Ukrainian Fashion Week in Kyiv for First Time Since Russian Invasion: “It's Important to Show the World How Strong We Are”

The 55th edition of Ukrainian Fashion Week (UFW) took place from September 1 to 4. The event took place in Kyiv for the first time since the full-scale Russian invasion began on February 24, 2022. Since 1997, the event was held in Ukraine twice a year, due to war conditions, fashion shows by Ukrainian designers had to be moved abroad and appeared in cities such as Berlin, London and Copenhagen. This year, after a break of more than two years, artists and organizers joined forces to make the event take place in Ukraine again despite difficult circumstances.

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Fashion shows and installations were organized in different parts of the city, while the main event was the historic Mystetskij arsenal, now equipped with bomb shelters and air raid sirens. “We are naturally stressed,” Lisa Uszeka, head of international communications for the UFW, told Elle. “We bear a huge responsibility for how well we are prepared for the challenges of war: technical problems, air raid alarms and many other factors that are impossible to predict,” she added.

The greatest attention was drawn to war veterans walking the catwalk with prosthetic limbs during the Andreas Moskin and Andriy Bilous show. They included both men and women, and there was no shortage of military accents, such as an exhibition of military uniforms. A standout element was a black jacket designed by designer Maria Starchak, embroidered with an image of the drama theater in Mariupol, where several hundred people died in a Russian air raid in 2022. “We wanted to show that Ukrainian fashion adapts to society, to amputees who survived the war,” Andriy Bilous explained. “We show that people are indestructible, that they can be stylish without limbs. That they should be loved, respected and treated as an integral part of society,” he emphasized.

During their demonstration, tragic news reached those present that dozens of people had been killed in a Russian missile attack on a military training center and a nearby hospital in Poltava, about 350 kilometers southeast of Kiev.

– During World War II, the fashion industry continued to function. People should understand that life goes on here, too, said Ruslan Baginskiy, a hat designer who has recently made his debut abroad, working for Madonna and Beyonce, among others.

There is no shortage of customers in bars and restaurants in Kyiv, and philharmonic halls and theaters remain open. “It is difficult to explain to people that the war is still going on,” admitted Ivan Frolov, a world-famous Ukrainian designer. “We work and try to live normally, but 500 kilometers away, our soldiers are fighting on the front lines every day, and funerals are held in our cities every day. This is our new daily routine,” he admitted.

– It is important that we show the world how strong we are. At this moment I feel that our soldiers are protecting not only Ukraine, but the whole world, Frolov said.

Co-founder and CEO of Ukrainian Fashion Week Iryna Danylevska in an interview with “Vogue” emphasizes that giving a chance to talented young artists is more important now than ever. “Ukraine must show them that their future is here in the country, because without them we will have no future,” she emphasizes.

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An equally important goal of the event was to promote Ukrainian design and creativity on a global scale. – In Paris, they kept asking me: Do you have designers at this level in Ukraine? We need to build a bridge between Ukraine and the world and show that we are at this level – emphasizes Baginskiy.

According to The Guardian, the Russian invasion has accelerated a cultural awakening in Ukrainian society, with artists across the creative sector turning to previously neglected history and folklore for inspiration. Gunia’s co-founder, Maria Gavrilyuk, describes the brand as “exploring Ukrainian folklore motifs,” which “would never have been considered cool before.” The company now has an entire clothing line inspired by Ukrainian folklore.

– When I traveled before, I said I was from Ukraine and no one knew anything about it. Now the world is starting to understand that we have a rich culture. It's a shame that it had to come to this situation for it to happen, Gavrilyuk adds.