Sofia Tchkonia – who established the BE NEXT Art and Fashion Foundation while acting as its Creative Director. The organizer of the BE NEXT International Art and Fashion Festival and Fashion Design Contest, as well as the author of the “Icons and Muses”, “Legends of Fashion” and “Muse” projects whose heroes are famous fashion designers, writers, artists.
Among the interviewees is the founder of the fashion house Yves Saint Laurent, Pierre Berge, couturier Madame Carven, perfumer Serge Lutens, designer Rick Owens, Claude Montana, Michele Lamy, Jean-Paul Goude, Betty Catroux, Herve Leger, ORLANE – artist and other iconic characters of 20th-21st Century.
She is responsible for networking and promoting Georgian fashion abroad, which has brought a wave of prominent international guests — from editors-in-chief of international editions to buyers.
Sofia Tchkonia is the under-the-radar founder of Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Tbilisi.
Her ambitions include launching a 27,800 sq m Art and Culture Center – Factory in the former Coca-Cola factory in Tbilisi.
“Georgia’s new generations need support to express their originality and creativity. They need the motivation to continue doing what they are doing. Motivation has to be nurtured by their country and the people who live and work there. Creative people need to feel that their work serves a purpose and know that what they do is important to them, the country, and society.”
In 2019 Sofia Tchkonia was included in the list of BoF 500, The People Shaping the Global Fashion Industry.