Ukrainian fashion designers show strength and plan for next year

The war in Ukraine showing no sign of abating and Russian forces continuing their drone attacks and infrastructure, Ukrainian Fashion Week organizers are already exploring other countries for designers to present their collections in February.

The disconnect or apparent contrast between destruction and fashion may seem glaring to outsiders, but Ukrainian designers and entrepreneurs are heeding Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's saying that business owners and employers continue to operate their businesses in retaliation and maintain as much normalcy as possible. His wife, Olena Zelenska, continues to champion the fashion industry and the design community.

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Determined to maintain their businesses, operations and employee bases as best they can despite Ongoing onslaught, 43 Ukrainian brands have made the latest episode of International Ukrainian Fashion Week. Thanks to the support of nine other national fashion weeks, starting with Malta Fashion Week in July, these designers and companies have been able to highlight their spring collections on the catwalk or virtually. The UFW, which has just completed its 51st season, is the oldest fashion week in Central and Eastern Europe, according to Yelyzaveta Ushcheka, head of international communications for the organization.

Instead of celebrating its 25th anniversary this year as planned, Ukrainian designers and brands have been mobbed by discouraging circumstances. More than 10 million people have fled Ukraine since the Russian invasion in February, seeking safety, protection and assistance, according to the UN. The recent escalation in fighting has severely damaged 40% of the country's energy infrastructure.

"Brands are still working under missile attacks and air raids. Some designers have moved to Europe [temporarily] because they have children. But their businesses are still based in Ukraine and some designers have stayed in Ukraine,” Ushcheka said. “They still make great collections under these terrible circumstances. They show courage and Ukrainian resistance through fashion. But not all Ukrainians give up. They believe that we will win and we have to keep going and working."

Before the February 24 Russian invasion, hundreds of thousands of people worked in the textile industry Ukrainian, including over 100,000 in the fashion industry. In 2018, there were 600 designer brands and 300 mainstream brands in the country. However, about 30% of design firms have shut down or temporarily suspended operations due to the war, according to UFW. Most of them should resume "after the victory", predicted Ulscheka.

Some fashion business owners, like Ruslan Baginskiy, and their respective teams moved and moved production to the western part of Ukraine. Other brands have returned to Kyiv after a short stay in Lviv or Ternopil, such as The Coat and Frolov. Several brands have relocated for the moment, such as Dzhus in Poland and Elena Burenina in France. Those who never left and are still rooted in Kyiv include Vorozhbyt & Zemskova and Andre Tan. Both companies sewed clothing and equipment for Ukrainian army volunteers, while simultaneously manufacturing their collections. UFW Founder and CEO Iryna Danylevska is also in Ukraine.