Riga Fashion Week Opened on the Daugava

At ExPorto’s yacht marina, three designers brought distinct perspectives to a runway framed by the river and the last light of the day.

On 20 October, Riga Fashion Week began on a 100-metre wooden pier at ExPorto yacht marina. With the Daugava as its backdrop, the opening show moved fashion beyond the traditional venue, placing the collections in conversation with the waterfront and the changing evening light.

The programme brought together designers from Latvia, the United Kingdom and Italy. For Latvian designer Katrīna Ermanoviča, the show marked her Riga Fashion Week debut. Her collection, Lost in Time, had already drawn recognition at the Art Academy of Latvia’s 2026 fashion show.

Szczygiel, a brand representing the United Kingdom and Poland, returned to the RFW audience. Known for its conceptual approach and commitment to sustainable design, it shared the opening runway with Italian label Dekel, which presented its work to Latvian audiences for the first time. Dekel also showed at Zunda Towers on 21 October.

The setting gave the opening a character of its own: a long wooden pier, open water and the city beyond. Rather than serving as a neutral backdrop, the marina made the landscape part of the experience, lending the evening a sense of movement and place.

After the show, guests gathered for dinner at Shiyuzu and continued the evening at Icon Bar. The autumn edition of Riga Fashion Week ran from 20 to 24 October.