for fashion professionals: GPS Radar.
Top 10 Most Viewed Galleries from Tbilisi Fashion Week on GPS Radar
By Jessica MichaultSVP of Industry Relations
Jessica Michault is the Senior Vice President of industry relations at GPS Radar by Launchmetrics. She is also the editor-at-large for ODDA magazine and contributes to publications like the New York Times, the Business of Fashion, Vogue, Harper's Bazaar and Mixte magazine.
