Taipei Fashion Week AW26 Enters the Year of Transformation, Building an Inclusive Industry Promotion Platform that Supports Brand Growth
“Taipei Fashion Week AW26” will take place from March 26 to 29 at Songshan Cultural and Creative Park. After eight years of accumulated experience, this year marks a comprehensive upgrade. By refocusing on brands, introducing diverse presentation formats, and strengthening industry support resources, the platform aims to empower brands to engage broader audiences, elevate production quality, and enhance market competitiveness. The Ministry of Culture stated that, beginning with this “Year of Transformation,” Taipei Fashion Week will reposition itself as an industry-driven platform that supports long-term brand growth, further fostering brands with market strength and international expansion potential.
Launched in 2018, Taipei Fashion Week has aligned with the international fashion calendar since 2021, shifting from an annual event to biannual Spring/Summer and Autumn/Winter editions. The “Taipei Fashion Week” name has since gained strong recognition, serving its initial policy goal of enabling Taiwanese fashion brands to express creativity and sustainability, connect with local culture, and step onto the global stage. Entering its ninth year, the Ministry of Culture will collaborate more closely with the Taiwan Design Research Institute to strengthen industry guidance—integrating design creativity with industrial development trends. Adjustments and improvements will be implemented across showcase formats, brand incubation, industry matchmaking, and expanded public engagement.
In terms of showcase formats, beginning with AW26, Taipei Fashion Week will introduce “Presentation” and “Event” formats in addition to the familiar “Runway, in line with international trends. With up to 15 showcases in total, brands will redirect the creative energy previously devoted to a thematic Opening Show back to their own brands. Designers are encouraged to communicate brand concepts and perspectives according to their development stage and seasonal themes, using varied rhythms and formats. Talks, workshops, and forums will also be incorporated, extending fashion beyond the runway into the broader industry chain and cultivating a fashion culture with tangible commercial momentum.
Regarding brand incubation and industry matchmaking, Taipei Fashion Week will further strengthen designers’ connections with international markets. A new “one-on-one mentor consultation” service will be introduced, inviting experienced industry mentors to provide practical and targeted guidance on brand positioning, operational development, and global integration. “Cross-disciplinary design” projects will also be launched, supporting brands in connecting with markets through structured project management and integrated resources, steadily building international competitiveness.
To expand public participation, the limited-access Opening Show previously designated as a “public session” will be transformed into the “Live” streaming zone, removing seat limitations and allowing visitors to watch their preferred designers’ latest collections in real time at the venue. In addition, the specially planned “Editor’s Pick Curated Market” will adopt the “editor’s pick” curatorial concept, linking design creativity to everyday life. Bringing together brands that balance strong design language with wearability—spanning apparel, accessories, jewelry, and lifestyle goods—the market invites visitors to experience design details up close, feel materials and textures, and discover pieces that resonate personally through curator recommendations. Taipei Fashion Week AW26 thus becomes a style feature that can be physically experienced and personally explored.
The Ministry of Culture emphasized that AW26 is the starting point for transformation, where Taipei Fashion Week repositions its platform role, responding to changes in industry structure and market conditions through an operational mechanism that supports long-term brand development. The goal is to enable Taiwanese designer brands to present their narrative aesthetics more comprehensively, while establishing a system and environment that allows sustained visibility, effective market connection, and steady growth.
Looking to global fashion industry trends, the Ministry noted that Taiwan’s textile industry—recognized for its emphasis on sustainability and comfort—remains a key advantage when collaborating with fashion designers on design-driven “micro-customization.” Beyond encouraging brands to showcase their creativity through the Taipei Fashion Week platform, the Ministry will continue working with the Ministry of Economic Affairs and other cross-ministerial partners to further elevate Taiwan’s fashion industry, more effectively supporting brands in strengthening domestic foundations and connecting internationally, while creating the most favorable market conditions for growth.