Ukrainian Fashion Week Returns to Kyiv: War in Focus with Veterans on the Runway

For the first time since the start of Russia's full-scale military invasion in 2022, the new 55th season of Ukrainian Fashion Week took place in Kyiv at Mystetskyi Arsenal from 1 to 4 September. UFW resumed its work in the capital of Ukraine after four International Seasons, which took place on the catwalks of international partners in London, Copenhagen, Los Angeles, Lisbon, Berlin and other cities as part of the Support Ukrainian Fashion Initiative. 

‘Our mission is to demonstrate our creative power and Ukrainian resilience to the world. That's why we decided to bring Ukrainian Fashion Week back to Kyiv to support the country's fashion industry and inspire it to keep creating. Despite the rocket attacks, air raid warnings and daily challenges, we have to create and grow. And the voice of Ukraine must continue to be heard,’ said Irina Danilevskaya, co-founder and CEO of Ukrainian Fashion Week.

At Ukrainian Fashion Week, the war was in the spotlight. There was a pixel combined with fashion trends in the collection of Ukrainian designer Viktor Anisimov. Veterans of the Russian war with amputated limbs took part in the Andreas Moskin presentation. For SS25 collection, Andreas Moskin was inspired by bohemian aesthetics and Ukrainian poetic cinema of the 60s and 70s, in particular, the film White Bird with a Black Mark by Ivan Mykolaychuk and Yuriy Illyenko. Designers Andriy Moskin and Andreas Bilous explore the themes of nostalgia for the forgotten and underestimated, as well as the conflict between the familiar and the alien.

And the VIKTORANISIMOV created the ceremonial uniform for the Ukrainian National Paralympic Team, which the athletes wore during the opening ceremony of the 2024 Paralympic Games. This uniform was not approved by the International Olympic Committee for a long time, calling the clothes ‘too political’ and ‘too military’. Currently, our Paralympic team in Paris is winning every day in this uniform and has reached the top 10 teams in the medal count. 

So four days of fashion shows from 1 to 4 September in Kyiv, with presentations and installations featuring more than 50 brands, highlighted resilience as a defining characteristic of Ukrainians. By joining forces, Ukrainian designers and Ukrainian Fashion Week have been able to go through the last four seasons together, representing Ukraine to the world and ensuring the sustainability of the Ukrainian fashion industry. In contrast to the destruction and devastation brought by the Russian war, Ukrainian designers continue to create.