Art Academy of Latvia fashion show explores identity, craftsmanship, and technology

The annual fashion show of the Art Academy of Latvia drew a large audience to Hanzas Perons on 29 May, showcasing 26 collections that explored the intersection of identity, craftsmanship, technology, and sustainability.

Held for the 33rd time, the event featured work from undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral-level designers, reflecting the academy’s emphasis on conceptual fashion practice and contemporary design research. Organisers described the collections as offering diverse perspectives on fashion’s role in a rapidly changing cultural and technological landscape.

According to Agnese Narņicka, head of the academy’s Fashion Design Department, this year’s participants demonstrated how emerging designers are navigating the tension between tradition and innovation.

“The Fashion Show once again confirms that the new generation of designers consciously operates between tradition and change, formulating its own response to an era in which fashion is simultaneously criticized and constantly demanded,” Narņicka said.

The designers presenting collections included Aiva Strautmane, Ēriks Cariks, Edvards Ādams Valdzers and Akvelīna Frišmane, Rūta Strazdiņa, Lukass Gailis, Uģis Zauerhagens, Haralds Babris, Katrīna Ermanoviča-Hermanoviča, Kate Eisaka, Elza Evelīna Pāvulāne, Sofja Lurina, Aļika Vodņeva, Milana Mihailova, Annija Pauzere, Estere Līva Logina, Elvis Keišs, Letīcija Orlova, Santa Kirmuža-Svilāne, Pāvels Žeļezņaks, Elizabete Agate Meisīte, Madara Dāvida, Jurģis Emīls Liepiņš, Alise Sedliņa-Brūdere, Krišjānis Brasliņš, Patrīcija Sarmule, Anna Katrīna Elme, Artūrs Skurstenis, and Anna Jurjāne. For the first time, recent professional doctoral graduate Una Pūpola also participated with her own collection.

A strong focus on sustainability emerged throughout the event and was reflected in several of the awards presented by industry partners. Katrīna Ermanoviča-Hermanoviča received the AJ Power Recycling Sustainability Award for her collection Lost in Time (Laikā zudis), which judges said successfully integrated sustainability principles into both concept and execution. The award includes a scholarship to attend the internationally recognised fashion and photography festival in Hyères later this year.

Ermanoviča-Hermanoviča also received the Stockmann Sponsors’ Choice Award for a collection recognised for its combination of contemporary aesthetics, functionality, quality, and sustainable design principles.

The BURDA RĪGA x BERNINA Sponsors’ Choice Award was presented to Alise Sedliņa-Brūdere for The Black Kitchen (Melnā Virtuve), with judges citing craftsmanship, detailed handwork, and an experimental approach to fashion creation. Meanwhile, Elza Evelīna Pāvulāne received a Special Recognition Award for Instruction – Scarecrow (Instrukcija – Putnubiedēklis), earning the opportunity to stage a solo exhibition at the Central Museum of Textiles, one of Poland’s leading textile and fashion institutions.

Industry representatives noted that sustainability has become increasingly integrated into the design process of emerging fashion talent. Uldis Skrebs, a board member of AJ Power Recycling, said sustainability is no longer treated as an additional feature but has become embedded in material selection, production methods, and thinking around garment lifecycles.

The event also highlighted the growing relationship between traditional craftsmanship and digital technologies. Representatives from BURDA RĪGA x BERNINA praised participants for demonstrating technical skills across a variety of handcraft disciplines while simultaneously embracing contemporary digital possibilities.

The collections will remain accessible to the public through a showroom hosted by Stockmann from 10 to 14 June, where visitors can meet designers and purchase selected garments and accessories. The showcase will be followed by the academy’s annual Design Days and Graduation Exhibition, taking place across multiple venues in Riga from 12 to 28 June.

The fashion show was supported by Latvia’s State Culture Capital Foundation, the European Union’s FashionTex project under the Creative Europe programme, and a range of corporate and cultural partners. The event reflects broader trends in European fashion education, where sustainability, material innovation, and interdisciplinary design are increasingly central to how emerging designers are trained and evaluated.