Albanian Fashion Week - Gentiana Dervishi launches Albania into the circuit of the world’s fashion capitals

2025-10-25

Albania Fashion Week 2025 brings Albanian talent and creativity to the international fashion circuit, uniting emerging young designers and major global names in an event that celebrates sartorial excellence, stylistic innovation, and the valorisation of the country’s cultural heritage.

October 25, 2025 marked a historic and extraordinarily significant milestone for the Albanian fashion scene. Gentiana Dervishi, an Albanian with Italian citizenship and founder of Albania Fashion Week, officially inaugurated the first modern and institutionally recognized edition of the event, realizing her vision of placing Albanian talent and creativity at the center of the international fashion stage while simultaneously attracting globally renowned designers and stylists to Albania, creating a virtuous bridge between local culture and global trends. The event took place at the prestigious Palazzo dei Congressi in Tirana, a building of extraordinary historical and cultural relevance, located opposite the Presidential Offices, in the heart of the capital’s institutional district. The choice of location was far from random, as it underlined the institutional and symbolic weight of the event, conferring international stature and institutional recognition to Albanian fashion, historically ready to consolidate itself as a strategic sector and promoter of the country’s cultural image.

AFW stands out as an international reference platform where sartorial excellence, stylistic innovation, and environmental sustainability converge harmoniously. The showcase successfully highlighted both young Albanian talents, students and emerging designers, and internationally renowned stylists, creating an ecosystem in which dialogue between established experience and emerging creativity becomes the driving force of innovation and global visibility. The event recorded over 500 attendees, including national media, strategically relevant journalists, institutional representatives, influencers, international buyers, and entertainment personalities, immediately establishing the showcase as an indispensable reference point in both the Albanian and international fashion calendars. After the event, Gentiana Dervishi declared: “Although I have lived in Italy for 23 years, my connection with my homeland, Albania, has consolidated and strengthened over the years until it became irreplaceable. I felt the need, with every fiber of my being, to create something meaningful and lasting for my country.

As the creator and promoter of numerous successful editions of GX Fashion Week in Milan and Paris, events that have seen internationally acclaimed designers perform on the most prestigious stages, I felt that the time had come to bring this experience to my native country. From my perspective, Albania is one of the European countries evolving with great responsibility and giant steps and deserved a platform to showcase its creative and cultural potential. Today the world will discover the creativity, elegance, and strength of Albanian talent, while our country welcomes the great names of international fashion. With immense pride and profound love, I officially declare AFW 2025 open!” In a highly symbolic and scenically striking gesture, the red ribbon was cut directly on the runway, not in front of an institutional building, but under the watchful and admiring eyes of a large and selected audience, who received her impeccable elegance, organizational precision, and innovative strategic vision with warm applause and unanimous acclaim This moment marked the beginning of a chapter destined to leave a lasting imprint on the international fashion world and to place Albania as a new emerging and sophisticated player on the global fashion scene. Making this first edition of AFW exceptional where local and international talents, emerging and established, who combined creativity, craftsmanship, and aesthetic research on the runway.

Etnik Shala, one of the leading contemporary Kosovar designers, presented iconic collections such as Etnikografi and Symphony of Flower. Recognized for his connection to Albanian culture, he opened his first atelier at only 17 and has received international awards including the “Grand Prix” and the “Big See Award.” His creations combine cultural sensitivity, contemporary aesthetics and craftsmanship, establishing him as a reference in Balkan fashion.

Tommaso Pieri, founder of the SartoriaPieri brand, transformed fashion into a language of the soul, creating unique garments that combine introspection, emotion, and meaning, realized in collaboration with master artisans. Every piece tells stories of transformation and authenticity.

Blendina Katona, from Kosovo, presented Active Women, inspired by 1980s businesswomen. The collection blends masculine and feminine clothing, vintage accessories, and versatility, designed to accompany the modern woman throughout her day.