Asad Sattar, founder of Arka Fashion Week and Creative Director of Ami Dhaka, represented Bangladesh and Arka at the BRICS+ Fashion Summit (August 28–30, 2025, Concert Hall Zaryadye) alongside Moscow Fashion Week (August 28–September 2, 2025). The Summit convened global delegations for high-level dialogue on fashion’s future, while Moscow Fashion Week staged runway shows and industry programming across landmark venues.
Bangladesh on the Global Stage
Sattar spoke on a plenary session with international fashion-week leaders, arguing that Bangladesh’s next leap is to pair its world-class manufacturing base with a creative and cultural economy that exports culture—not just clothing. He underscored fashion’s multidisciplinary reality today (arts, music, media, and digital) and positioned Arka Fashion Week as a cultural platform that democratizes fashion for Gen Z and millennials.
“For Bangladesh to export its fashion, we must think beyond garments. What we can and should export is our culture—our crafts, our stories, our heritage—told in contemporary ways.”
Heritage Futurism: Ami Dhaka
Presenting his label Ami Dhaka, Sattar described its design language as Heritage Futurism—Bangladeshi artisan techniques reimagined for modern life. Each piece is handmade with deliberate care; at minimum, even the size label is hand-stitched as a nod to slow, conscious craft. He wore unreleased Ami Dhaka pieces during Moscow Fashion Week:
“Ami Dhaka translates to ‘I am Dhaka.’ I wear Dhaka’s history, present, and future on my sleeves—and I’m proud to take that story global.”
Moscow Fashion Week as a Rising Fashion Capital
Beyond the Summit, Sattar attended multiple shows at Moscow Fashion Week, where he experienced an impressive spectrum—from luxury to rebellious contemporary design, with international showcases from China, Brazil, and beyond.
He noted how Russian heritage and modernism were both celebrated on the runway:
“Moscow Fashion Week has made a strong case for being recognized as a global fashion capital, with craftsmanship and innovation on full display.”
Cross-Border Collaboration
Sattar reaffirmed Arka Fashion Week’s role as a bridge for Bangladeshi designers, models, and creatives to connect with fashion weeks worldwide—and to welcome international acts to Dhaka for genuine cultural exchange and knowledge sharing. He noted the Summit’s broader, structural push for collaboration through the BRICS International Fashion Federation, launched in Moscow with signatories from 50+ nations in 2024.
What’s Next: Arka Fashion Week, Dec 4–7
Arka Fashion Week returns for its fourth and largest edition December 4–7 at Aloki Convention Center, Dhaka, paying homage to Bangladesh’s artisans and craft heritage—reframed for a contemporary, global audience. Built without institutional investors, AFW has quickly become Bangladesh’s largest fashion platform, driven by community and a not-for-profit ethos focused on culture-building.
“Arka Fashion Week is not just a fashion event—it’s a cultural movement. Our goal is to put Dhaka firmly on the global fashion map as a hub for creativity, youth culture, and South Asian fashion.”
