Sofia Fashion Week Spring/Summer 2024 has started in Sofia. The fashion week is organized annually by Hotel Marinela - the host of the event and Code Fashion TV - the only Bulgarian fashion TV. From 2015 to today, hundreds of brands and designers from Bulgaria and the world have presented their brands and models on the Sofia Fashion Week podium. Top models, influencers, music stars and VIP guests from all over the world have been guests at the event. World-famous brands have been partners of Sofia Fashion Week over the years. The event takes place on several themed evenings, and Haute Couture, Ready-to-wear, men's, and bridal collections, accessories and jewellery are presented on the catwalk. The first evening of Sofia Fashion Week shows the reviews of Bulgarian fashion students free of charge - this is what the producer of Sofia Fashion Week Spring/Summer 2024 Maria Boneva said.
We talked with her about the news and the history of the only fashion week of its kind in Bulgaria, which since 2015 has made the Bulgarian capital part of the world fashion weeks.
What will Sofia Fashion Week surprise us with this year?
On the opening night on the 27th, we're starting with an interview with you and I'm very happy because you're,
as it's called, a "good luck sign" - so our opening night is a night of sponsoring.
Personally, Mrs Marinella Arabadjieva has made it so that it's absolutely free for all students,
and I mean it is. We have fashion students from "New Bulgarian University", from the "National Academy of Arts", we have debuting young designers...
Somehow we want to show them on the fashion scene because we did it in 2016 and then big brands found their fashion designers among the young talents. Desizo Monni fashion brand, for example, found a young talent who is already in their creative team. I believe this is a chance, really even the established designers who very often say: "Oh, you know, there are not enough new talents, no tailors, no this and that"... Here are the young talents, they just need to be noticed!
And we being the business part have to bring them together. You are an absolute precedent, there was no such thing as Sofia Fashion Week in Bulgaria, as there is in New York, in Milan, in Paris...
Tell us, and it is so clear you are proud to do it - what does it cost you to make Sofia Fashion Week? Personally and professionally?
Oh, that was a dream of mine, because we do not need to reinvent the hot water! So I said to myself: "Well well, after there is a Paris Fashion Week, one in Milan, in New York", like you said, "why shouldn't we have Sofia Fashion Week, as well?!"
And "just like that", on a working lunch with Mrs Marinella Arabadjieva and we just did it! We just needed a place, because a project that big if it doesn't have a home, a venue, halls, the base... What is seen generally is what is on stage,
but it's at least a month and a half of negotiations, hard work, and organization of designers, collections, backstage, model selection, all the teams that work on the event and somehow - how to put ii? We have been doing it since 2015 and
I don't even know how many years it's been, it kind of - flowed!
Thank you so much to BGNES for being with us this year! I'm truly happy and I wish to you, as well, every year from now on to be always together and support different causes!
Dear BGNES viewers, I'm very happy to invite you to visit us from the opening night of Sofia Fashion Week!
I guess you're going to get amazing footage and I want to tell you that there's an amazing cause, which is to protect the intellectual property of designers! Designers together with "Alicante" and "Euro patent" do it together - it will be the first night.
During the closing night, we will show that aesthetic and sustainable fashion is extremely important for all of us!
I'm waiting for you, thank you! Welcome to Sofia Fashion Week! /BGNES