The FIDA Summer Fashion Art Fair 2025
The FIDA Summer Fashion Art Fair 2025, a virtual gallery stretching from July 7 to September 7, is proving to be a remarkable celebration of artistic excellence in fashion illustration. With its global reach and seamless online format, this year’s fair delivers a sun-drenched burst of colour, craft, and creativity – bringing together visionary artists from across continents, each offering a unique interpretation of summer style.
At the centre of the showcase is Bar Persi, the standout Overall Winner and Student Prize recipient. Persi’s pastel-and-chalk illustrations radiate a quiet brilliance; her winning piece is tactile and graceful, capturing the spirit of summer through elegance and texture. It’s rare to find work that feels both editorially sharp and intimately sketched – Persi strikes this balance with remarkable finesse.
Runner-up Amélie-Rose Boudjema transports us to a scene of carefree glamour, her oversized mosaic hat and reflective sunglasses conjuring cinematic stills from a stylish beach escape. There’s charm, depth, and humour in her work – like a sunbeam caught on vintage film.
The finalists offer a rich panorama of voices and visual languages. Marta Ruiz’s vibrant colour-blocked compositions buzz with life and movement, while Valya Papadopoulou delivered contemplative stillness, showing the softer, slower rhythm of the season. Diletta Burchielli’s Fauvist palette was bold and emotive, and Zillah Farey’s biro-doodle textures felt playful and deeply personal – like a diary entry in technicolour.
Other highlights include Fredha’s jubilant tribute to indulgent summer living, Ainoa Aranda’s dreamy take on perfume and sunlight, Verònica Fernández Boix’s impasto-rich homage to the great painters, and Helena Hamina’s blue-toned cowgirl – a surreal and stylish reimagining of Western tropes.
What sets this fair apart isn’t just the talent – it’s the way the platform honours each artist’s voice. Without physical walls, the virtual format invites intimate interaction, encouraging viewers to spend time with each piece, and even contact the artists directly. It’s a democratic, accessible model that feels refreshingly artist-first.
Curated in collaboration with IOAKU Jewellery, and supported by founder Fanny Ek, the fair also reinforces a vital message: that fashion illustration is more than trend – it’s a language of mood, memory, and imagination. IOAKU’s influence adds a layer of sophistication and storytelling that tied fashion and fine art seamlessly.
In an era saturated with digital noise, the FIDA Summer Fashion Art Fair 2025 stands out as a sincere, radiant space for creativity to shine. It was a reminder of the enduring power of hand-drawn fashion, and a showcase of artists who are not just reflecting summer – but redefining how we see it.
Link to Exhibition:
https://artspaces.kunstmatrix.com/en/exhibition/14550552/summer-fashion-art-fair-2025
Verdict: ★★★★★
A beautiful fusion of fashion, art, and storytelling – this virtual gallery is summer at its most inspiring.
