Website Development for Mercedes-Benz Bucharest Fashion Week

Mercedes-Benz Bucharest Fashion Week is an international fashion event in Romania that brings together designers, fashion brands, partners, and industry representatives. In 2024, I took on the entire development cycle for its official website: from designing the layout based on the brand book to creating a complex system for managing events, applications, and special activities.

The task went far beyond that of a typical showcase website. The organizers needed a platform that would bring together the show schedule, designer catalogs, partners, publications, contests, and special services—and remain user-friendly for the team with each new season.

Today, the website attracts about 15,000 visitors each month, has collected more than 8,000 applications since its launch, and continues to grow without the need to rebuild it from scratch.

World-class design in accordance with the Mercedes-Benz brand book

The project began with a large collection of materials: a brand book, presentations, brand graphics, tables, and guidelines for using the brand identity. The goal was not simply to reproduce them in a browser, but to create a cohesive design system suitable for a variety of pages and digital scenarios.

I independently developed the UX/UI design in Figma, created desktop and mobile mockups, and designed the typography, layout, colors, and behavior of the elements.

A separate challenge was bringing together the two brands—Mercedes-Benz and Bucharest Fashion Week. I worked directly with representatives from Mercedes-Benz Romania, received official brand materials, and ensured the proper use of the brand’s logos and symbols.

One of my design choices was an interactive pattern featuring the Mercedes-Benz three-pointed stars. As the cursor moves, they subtly shift their positions, creating a dynamic graphic effect. This allowed me to preserve the brand’s recognizability while giving the site its own visual identity.

For businesses, this approach means more than just a beautiful design. All pages, content, and new sections remain part of a unified brand experience, rather than appearing to be a collection of independent decisions.

A complex infrastructure that the team manages on its own

Fashion Week is constantly changing: new designers, collections, partners, sponsors, shows, and publications. If every update required editing the layout, the website would quickly become expensive and difficult to maintain.

So I built a WordPress project with its own content architecture, custom post types, fields, data relationships, and centralized settings.

The system covers several areas:

• Designers and Brands — individual pages, countries, clothing categories, collections, and related content.
• Partners and Sponsors — specific categories, logo management, and the order and placement of elements on the website.
• Screenings and Program — event pages, locations, schedules, and resources for visitors.
• Media and Editorial Content — news, articles, interviews, and feature stories.
• Contests and Applications — accepting applications, introducing participants, finalists, and winners.
• Auctions and VIP Reservations — specialized tools with their own data, rules, and administrative interfaces.

I also defined various user roles: from administrators to content managers and employees responsible for specific areas.

The most valuable aspect of this project's architecture is that each new season expands the site's capabilities rather than forcing the team to start from scratch.

This approach has already proven its practical value. The organizers update the content on their own, change partners, feature new designers, and launch new seasons. And I continue to expand the functionality without disrupting the existing system.

From Excel spreadsheets to a full-fledged presentation program

At first, the Fashion Week schedule was provided in standard Excel spreadsheets. My task was to transform this data into a clear schedule with a well-thought-out visual hierarchy.

I designed the program layout, taking into account the dates, performances, and viewing logic. Later, the schedule format changed, and for certain seasons we opted for a more practical solution—PDF programs that visitors can save and share.

This is a prime example of my approach: a solution should not only be visually appealing, but also practical for the people who will use it every day.

Mercedes-Benz's Proprietary VIP Reservation System

One of the most interesting technical challenges was the development of a dedicated booking system for Mercedes-Benz’s exclusive events, which combined car presentations and fashion shows.

The standard booking plugin did not meet the specific requirements of the events. Seats were designed for two guests, the number of bookings was limited, and the process itself had to remain simple and straightforward for the invitees.

I designed the interface myself in Figma and built a custom system within WordPress.

How Reservations Work

01  Select a show
 ↓
02  View available seats
 ↓
03  Select a pair of seats
 ↓
04  Enter guest information
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05  Confirmation and email
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06  Automatic status update

A guest can choose a specific available seat or use the automatic selection feature. The system stores information about participants, updates reservation status, and sends notifications to guests and administrators.

For the organizers, I created administrative tools for managing screenings, venues, and guest lists, including the ability to export data to XLSX.

He paid particular attention to the visual presentation of duplicate entries: their structure is clear even during the selection process, without the need for additional explanations.

We worked directly with representatives from Mercedes-Benz, refined the scenarios several times, and quickly improved the interface. As a result, the organizers received their own tool for managing special events, integrated into the website’s overall system.

Auctions, Contests, and Other Tools for Event Development

Thanks to its flexible architecture, the website has gradually become a platform not only for publishing information but also for hosting individual Fashion Week events.

Annual Auction with a Bidding System

For the auction, I developed my own system for lots and bids that can be managed through WordPress. The structure takes into account the relationships between records and allows me to update the lots and participants for the new season.

The auction is held every year, and the system continues to be used and improved. In 2025, Auchan became the auction's main sponsor.

Fashion Talent Award

Another area of focus is supporting young designers. For the Fashion Talent Award program, I developed a framework that allows us to manage the application process and publish the list of participants at various stages of the competition—from the initial selection to the finalists and winners.

In addition to web development, I also created graphic materials and invitations for various events, including Fashion Area and Talent Award.

Results that demonstrate the value of the project

The website I developed in 2024 continues to serve as the primary digital platform for Mercedes-Benz Bucharest Fashion Week. It brings together the event’s audience, facilitates the use of online forms, helps organizers manage content, and supports special features for various business areas.

More than 8,000 applications—that's more than just a traffic statistic. These are actual inquiries that the website received via its forms and forwarded to the team for further processing. And the tens of thousands of annual visits from Google attest to the website’s significance as a channel for attracting an audience.

I pay special attention to performance. The site scores over 90 on PageSpeed Insights, despite its large number of pages, diverse content, and custom functionality.

As part of my support role, I also handle server optimization, website security, CMS enhancements, and technical issues related to form functionality and the processing of personal data.

Why This Project Has Become a Long-Term Solution

I believe the most important outcome is that the organizers didn't just end up with a collection of pretty pages, but with a fully-fledged digital tool that can be adapted to new business challenges.

From the very beginning, I was responsible for the entire development cycle: UX/UI design, Figma mockups, CMS selection, data architecture, front-end development, custom functional modules, deployment, and ongoing development.

The website is now used by the team for their day-to-day work. The organizers feature new designers, update their list of partners, prepare for upcoming seasons, hold auctions, process applications, and expand the event calendar.

There is no need to abandon existing infrastructure when taking on new tasks. It can be gradually expanded while retaining data, design, and familiar management tools.

I'm still working on the project myself, and there's still a link on the official website Created by Bogdan Gris, which confirms that I am the author.

For me, Mercedes-Benz Bucharest Fashion Week is an example of how thoughtful design and well-executed architecture can transform a website into a long-term business asset.

View the completed project: Mercedes-Benz Bucharest Fashion Week.

Are you looking for a website that will not only represent your company but also help you solve business challenges? Learn more about my approach to developing websites for businesses.

Note: The project's website may be inaccessible through certain Internet service providers in Ukraine. You can use a VPN to access it.