The fashion show Metrica is set to showcase up-and-coming Georgian and international fashion designers while advocating for their prominence throughout the region and beyond.
Metrica was co-founded in 2022 by organizer Gita Dzhavid and designer Maia Chkhartishvili. For several years, Dzhavid worked in business consulting for a Metaverse company that also did some projects within the fashion realm. Once she switched to a new career path as a catwalk model, her attention shifted solely to the fashion industry and its development.
The Metaverse is a virtual world made up of communities, where people can meet, work, and play using virtual reality headsets, smartphone applications, and more. The Metrica Fashion Show will be the first fashion project in Georgia that is displayed in the Metaverse. Dzhavid tells GEORGIA TODAY that she sees this as an important opportunity because of the exposure it will bring to the cooperating designers.
“It erases the borders of fashion, especially since it can be viewed in any part of the world by anyone, which accelerates the connection from A to B in participation with the brands,” she says.
A large department of the fashion show is the ‘Fashion Fusion Foundation,’ which, Dzhavid explains, focuses on promoting Georgian designers abroad by projecting their culture, vision and industry objectives out into the world. The foundation also aims to promote international designers within the region and beyond. “Metrica allows every designer worldwide to bring a part of their identity, their DNA, and introduce it through this platform,” Dzhavid notes.
Several Georgian designers and brands will be presented during the event: Janelidze, Diana Kvariani, Love Mark, Tako Mekvabidze, REM, Zardouz (Georgian/Iranian), and Kinto. REM is a popular Georgian brand that used to be called UMI, which in the old Georgian language translates to ‘Raw’. It has recently undergone a rebranding and will be the opening show for Metrica.
Other international brands and designers have also partnered with Georgian brands as collaborations. Japanese brand Miyabi will be present, rooted in Georgia and using Japanese fabric to create clothing pieces that merge the two cultures. In recent years, Central Asia has become a hot spot for the creative industry, fashion included.
Another country in the fashion spotlight, according to Dzhavid, is Turkmenistan. She says this year the brand Arslan will be presented, one of the first times in recent history that a Turkmen designer is presented at an international fashion event. Dzhavid tells us Arslan’s work plays with his country’s traditional clothing, while adding a very modern twist.
The Gulf countries, especially Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, have also been on a creative rise in recent years. Dzhavid says that to further strengthen ties with this creative industry and region, embassy representatives and designers from these countries will also be present at Metrica. She adds that the fashion show is talking about hosting the 2025 event in Saudi Arabia.
Enterprise Georgia, under the Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development of Georgia, aiming to establish the country on the world map through business, exports, and investments, supports Metrica, as does the Italian Embassy in Georgia, allowing potential partnership with other parts of the world.
Of recent trends in the Georgian fashion industry, Dzhavid mentions that the country’s designers and brands have their own vision that doesn’t necessarily follow worldwide tendencies.
“Freedom is often translated through our collections, clothes, and accessories. Black has always been Georgia’s fashion color, with a hint of grunge,” she says. “In recent years, though, the direction of fashion here has changed- people have started wearing more comfortable, oversized pieces of clothing, decorated with numerous pockets. You have to know that the way Georgia deals with black in their clothing is pretty unique, and you can’t see it anywhere else in the world.”
Georgia’s fashion industry has been on the global watchlist for a number of years already, especially since the rise of Demna Gvasalia and George Keburia. Over time, the industry has been highlighted in various outlets, among them Forbes, The Economist, and FASHION Magazine.
Other brands and designers to be present at this year’s Metrica are Reverie (Georgia), Mriyou (Ukraine), Diana Rakhmaninova (Azerbaijan), Pentatonika (Kazakhstan), Lilia D Ulat (Uzbekistan), Cut & Desh (Kyrgyzstan), Raazmoon (Iran), and Aisha (Azerbaijan).
Metrica will hold its fashion show on Sunday, October 20, at the Axis Towers in Tbilisi, in hopes of promoting local designers, showcasing up-and-coming brands, and displaying international brands within the region.
By Shelbi R. Ankiewicz
