ALBANIAN FASHION WEEK IN TIRANA
FASHION FUTURE FORUM
On April 12th, 2026, on the thirty-ninth floor of the Downtown One building in Tirana, the Fashion Future Forum organized by AIFF of Gentiana Dervishi was held. It was an event aimed at bringing together professionals and fostering dialogue among people working in the fashion industry in Albania, Europe, and around the world.
The Forum was anchored and moderated by Alessio Marrari, co-founder of the Albanian International Fashion Federation.
The platform created by Gentiana Dervishi and Alessio Marrari brings together local talent and the global scene, proposing the originality of artisanal creations to connoisseurs of international fashion. The Forum was conceived as a strategic discussion of various viewpoints on the development of fashion, and on the innovations and collaborations to be launched in this field.
The first speaker was Dr. Massimiliano Giornetti, creative director of Polimoda, a key figure in global fashion. Polimoda’s presence at the Forum is explained by the prestige of Italian fashion worldwide and by the absence, so far, of an Albanian institution operating in fashion that might be internationally recognized. The goal is to create solid training that can culminate in a university degree. Universities and Fashion Academies in Albania have yet to be created, but a fashion hub already exists: Fashion Week and the Fashion Federation are designed precisely to connect local artisans and fashion designers to the global market and to train new designers not only abroad, but also in Albania.
Dr. Giornetti emphasized the importance of Albanian cultural heritage for the creativity of the country’s designers. It is precisely in a globalized world that the originality of local traditions can, once discovered, become a global trend. Fashion is a billion-dollar industry, and it is certainly an advantage for local companies to benefit from it.
Massimiliano Giornetti is an expert in the fashion business who leads Polimoda after many years of experience at the top of “Ferragamo.” In his opinion, fashion today is not thriving at all, but every difficulty hides a great opportunity. Making fashion today is challenging, but those who take on this challenge do so with maximum commitment and with great passion capable of inspiring others. In the sociocultural and economic context, it has been found that consumers no longer respond to homogenization. The remedy would be precisely an original, artisanal product, tied to traditional culture but developed for the modern era. From this perspective, Dr. Giornetti affirms, a garment is not just an item of clothing, but also an element for uniting humans who may even have different cultural backgrounds.
A fashion industry product reveals the creative DNA of a nation, its connection with the rest of the world, authenticity, and the interconnection between various national cultures. The important thing in today’s fashion is not to follow trends, but to create uniqueness and authenticity.
Fashion can be described with the following dualism it has. On onez³x[ it is born in the atelier of a single designer to become part of a boundless fashion industry rooted in local culture and tradition. And, to spread it, having a digital channel is not enough—you need to implement a cultural revolution. Because a dress is not just fabric wrapped around a body, but also a cultural expression of an era, and it is in continuous movement. To convey the cultural message of modern fashion, one must always refine their visual language.
Albania Fashion Week is a peripheral fashion week, Dr. Giornetti states. But in the positive sense of the term. Not being part of the Big Four of global fashion weeks (Milan, London, Paris, New York), Albanian Fashion Week can develop in the direction of identifying and promoting local designers who offer uniqueness, authenticity, and originality to the global fashion market. Albania Fashion Week can increasingly become a structure aimed at helping designers grow and be a community for them, because today success is not the landing place of an individual, but rather the result of the efforts of a collective.
Fashion is a matter of identity uncovered in the past to be brought into the future. Dr. Giornetti quotes Salvatore Ferragamo: “Creativity has no limits,” suggesting that young designers seek innovative solutions in every challenging situation.
Despite the (now undeniable) infiltration of artificial intelligence into the fashion industry, Dr. Giornetti expressed the opinion that authentic creativity will survive, since fashion is a creation offered by humans to other humans.
Also speaking at the Fashion Future Forum was architect Paolo Giachi (Giachi Design of Milan). He unites art, fashion, and interior design in his work. Architect Giachi shared his inspiring experience with those present: working as a model for Jean Paul Gaultier and Gucci at the beginning of his career, he met Patrizio Bertelli, owner of Prada, who proposed that he design his retail spaces. Then came the turn of Diego Della Valle (Tod’s of Milan), Louis Vuitton, and Jimmy Choo. Paolo Giachi confirmed the idea that experience within a major brand can open the doors of other fashion companies and other prestigious brands. And it is also thanks to his knowledge and close contact with such diverse clients that Paolo Giachi has built the authenticity and originality of his unmistakable style. He suggested that Albanian designers seek a compromise between local and global identity as well as between the ancient and the modern. From the audience he was asked about the specific and recognizable traits of his interior design. Paolo Giachi responded by presenting a book showing all his works (a work that will soon be presented at the Salone del Mobile in Milan) and emphasized the uniqueness of each object he creates on commission for each individual client.
Among the speakers at the Fashion Forum was also Ardi Aslani, a multifaceted artist: costume designer, stylist, and set designer with international experience in theater, opera, and television. He unites fashion, performing arts, and contemporary culture in his creations. He is also a lecturer at the Albanian Design Academy. Ardi Aslani shared with those present his creative journey that begins with fashion and with a scholarship for designers that he won by presenting a collection rooted in Albanian cultural traditions. He studied fashion in Italy, created authentic and original collections presented, among others, at New York Fashion Week, before moving on to other forms of creative expression: prose theater, opera, television. Ardi Aslani reiterated the importance of studying national costume, recalling that one of these—xhubleta—had been recognized as UNESCO intangible cultural heritage.
The concluding contribution to the Forum was made by lawyer Nancy Seferi, an important professional from Tirana specializing in trademark protection and in supporting Albanian and global fashion brands for the safe development of the international market.
After all the speeches concluded, the event organizer Gentiana Dervishi thanked the speakers for their support and for the trust they had placed in the event.
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Photo by Vincenzo Testa
