Supported by the British Fashion Council, the SS24 joint presentation took place outside Ukraine for the second time in a row after the Russian invasion.
"Creating collections is our resistance to war," echoed the introductory announcement at Ukrainian Fashion Week* – an initiative supported by the British Fashion Council – before the show started on Tuesday, the 19th, closing the last day of London Fashion Week’s Spring/Summer calendar. For the second time in a row, three Ukrainian brands presented their collections with an emotional and powerful joint show, aimed at helping Ukrainian designers to keep committed to their creativity, despite the ongoing war and all of its consequences.
Kseniaschnaider
Ksenia Schnaider opened the presentation, with a show that delve into Ukrainian history, from the past to the present day. "It’s a mix of everything related to Ukrainian tradition and traditional techniques, but with modern silhouettes," said Schnaider, who runs the brand along with her partner, Anton. Together with handcrafted knitted skirts and blazers was a range of denim sets and jackets in different hues, including the quintessential ‘Cossack jeans.’ The label also showcased some of the pieces designed for its second collaboration with Adidas Originals, where a blue, white, and yellow slip dress, an unforgettable representative look, worked as the perfect finale. On top of that, for this season, Ksenia Schnaider embraced new technologies and took a playful approach to generative AI. "Our brand is 13 years old, so we just put all of our pictures, silhouettes, and sketches into an AI-generated software. It produced a new outcome of what we have, and we made some pairs of denim and jackets, as an experiment. It’s quite exciting", said the designer, who assured that every single one of the pieces was proudly made in Ukraine.
Elena Reva
Determined to translate the idea of female power in all its complexity, designer Olena Reva, the second one to present during Ukrainian Fashion Week, took inspiration from the ‘Trypillia culture’, part of Ukrainian ancient history. The designs, part of her collection for the brand Elenareva, referenced the ‘Mother Goddess,’ or the ‘Great Mother,’ a supernatural being who, based on the Trypillia culture, embodied the continuity of life, resisting chaos and respecting the native land. "It’s about power, energy, support. All my inspiration comes from women, as each of them is so different and so amazing. That’s my type of energy," Reva explains. With a neutral colour palette mixing whites, browns, blacks, and hints of blush pink and red, beautifully tailored sets were lined up with flowy silk dresses and structured corset tops, in a world where the concepts of protection and power, masculine and feminine, lived in harmony. "All of the clothes were made in Ukraine. It’s not so easy, and sometimes rockets are coming [in the middle of the work]. I am living now between Ukraine and Munich, and when I was in Ukraine there were a lot of rockets," she says. "I don’t know where our people take energy from, to be in a good mood and to continue with their lives."The collaborative aspect of Ukrainian fashion was also attached to Reva’s collection, spotted on both the prints developed in partnership with the artist Lina Nechipolina, and on two bags designed with Ukrainian brand Bagllet.
Nadya Dzyak
Nadya Dzyak, the last designer to show pieces at the event, says that she started to create her previous collection for her namesake brand two months before the Russian invasion took place in Ukraine. "My previous collection was all black, and I think that [by that time] maybe I felt something. Then, we missed two seasons, and then there was no seasonal collection," she says. This time, however, Dzyak chose to display pastel and flashy-toned looks, with not a single black outfit in between. "Now, in my heart and mind, everything is bright. For me, this collection is about hope. I am hoping for our victory, for a brighter future," she says.The starting point for her designs were the drawings made by Naïve artist Polina Raiko, whose museum-house in Olesjky, Ukraine, was flooded after the Russian destruction of the Kakhovka Dam, in June. The idea was to transform Raiko’s paintings into pieces created by Dzyak, cherishing Ukrainian artistic heritage and continuity, even after it was washed away by water. Asymmetrical colourful dresses, ruffled tops made of sheer fabrics, as well as structured vivid-coloured jackets with flower applications were part of the show, which also featured a bag collaboration with Ukrainian brand Grie. "When I saw Polina Raiko’s drawings and paintings, I decided I was going to ‘paint with ruffles,’" says Dzyak, while reassuring the importance of including the Ukrainian colours for this season’s palette.
Although the whole presentation left a sense of escapism from the hard reality experienced by the Ukrainian people, an image of Schnaider, Reva, and Dzyak holding hands whilst carrying their home flag along the catwalk is one to never forget. Hopefully, next season’s show will be finally inspired by the end of the war – we are counting the days. *After the Russian invasion, Ukrainian Fashion Wee launched the initiative ‘Support Ukrainian Fashion,’ aimed to help local designers. 65 Ukrainian brands have had the opportunity to introduce their collections internationally, during war times.
Text: Ketlyn Araujo