The weekend after New York Fashion Week, a New York historic Surrogate’s courthouse hosted Black Sea, a runway show featuring Georgian designers.
Its name paid tribute to Georgia’s location on the Black Sea coast. Guests were welcomed by electronic music from a Georgian DJ, Georgian food and wine, and a painting by Georgian artist Romanoz that served as the show’s backdrop.
Georgian fashion has flourished over the past decade, bringing distinctive creative voices to the international stage. Among the brands presented at Black Sea was SMAKI, founded by designer Maia Siradze. For her, freedom is more than an idea — it is the foundation of her brand. The freedom to be strange. The freedom to be bold. The freedom not to appeal to everyone. The freedom to transform a shape and still remain unmistakably yourself.
Georgia is an essential part of SMAKI’s identity. But for Siradze, representing her country internationally means more than carrying its name. It means sharing her own creative voice with the world, unapologetically and without asking permission to be different.
SMAKI
New York marks an important chapter in that journey. Presenting SMAKI in one of the world’s most competitive fashion capitals offered Siradze an opportunity to bring her vision of Georgian design into a broader conversation about freedom and individuality. Siradze does not create to fit within fashion’s existing frameworks. She creates her own — and then breaks them.
At SMAKI, clothing is a form of self-expression: character, emotion, attitude, and sometimes provocation. Experimental shapes, bold construction, handcrafted details, and unexpected combinations define the brand’s visual language. Beauty is only part of the story; each silhouette is also a way to communicate a feeling. “My collections are born from my emotions,” says Siradze. Rather than following seasonal trends, each collection reflects a particular feeling, a moment in her life, or an inner state. That personal approach gives SMAKI its distinctive identity and connects Siradze’s designs to the freedom at the heart of her work.
Her message is clear: don’t fit the frame. Break it.
