From February 28 to March 13, 2026, the National Central Museum of the Republic of Kazakhstan will host the exhibition Archive Exhibition 2023–2026 of young designers, held within the framework of Visa Fashion Week Almaty.
Archive Exhibition 2023–2026 presents the works of finalists from one of the most significant competitions for emerging designers in Central Asia – Next Designer Award empowered by Visa. The exhibition goes beyond the conventional perception of fashion: here collections transform into independent art objects filled with visual poetry, emotional depth, and cultural layers of meaning, where every fabric and silhouette become a tool of artistic expression.
Visitors will be immersed in the world of contemporary fashion, where form, texture, color, and textile craftsmanship gain conceptual meaning and become visual metaphors. Each finalist’s work from Next Designer Award empowered by Visa (2023–2026) is presented as a powerful artistic statement. The collections reflect the authors’ personal experiences and urgent social themes, including ecology and human responsibility, mental health, identity and self-determination, cultural memory, female strength and autonomy, experiences of bullying, and inner transformation. Through fashion, designers speak about what matters today – sincerely and boldly – turning both the runway and exhibition space into a platform for dialogue with the audience.
Launched in 2023, Next Designer Award empowered by Visa has established itself not merely as a competition, but as a strategic platform supporting young talent. The project covers the entire Central Asian region and provides designers with real opportunities for professional growth, international recognition, and entry into the global fashion scene. The exhibition organically continues this mission by transferring competition works into the museum space and preserving them as cultural and artistic artifacts that form an art chronicle of the evolving fashion language of Central Asia. Each collection represents its own artistic universe, where designers experiment with form, color, texture, proportion, and concept to create visual stories capable of inspiring emotion and reflection.
General Director of Visa Fashion Week, Bauyrzhan Shadibekov, noted:
«For us, this exhibition is not simply a summary of several seasons of the Next Designer Award empowered by Visa. It is an opportunity to pause and view fashion as art. We see how the energy of young designers transforms into visual forms that speak about culture, identity, and creative exploration. Archive Exhibition 2023–2026 is a living archive in which creativity becomes the foundation for future brands with international potential. Each look here is not just a collection, but an independent work of art filled with meaning, visual beauty, and conceptual strength. This project demonstrates how creative energy can become the basis for new brands, economic development, and international recognition».
The uniqueness of the exhibition lies in its presentation of designers’ creative journeys – from their first bold experiments and search for individual style to the formation of a recognizable signature and the creation of conceptually structured, commercially successful collections that resonate with broad audiences. This is not a classical retrospective, but a living artistic chronicle at the intersection of fashion, contemporary art, and the cultural identity of the region, where Central Asian fashion appears as an independent, mature, and significant cultural and artistic phenomenon. The exhibition is conceived as an open cultural platform fostering dialogue between designers, curators, experts, and visitors. Here fashion is presented not only as an industry, but also as an essential part of Central Asia’s artistic and intellectual landscape – a language capable of capturing cultural shifts, social meanings, and the emotional states of its time.
«Today, the mission of the Next Designer Award empowered by Visa is to create an open launch platform for emerging designers of Central Asia. Having started in Kazakhstan, the project now spans the entire region, bringing together young creators and giving them the opportunity to be heard on the international stage. We are inspired by the designers themselves – their courage, their search for identity, and their honest dialogue through form, fabric, and silhouette. They are the main source of the project’s energy and meaning», added Bauyrzhan Shadibekov.
Each season, Next Designer Award empowered by Visa introduces new names, and the exhibition in Almaty at the National Central Museum of the Republic of Kazakhstan becomes another important step toward international recognition for these designers. Many participants are already represented in multi-brand stores and actively developing their own labels beyond the regional market. Participation of finalists in Visa Fashion Week Tashkent has become an additional step toward integrating Central Asian designers into the global fashion and cultural context, opening new opportunities for their professional and artistic growth.
Participants of Archive Exhibition 2023–2026
- Season I: Assel Shyngyssova, Akmaral Zharaskyzy, Vilermor, Toktar Seilbek
- Season II: Asem Sapargali, Tansholpan Omarova, Rasul Social
- Season III: Arevik, Fariza Bekimbet, Mari Airapetyan, Aiken Derbessalieva
- Season IV: Asem Urynbay, Mari & Dmitry, Galima Kulchikova, Jasmin Hakobyan
- Season V: Aizada Balabekova, Tomiris Talgat, Ailen Ayaulym, Nurali Kankeldi, Dinara Kassymova, Adel Kunanbayeva, Negina Negmatova, Sabi Zhusipbayeva
Archive Exhibition 2023–2026 offers a unique opportunity for everyone to immerse themselves in the world of contemporary fashion and art, explore current trends and perspectives of leading designers in the region, and witness the emergence of a new cultural and artistic language of Central Asia.
Next Designer Award empowered by Visa is an annual competition and educational platform supporting young designers, launched in 2023 as part of the Visa Fashion Week Almaty ecosystem. The competition is held twice a year and spans the entire Central Asian region, providing participants with opportunities for professional growth, international recognition, participation in art and fashion collaborations, as well as financial and expert support.
Visa Fashion Week Almaty Press Office.
Phone number: +7 (708) 759-53-99
Exhibition schedule and opening hours: 28 February–13 March 2026, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., Tuesday (closed). Admission to the exhibition is subject to a fee (tickets available at the museum ticket office).
Address: National Central Museum of Kazakhstan, Samal-1/44.
Tel.: +7 (727) 264-46-50, 264
