Fashion
Today, Ukrainian fashion designers enjoy well-deserved recognition around the world. Ruslan Baginskiy hats are beloved by almost every celebrity, from the icon — Madonna, to the younger stars like Bella Hadid and Taylor Swift. For the winter, everyone warms up in ienki ienki puffer coats, and everyone still remembers the major breakthrough of Ukrainian brand Vita Kin only a few years ago that inspired the whole world to wear and admire embroidered dresses (vyshyvanka).
As social or political meanings have come to define today’s fashion industry, Ukrainian designers have once again made their mark. Their Ukrainian experience has often dictated by the zeitgeist itself. Actively reacting to the national dramatic events and creatively rethinking the situation designers essentially generated new public senses using the universal visual language to express actual vibes of the environment and being at the forefront of the cultural diplomacy of Ukraine.
ARTEMKLIMCHUK urges not to be isolated from the events in the East of Ukraine, showing on the catwalk embroidered shirts and dresses with recognizable landscapes of Donbass.
ANTON BELINSKIY references his native country’s political landscape across his ready-to-wear collections, while also deriving inspiration from day-to-day life. In 2015, he was shortlisted for an LVMH prize and further cemented his reputation when he founded the One Day Project in Kyiv, a mini fashion week for cutting-edge local designers in honor of the 25th anniversary of Ukraine’s independence.
BEVZA generates a new attitude to the use of natural fur. In her collection she speaks about “new luxury” – a print imitating animal fur.
GUNIA project is inspired by the past of her country and she is breathing new life into the old holy images through the medium of modern technology and design.
KSENIA SHNAIDER calls for a mindful attitude to the planet by creating a collection from pieces of knitted materials that should be recycled. She also makes jeans out of recycled denim.
LITKOVSKAYA complements the conceptual collection of folk embroidery elements, interweaving traditional elements into an ultra-modern product.
MASHAT is an up-and-coming independent designer label led by designer Tasha Labunskaya, who rethinks the concept of casual clothes and creates spiffy items for the everyday wardrobe. Motto Vive La Routine stands for the brand mission of implementing the festive mode to the human daily lifestream. All MASHAT pieces are dedicated to socio-cultural topics. One more of MASHAT core values is a concern for the natural environment by using recycled materials.
OKSANA LEVCHENIA adds the Japanese cartoon hero Pokémon to the ornament of the traditional Carpathian carpet offering the world to reflect on the interplay of local and global.
PASKAL converts clothes into art objects using modern laser perforation technology.
RIOT DIVISION is a Kyiv-based label of techwear, which was the first Ukrainian brand to introduce techwear to the international market and presented its collection on one of the world’s most important platforms for men’s fashion, Pitti Uomo in 2019. Transformation ability and high technological quality combined with reasonable accessibility.
TTSWTRS is a collaborative project that works with emerging and established tattoo artists, transferring their designs onto clothing. The result comes down to an optical illusion of the naked body covered in tattoos.
XOMEHKO is a new sustainable brand led by designer Yasia Khomenko. XOMEHKO hero/heroine seems to have no gender. Such things don’t matter anymore when it comes to global changes. Simple forms with sophisticated textures are the core of the collection. The designer refers to the timeless antique theme, trying to make it more theatrical in collaboration with Ukrainian artist and Yasia’s sister Lesia Khomenko.
The best way to dive into the world of Ukrainian fashion is to attend Ukrainian Fashion Week which takes place every September and February.
