How Tbilisi is becoming the new fashion capital of the East We spoke with Sofia Tchkonia, founder of the first Georgian fashion week

Georgia is one of Europe's most high-rise fashion weeks. With the establishment of Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Tbilisi in 2014 followed closely by the appointment of Demna Gvasalia as creative director of Balenciaga the following year, a new generation of Georgian designers was screened on a world stage and became a spokesperson for a hitherto unpublished culture. Sofia Tchkonia was the literal "godmother" of the event: not only did she employed a network developed over the years between Paris, London and New York to found it, but financed it largely out of her own pocket and still continues to direct it almost single-handedly. 

Do you think the accelerated digitalization brought by the lockdown will help the Tbilisi fashion scene to gain more international visibility?

For us, the physical presence of international guest is very important. Meet the designers, see the city, its art and culture are crucial to gain traction. Nevertheless, we understand the importance of digitalization these days, through that we are able to introduce Tbilisi fashion scene to more and more people around the globe.