RD Fashion Week 2026 will celebrate the 40-year career of designer Leonel Lirio

Santo Domingo.- The seventeenth edition of RD Fashion Week 2026 will feature as one of its main attractions the celebration of the 40-year career of the prominent Dominican designer Leonel Lirio, a figure linked to the development and projection of national fashion.

This was announced by the platform’s founder, Melkis Díaz, who expressed her enthusiasm for the new installment of Dominican Fashion Week and noted that the event will feature new developments aimed at continuing to promote the talent and creativity of the designers.

“You know that this year we are celebrating 40 years in fashion for Leonel Lirio, our great designer, and we have many super interesting novelties that you cannot miss,” expressed Díaz during a meeting with media representatives.

The organizer offered these statements during a welcome cocktail held at Casas del XVI, in honor of international designer Raúl López Lovat, who will be recognized by the platform.

The meeting served as a space for rapprochement between representatives of the fashion sector, special guests, and members of the press, within the framework of the activities linked to this new edition of RD Fashion Week.

Díaz highlighted that this year’s programming includes different proposals and initiatives aimed at strengthening the Dominican fashion industry, offering opportunities to new talent, and continuing to position the country as a benchmark setting for creativity and design.

Fashion for Inclusion, an initiative of RD Fashion Week 2026

Among the initiatives highlighted by the founder of RD Fashion Week is the Fashion for Inclusion runway show, a proposal that, as she explained, she has been developing for 14 years together with the Attorney General’s Office.

This initiative integrates people with disabilities, street children, senior citizens, and people deprived of liberty, who find in fashion a space to participate, showcase their capabilities, and be part of an experience that promotes respect for diversity.

Díaz defined this presentation as one of the most important and emotional activities of the platform, due to its human approach and its contribution to social inclusion.

Beyond runways and trends, Fashion for Inclusion seeks to highlight that fashion can also become a tool to generate opportunities, make social realities visible, and promote a more participatory society.

The continuity of this initiative for 14 years reflects the organization’s interest in integrating a social dimension into the Dominican fashion agenda, incorporating sectors that have traditionally had fewer spaces for participation in these types of events.

With the recognition of Leonel Lirio, the participation of international figures, and the continuity of inclusive proposals, RD Fashion Week 2026 prepares for an edition that combines celebration, creativity, and social commitment.

The platform thus reaffirms its purpose of promoting Dominican talent, strengthening ties with the international industry, and using fashion as a space for artistic expression, professional recognition, and inclusion.