Bhutan Fashion Week 2025 — Bridging Cultures Through Design

At Bhutan Fashion Week 2025, Ida Ghaley presented a collection that redefines the meeting between Bhutanese heritage and contemporary Scandinavian design.
Each piece tells a story of balance — between past and present, culture and innovation, Bhutan and Scandinavia.

The collection explores how design can honor craftsmanship while embracing modern simplicity. Traditional Bhutanese textiles, including upcycled kiras and ghos, are transformed into minimalist silhouettes that speak to a global audience without losing their cultural depth. The work celebrates the authenticity of Bhutanese weaving traditions while introducing new shapes, details, and textures that reflect a modern way of living.

Sustainability is at the heart of the collection. Many of the fabrics have been reused or reworked, showing how Bhutan's textile culture — where garments are cared for and worn for decades — naturally embodies values the fashion world is only now beginning to rediscover.

The showcase also reflects Ida Ghaley's wider creative philosophy: fashion as dialogue, not domination. It's not about blending cultures into one, but about creating space where both can be seen, respected, and connected.

I travelled to Bhutan for its first fashion week and found fashion with a soul

"22-year-old Danish-Bhutanese designer Ida Ghalley transformed discarded ghos and kiras into modern silhouettes"

In a nation where traditional dress still defines daily life—the gho, a knee-length robe belted at the waist for men, and the kira, a full-length woven dress with a jacket for women—staging a fashion week felt both audacious and deeply symbolic. "This is an effort to frame fashion not as an imitation of global trends, but as a local evolution of identity," said Kelly Dorji, the event director and the driving force behind Bhutan Fashion Week. Dorji, a well-known actor and model and a member of a renowned Bhutanese noble family, is aiming to make this an annual event. "It signifies the growing confidence of Bhutan's fashion industry and acts as a platform for creative dialogue, craftsmanship and cultural storytelling."

Bhutan's very first fashion week (@bhutan_fashionweek) has kicked off in Paro with designers like @idaghaley and @dakinibyjyenn bringing the country's rich textile traditions to the runway. For generations, Bhutanese customs, including their dress and design have been inspired by the natural beauty surrounding them. Swipe through to see what fashion week looks like in this small Himalayan nation. 

Inaugural Bhutan Fashion Week celebrates innovation and heritage

Of the 20 participating designers, nine showcased their collections in Paro. Among them was 22-year-old Ida Ghaley, one of the youngest designers at the event, whose work stood out for its focus on sustainability and cultural fusion. "It's been such a wonderful experience to be around so many creative designers," she said. "The relationship we have all built with each other has been beautiful."

Born to a Bhutanese father and Danish mother, Ida shared that for years she felt the global fashion industry did not align with her values. "I always thought the design industry wasn't for me because it was all about fast fashion and changing trends," she said. "Now that upcycling and sustainability are becoming so important, I finally feel I have a place."

Her collection, Culture Leading Through Upcycling, reimagined Bhutanese garments for a new life. "My collection is about using Bhutanese garments and showing how sustainable they are by giving them another life," she said. "Even after they have been worn as a kira, you can turn them into beautiful trousers or shirts. It is about showing that our clothing can live on and on, through different lifetimes."

Bhutan Fashion Week Exhibition opens at Royal Textile Academy

"I think that both this exhibition and Bhutan Fashion Week help our designs a lot. All the Bhutanese designers are able to display their beautiful work, their talent and I think that's very precious. It is a very big hand to give because in other countries fashion industry is very difficult to get into so giving the Bhutanese local designers this hand is giving them an opportunity to go more international and showcase their work around the world," said Ida Ghaley, Designer.

BFW Puts Bhutan's Cultural Heritage in Focus, Designers Speak on Going Global

Danish-Bhutanese designer Ida Ghaley, who participated and is known for reimagining culture through upcycling, shares, "Bhutan Fashion Week represents a meaningful cultural shift - not only for Bhutan, but for the global fashion industry as a whole. Bhutan has long been a symbol of sustainability and mindful living, and this showcase amplifies that voice within the global conversation on fashion's future," says Ida.

For the first time, Bhutanese designers presented collections that merged deep-rooted tradition with modern relevance, proving that cultural heritage can evolve while staying authentic. "It's a powerful step toward redefining how Bhutan engages with global fashion - through slow fashion, innovation, and locally rooted craftsmanship rather than mass production," she adds.

Bhutanese textiles are among the most detailed and sustainable in the world, often handwoven and worn for decades. A platform like this underscores not only their artistic value but also their eco-consciousness. "By bringing traditional crafts into a contemporary context, we give them a new life and a voice in the global fashion scene. It's about preservation through innovation - showing that tradition is not static, but alive and adaptable," she quips.

As someone with both Bhutanese and Danish roots, this showcase felt like a personal bridge between two of Ida's worlds. Her collection focused on upcycling, reusing old ghos and kiras, leftover fabrics from Denmark, and even the original closures and seams to create new silhouettes that respect both heritage and modern design.

"Seeing these pieces on the runway in Bhutan, in front of an international audience, was both humbling and empowering. It confirmed that sustainability and storytelling can be valued in a world of fast fashion, because the future of fashion lies in respect for slow fashion," she adds.