By: Charity Kauseni
Fashion is more than stylish clothing, it is an industrial business, and part of peoples’ daily lifestyle. Since the war in Ukraine due to the Russian attack in early 2022, the country’s general lifestyle became unstable. Towards the end of 2022 however, the Ukrainians returned to business as usual. In the fashion world, Ukraine has not only resumed fashion as a business and a lifestyle but as a weapon in the war with Russia.
Ukrainian fashion designers, brands and icons have put focus on creating clothes that fashion resilience of Ukrainians amidst the war. Some of these include Ruslan brand, Viktorria Apansenko, Ksenia schaider, Julie Paskal and Ivan Frolov. Russian fashion designers feel sanctions bite.
Viktorria Apansenko, miss Ukraine in the 2023 universe pageant fashioned memorable outfits, displaying the power of her country to the world. The model walked the ramp attiring the ‘Warrior of Light’ costume. The ‘Warrior of Light’ costume was a dashing white outfit. She fashioned it as a devote to Ukraine’s fight for freedom and the struggle the country has been going through since the Russia’s invasion.
Ruslan Baginskiy designed a traditionally rooted pink headwear that imposes protecting for the country. The pink headwear was worn by the Ukraine first lady, Olena Zelenska. She garbed it to raise awareness about Ukrainian culture and to appreciate the artists of the country who fashioned it in a song to show pride in their country even during the attack from Russia.
The pink hat has been garbed by Hollywood celebrities including Madonna and Bella Hadid.
Paris fashion week;
Ksenia schaider, Julie Paskal and Ivan Frolov introduce Autumn, Winter 2023, Collection at London Fashion week on February 21,2023 within the Ukrainian Fashion Week International season AW23. this took place outside Ukraine due to the full-scale Russian war.
The show of Ukrainian Designer’s become possible due to the support of the USAD Competitive Economy Program in Ukraine.
All the guests that were invited to the LFW and Ukrainian shows found a statement on their seats from the Ukrainian fashion week with an appeal to the world.
“We strive to create, creating collections is our resistance to war Today, more than ever, we need creativity for life,”Ivan Frolov.
Ukraine war has been a blessing and a curse for Designer Ivan Frolov of 35 at a studio in central Kyiv. He and his team initially paused designing and donated their sewing machines to the military to make Corsets bullet proof vests. They however resumed fashion designing regardless of extreme situations such as bombing and power outages.
Designer Ivan Frolov said he was inspired by Ukrainian songs for this collection which featured Corset Dresses in colors like pink and black with heart shaped cut from them As, well as hand knit sweaters
chose to wear a Ukrainian flag T-shirt for his show and saw it as an opportunity to “keep the conversation about war going”.
Further, amidst the war and economic crisis, Ivan and his team haven’t only been helping the war effort but have also branded prominent Hollywood celebrity fashion icons. These include; Beyonce, Doja Cat, Rita Ora or Dua Lipa and Sam smith.
In a short-given period, Ivan designed outfits for Sam Smith’s music video for the track ‘I’m Not Here to Make Friends’. The team had to transport the attires regardless of the on-going crisis. “We had a very short deadline because we needed to send the outfits to Poland by train and suddenly there was a blackout.” Ivan and team fashioned the task by hand
“Our embroidery masters taped their phones to lamps and used the torch light to embroider with a thread and needle,” he says.
“After that I understood there’s no task that’s impossible for Ukrainian people.”
The war makes sending out clothes more difficult though – and it now takes garments over 17 hours to leave the country.
