From May 14 to 17, 2026, the city of Venice will transform into an open laboratory dedicated to emerging fashion and contemporary arts. VBRA Venezia returns with its new edition, “The New Creative Voice,” featuring over 50 local and international designers and brands that will animate some of the lagoon’s most evocative spaces through exhibitions, runway shows, performances, and pop-ups.
VBRA Venezia is an independent initiative founded in April 2024 by two Venetian siblings, Francesca and Paolo Marco de Paoli. The project places emerging fashion at the center of a broader creative ecosystem, intertwining relationships with art, music, photography, and other disciplines. VBRA was established with the aim of countering mass tourism and depopulation, restoring value and vision to those who deeply inhabit the city. Venice is thus reinterpreted as a vibrant, fertile, and continuously evolving space.
“The New Creative Voice” represents the heart of this vision: welcoming new talents and strengthening the bond with the local community—a transformative event that seeks to connect and uplift.
A Fragile Ecosystem: Venice
Venice is a unique ecosystem that holds a silent beauty and authentic creativity. Today, this richness is threatened by mass tourism, which consumes without listening, and by a capitalist culture that measures value in terms of profit rather than meaning. For this reason, Venice must be protected, not only as a physical place but as a symbolic space for creation, slowness, and depth.
The mind of a creative person mirrors this delicate ecosystem. In their early stages, when thoughts are free from expectations and personal language begins to take shape, creativity flourishes in a pure and spontaneous way. However, as external pressures increase from constant stimuli and market demands, creativity risks becoming merely another product, forced to conform in order to gain recognition. Like Venice itself, true creativity needs care, space, and protection toavoid being overwhelmed.
VBRA Venezia was created to support those who aspire to live Venice authentically, rather than merely exploiting its image. The event aims to build connections and foster participation, countering a logic of commercialization. Venice needs tourism—it relies on it—but this can be a conscious form of tourism, driven by culture rather than consumerism, by contemporary artistic vitality rather than iconic imagery. While respecting its past, Venice must build its future—a future filled with young people who choose to stay, creatives who arrive not to consume but to contribute, institutions that listen, and tourism that understands.
The theme for this third edition is taste—a concept as intimate as it is political, weaving throughout the event as a connecting thread and point of tension. In a world dominated by consensus, virality, and appearances, VBRA Venezia asks: “When did taste die? When did it cease to be a matter of risk, exclusion, and solitude?” “The New Creative Voice” proposes a space for reflection and resistance, where taste is once again a critical and radical act.
“We have stopped choosing. We allow the strongest to win, not the most just. We confuse what is most seen with what we like, what is shared with what is true.” – VBRA Venezia.
Curatorial Approach and Designer Selection
Participants in the events are selected according to criteria that reflect the vision of VBRA Venezia: innovation, sustainability, craftsmanship, conceptual research, and a forward-looking perspective. This approach values not only the final product but also the entire creative process, encouraging those who innovate not just to create but also to generate social value and expand the boundaries of fashion design.
Program Overview for “The New Creative Voice”
Showroom & Pop-up
May 14–17 | 10:00 AM – 7:00 PM | Free Entry
Public spaces will host twenty-five emerging brands and independent designers, creating direct opportunities for engagement between creators and visitors. The showrooms and pop-ups will take place in two locations:
• Scuola dei Laneri: The inaugural event on May 14 at 6:00 PM will feature a performance by designer Sofia Hermens Fernandez, exploring the gestures and movements of girlhood and highlighting the bodily aspect of dressing as an act of identity.
• Giardino Gradenigo: This venue will host the official closure of the event on May 17 at 5:30 PM.
Exhibition
May 15 | Fondazione Querini Stampalia | 9:00 PM – 12:00 AM | Free Entry by Reservation
At this special exhibition, twenty designers and brands will showcase their work, offering space for experimental projects and innovative research. The event will take place inside the exquisite halls of the Library, which will exceptionally open its doors to the public for this occasion.
Fashion Show
• May 16 | Fondazione Donà dalle Rose | 3:00 PM | Invitation Required
This fashion show will bring together twelve emerging designers and brands, each presenting four looks. Accompanied by artistic and musical direction tailored to resonate with the historical significance of the venue, this event will create a dialogue between memory and future aspirations.
• Giardino Gradenigo | 5:30 PM | Invitation Required
The second show, featuring the same designers and looks, will serve as an open moment for the public, giving citizens of Venice the chance to engage directly with the fashion in their city.
After Party
May 16 | Compagnia della Vela, Isola di San Giorgio | 9:00 PM – 1:00 AM | Invitation Required
An exclusive evening reserved for partners, supporters, professionals, and creatives, complemented by a lively DJ set.
Talks
• May 17 | Scuola dei Laneri | 10:30 AM | Free Entry by Reservation
An insightful dialogue between designer Sofia Hermens Fernandez and journalist Mira Wanderlust will explore the relevance of the girlhood concept within the realm of Fashion Design.
• Compagnia della Vela, Isola di San Giorgio | 2:00 PM – 6:00 PM | Free Entry by Reservation
Conversation between Maura Basili (President, Camera Buyer Italia) and Sara Sozzani Maino (Art Director, Fondazione Sozzani) moderated by Mira Wanderlust – A talk exploring two sides of the same coin: the commercial dimension of the fashion industry, presented by Maura Basili, and the creative vision, discussed with Sara Maino Sozzani. What is the right balance between market demands and maintaining creative integrity and an authentic social vision?
An open forum will feature Carla Sozzani, coinciding with the presentation of her book. This dialogue will provide insights from one of the influential figures that has shaped contemporary fashion, alongside Paolo Marco de Paoli, co-founder of VBRA Venezia, and Augusto Lelli, a key collaborator in the project, to discuss the vision that birthed VBRA.
BOOK YOUR SPOT HERE
The Spaces: A Return to Roots
The series of events will unfold through a network of locations that reflect the multilayered spirit of Venice. These historic sites and cultural institutions share a commitment to welcoming innovation, aligned with the values of VBRA.
• Fondazione Querini Stampalia: A prestigious institution with over 150 years of history, serving as a vibrant crossroads where art and culture intertwine.
• Compagnia della Vela, Isola di San Giorgio: A significant venue for younger generations, contributing to a new awareness and vitality.
• Fondazione Donà dalle Rose: Promoting culture through events and exhibitions, serving as a hub for artistic aggregation.
• Giardino Gradenigo: A space primarily accessible for special events, further strengthening community ties.
• Scuola dei Laneri: A historic building representing a direct dialogue with its original vocation, reinterpreted through a contemporary lens.
Download VBRA Venezia – Event Booklet HERE
Commitment and Collaborations
VBRA Venezia aims to combat the commercialization of the city and the creative world. By providing a platform for those who seek to redefine Venice, the project honors the lagoon’s cultural landscape while emphasizing the need for sustainable tourism practices.
In collaboration with Fondazione Sozzani and supported by various technical sponsors—including Persona Milano Srl, La Rosa Srl, New Line Academy Srl, and Craft‘N’Co Bee Community—VBRA Venezia is dedicated to preserving and revitalizing the cultural identity of the city.
Follow VBRA Venezia HERE
Website: https://www.vbravenezia.com/
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