You might expect that a country dealing with the consequences of a brutal uprising and the political fallout of Russian forces moving into Crimea, fashion would be the last thing on people’s minds. But the founder and head of Ukraine’s bi-annual Fashion Week has told The Debrief that the event will continue as normal this week.
‘We are very glad that no Ukrainian designers have refused to take part in Fashion Week,’ said Iryna Danylevska of the event, which starts on Friday 14 March and goes on for five days. ‘The 47 Ukrainian designers will show their collections despite the political and economic situation here.’
Danylevska points to designers like Natalia Kamenska and Olesya Konnova, whose designer womenswear brand LAKE (KAMENSKAKONONOVA) was included in Italian Vogue’s New Talent list last year, as ones to watch. The two women, who both live in Kiev, say they design their bold, minimalistic collection for a contemporary urban woman who ‘lives in a big city and has the type of lifestyle where she travels a lot, has inner freedom and is keen on art, architecture and history’.
The political conflict in Ukraine has already had a significant impact on the preparation for Fashion Week, however. Danylevska admits that some of their usual financial partners have significantly limited their presence – and that the requests from foreign journalists who would normally cover the event is dramatically less than in previous years. ‘Usually it’s Great Britain, Italy, France, Russia – nearly 30-35 journalists. Of course, this season we have less visits from fashion journalists,’ she says. But she hopes the political and news journalists who are covering the conflict will be interested in what’s happening on the catwalk, too. ‘We think, for them, it will be interesting to see another Ukraine. A talented and professional Ukraine.’
Critics have come out to say that holding a week dedicated to clothes and champagne is inappropriate at a time when people are dying. (After all, this is the Fashion Week where Paris Hilton once walked down the catwalk.) But Danylevska insists that this season the mood will be much more sombre. ‘Certainly, Ukrainian Fashion Week and Ukrainian designers have taken into consideration the latest events and the mood of the society in general,’ she says. ‘For instance, in our schedule we have refused all the parties and after-parties traditional for fashion weeks. And many designers have limited the number of their guests only to buyers and journalists refusing their guests and clients.’
As such, Danylevska is resolute in her determination that Fashion Week should go ahead – even amidst the country’s conflict. ‘As true professionals and patriots of our country, we must do our best to guarantee the catwalk shows of Ukrainian designers within the terms set by the international fashion schedule,’ she tells The Debrief. ‘We are proud to say that Ukrainian designers have again proved their high professionalism – under difficult economical and political conditions they have managed to prepare their AW 2014-15 collections. So, in turn we can’t leave Ukrainians without any opportunity to be proud of their talented compatriots. Neither can we deprive the fashion community of a chance to yet again prove that Ukraine is a unique country and that its citizens and their courageousness and talent are worthy of applause.’
We’ll certainly be watching.
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Picture: Getty
This article originally appeared on The Debrief.