Lithuanian fashion talent shines at Lukiškės Prison as Vilnius’s stylish crowd turns out

Stylishly dressed Vilnius residents and visitors gathered at Lukiškės Prison 2.0 for one of the final events of Vilnius Fashion Week, a celebration focused on young Lithuanian designers.

The free, all-day program included a pop-up shopping space for local creators, talks by designer Olesia Les, stylist Goda Pele and trend forecaster Marija Palaikytė-Franchini, and creative workshops led by Les. Visitors also watched a performance by artist Lukas Svirplys and director Akvilė Gelžinytė, followed by presentations from emerging designers.

The event explored issues shaping fashion today. Les, who also serves as a European Climate Pact ambassador, spoke about sustainability and consumer culture. Pele examined what fashion considers “normal” and “abnormal,” while Palaikytė-Franchini discussed the growing visibility of different body types, changing stereotypes about women’s age and shifting family gender roles. She also noted the tension between luxury and fast fashion.

A discussion moderated by ELLE Lithuania journalist Ugnė Mingėlaitė brought together designers Emile Jure of JURE and Odeta Strasevičiūtė of ODMEGA. They discussed creating costumes for music stars and presented collections shown at ELLE Iconic Night. The program ended with a performance by DJ PAIPCE and a screening of “Paris, Capital of Fashion: Fashion Week 50 Years!”

Collections came from Vaida Astašauskaitė, Aistė Ilčiukaitė under the name AISTILCA, Ania Szczygiel, Kaylee Brooke and The Pose Brand. Vilnius Fashion Week is being held for the second time, with its wider program running from August 28 to September 7 and concluding with Raimedas Latvis’s collection at Vilnius Town Hall.