Costa Rica Fashion Week marks its 25th edition by aligning with the International Arts Festival, blending runway shows with broader cultural offerings for the first time. The event runs from March 25 to 28 at La Antigua Aduana in San José, featuring desfiles, talks and industry gatherings open to the public at no cost.
This partnership places fashion within the Festival Internacional de las Artes, or FIA, which holds its 37th edition from March 20 to 29. Organizers aim to expand the festival’s reach by including design alongside music, theater and visual arts. Karina Díaz, director of Costa Rica Fashion Week, points to the shift as a milestone. She notes that the platform has built a local design scene focused on sustainability and cultural roots over the past quarter century.
A key element this year involves ties with Paraguay. Through support from the Paraguayan embassy and the Instituto Paraguayo de Artesanías, the event incorporates textiles, techniques and designs from that nation. Paraguayan creators such as Morena Toro, Toni Gie and Marusa S.A. join the lineup, presenting work that highlights traditional crafts in modern forms. Julio César Duarte, Paraguay’s ambassador to Costa Rica, describes the exchange as a chance for shared learning, allowing both countries to showcase their identities through fabric and style.
The schedule starts on March 25 with CRFW Talks from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. at the Centro Cultural de España in Barrio Escalante. Speakers include Raquel Torres, a Spanish fashion buyer, discussing export paths for Latin American brands, along with Paraguayan designers sharing their approaches. Runway presentations follow from March 26 to 28, running 3 p.m. to 10 p.m. each day at La Antigua Aduana.
Designers from across Latin America and beyond take part, including Giannina Azar and Santo Sunday from the Dominican Republic, Zingara and Regina Dondé from Mexico, Mau by Mau and Moskem from El Salvador, Tuly from Guatemala, Escuela Superior de Moda Sevilla from Spain, Ilianna María from the United States, Tina Troya from Ecuador and Wild from Nicaragua. National participants feature the Instituto Nacional de Aprendizaje in the opening show, plus Urban Class, Hi-Tec x Numb, Carolina Montalvo, Positive Minds, Jeeya, Del Rio and Man Yu x INA.
The Costa Rica Fashion Market and a textile exhibition at La Casa del Cuño run alongside the desfiles, offering spaces for networking and sales. Backers include the Instituto Nacional de Aprendizaje, which has supported the event since its start, and the Ministry of Culture and Youth. Additional partners range from embassies of Paraguay, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Mexico and Spain to platforms like Mexico Fashion Show and Nicaragua Diseña. Sponsors such as Davines, Kryoland, Gama, Splendor, Agua Cielo and others provide resources.
Over its history, Costa Rica Fashion Week has launched more than 500 designers and fostered roles for photographers, models, stylists and others in related fields. Díaz emphasizes its role in job creation and growth, positioning fashion as a driver for national progress. She adds that personal style reflects individual identity, free from outside dictates.
This edition builds on past efforts, like the 2024 launch of a national strategy for fashion and design, to push for global ties and economic links. With FIA drawing over 450 artists from 12 countries, including Mexico as the guest of honor, the inclusion of fashion aims to attract wider crowds and highlight creative sectors.
Attendees can secure free entry via Starticket online. Full details on the program emerge a week before the start through Costa Rica Fashion Week’s social media channels.
