March 18 through 25 Mystetsky Arsenal was the center of a fashionable get-together. The clothes of the guests of the 36th Ukrainian Fashion Week reflected the entire spectrum of the changeable spring weather – from open dresses to coats with fur. Considerably less clamorousness and “unrestrained creative” was present both in the podium, and the halls of the Arsenal. According to young and promising Ukrainian designer Olena Burenina, the most important thing for stylish people this season (like always actually) to be happy and smile more. Inner harmony will adorn the image.
Of course, current economic situation has influenced the development of new trends in Ukrainian fashion circles. The attention to the collections of Ukrainian designers has increased lately. The founder of the Ukrainian Fashion Week Iryna Danylevska considers that it is not only the merit of her project and the designers, but of the current events in the country. Most of fashion designers admit too that it has become complicated to prepare new collections, because they are directly connected with the currency exchange rates: they buy fabric and garniture abroad. On the other hand, this crisis may give an impetus to development of Ukrainian light industry or stimulate one to open the “grandmother’s chest.”
IN OLENA DATS’S NEW COLLECTION THE USUAL ETHNOGRAPHIC MOTIFS HAVE BEEN HARMONIOUSLY SUPPLEMENTED BY HISTORICAL SILHOUETTES AND BEAD EMBROIDERY
One the top events of the UFW was a special project “Vytoky” (Origins), organized by the National Center of People’s Culture “Ivan Honchar Museum” and designer Yana Chervinska. The traditional Ukrainian costumes which have never been shown on a catwalk created quite a stir. Our fashionmongers looked with interest at old-time costumes and forgotten, but no less stylish, headwear. It is notable that “Origins” was not a single project, rather a trendsetter. The ethno-aesthetics inspired Yana Chervinska to create her new collection based on old-time technologies. The Ukrainian things have paved way to the mass market – a joint project of the UFW and 1+1 Channel presented T-shirts with quotations by Pavlo Tychyna, Vasyl Symonenko, Mykola Khvyliovy, Dzvinka Matiash, and Iryna Tsilyk.
DESIGNER OLENA BURENINA IS SURE THAT PEOPLE’S WORLD PERCEPTION MAY BE CHANGED EVEN AFTER A 18-MINUTE FASHION SHOW
But so far stylish Ukrainian things are in minority. There was one interesting detail at the 36th Ukrainian Fashion Week. The main podium was placed in the left wing of “Mystetsky Arsenal,” together with the rest of the fashion locations. And at the exit to the right wing of the building, where only three shows took place and where visitors were infrequent, a broken and burnt piano “Ukraine” was standing as a reminder of what our country is going through these days. But has the fashion audience of the UFW read this message?
“The Ukrainian Fashion Week organizers are doing a good thing. Clearly, the budgets involved are different here, there is desire to arrange everything in European style,” Ukrainian singer Jamala commented to The Day. “But if our fashion week is supported, in particular, by our mass media and our celebrities, it will develop. If not, nobody will need this. Our designers are seriously changing the tastes of Ukrainian society. For example, they create sweatshirts and embroidered shirts. Of course, we don’t need to make an excessive use of these things. The winner will be the one who does this in a most delicate way. The focus is not in simply using some ornaments. The focus is in doing this in an exquisite fashion. I have always used an example of how British and American flags have become an integral part of our life. We have been wearing the T-shirts with these symbols not because it is a concrete flag of a concrete country, but because it is stylish. If the same happens to the Ukrainian flag, we will win.”
