After a ten-year hiatus, Rio Fashion Week returns with 30 runway shows at Pier Mauá from April 15–18, 2026, putting Rio back on the global fashion map.
Rio brings back its fashion week after a decade
In 2026, Rio de Janeiro will once again host its own fashion week. The former Fashion Rio is back under a new name, Rio Fashion Week, after roughly ten years away from the city’s official calendar.
The announcement was made this week during a presentation at the Palácio da Cidade in Botafogo, one of Rio’s municipal headquarters. The event gathered fashion professionals, organizers and local authorities.
The first edition of this new phase is set for April 15–18, 2026, in Rio’s downtown area. Around 30 fashion shows are scheduled to take place at Pier Mauá.
Pier Mauá strengthens its role as an event hub
By hosting Rio Fashion Week, Pier Mauá reinforces its position as one of the city’s key venues for major events. The waterfront location combines heritage, urban landscape and infrastructure suited to large-scale productions.
For Denise Lima, Pier Mauá’s Director, the event creates a powerful intersection between fashion, city and culture. She highlights that the venue helps reposition Rio within the global creative circuit.
“Hosting Rio Fashion Week at Pier Mauá reinforces our role as one of the main stages for major events in Rio de Janeiro. It is a powerful encounter between fashion, city and heritage that repositions Rio in the global creative circuit and strengthens Pier Mauá’s vocation as a space for transformative experiences,” says Denise Lima.
IMM and Paulo Borges lead the new chapter
The event is produced by IMM, the same company behind São Paulo Fashion Week. Creative direction in Rio will be handled by Paulo Borges, who also serves as creative director of SPFW.
The organizers’ goal is to build a complementary schedule between the two fashion weeks. The plan is for Rio to host its edition in the first half of the year and São Paulo in the second half, with one annual event in each city.
During the press conference, IMM president Alan Adler summed up the concept of the project in a single phrase that captured the ambition of the new Rio Fashion Week.
“It is Rio dressing the world,” said Alan Adler.
Beyond the runway: films, training and talks
In addition to the runway shows, Rio Fashion Week’s schedule will feature other activations. The program includes film premieres and audiovisual productions related to fashion, as well as music and live performances.
The project also foresees a training program for young people, reinforcing a link between education and the creative industry. Talks and panels will bring together brands, designers, students and professionals.
The aim is to increase brand visibility and open space for labels that usually present collections in São Paulo in the first semester. Now, part of that calendar may shift to Rio.
Complementarity with São Paulo and industry growth
Rio’s Deputy Mayor Eduardo Cavaliere stressed that Rio Fashion Week and São Paulo Fashion Week can coexist in a complementary way. In his view, the two events will help strengthen the Brazilian fashion industry.
“I am sure that the two events, Rio and São Paulo, will be complementary and help consolidate this industry, which is so important for Rio de Janeiro and for Brazil,” said Eduardo Cavaliere.
The announcement officially marks Rio’s return to Brazil’s fashion week circuit. It also signals institutional support for the initiative, with industry figures gathering at Palácio da Cidade for the launch.
With Rio Fashion Week, the city aims to regain prominence on the fashion map, attract international attention and celebrate its creative identity. The event seeks to position Rio as a reference in fashion, culture and lifestyle once again.