You're reading: War infects even fashion shows

This spring’s show of Ukrainian fashion designer Oleksiy Zalevskiy wasn’t crowded as usual. No guests were allowed in, and even the ever-craved front row seats stayed empty. The models walked the catwalk around gratings and fell “dead” one after another to the sounds of gunshots. The guests watched the show on the outside screens and were impressed.

Zalevskiy is one of several fashion designers who found inspiration in the military conflict in Crimea and the three-month long EuroMaidan movement.

With the military standoff unrolling in Crimea, Ukraine’s main fashion event, 34th Ukrainian Fashion Week was under threat of canceling. In the end, the shows did take place on March 14-20, but the traditional parties were cancelled.

“Having UFW in its usual time and on the professional level helps ruining the belief that we (in Ukraine) still have fires on and the people do nothing but protest,” said Oleksandr Sokolovskiy, one of the UFW organizers.

“I have never waited the shows as eagerly as I did this time,” said fashion blogger Anastasia Alekseyenko. “At some moment you just understand that you can’t watch any more parliament sessions and war news. It’s hard to find a distraction from all that. Five days spent in Mystetskiy Arsenal (UFW main location) soothed me.”

Apparently, the designers didn’t crave for distractions. On the opposite, some paid a special attention to the standoff with Russia. Zalevskiy went further than anyone with his “military” show with “murdered” models. He also created a t-shirt design that became a hit at once – a sailor shirt with a popular Russian expression “Get off the beach” printed on it, a design clearly hinting on the Russian soldiers occupying Crimea, a popular sea resort.

“It was a great artistic show that put the collection itself in the shade,” commented Alekseyenko.

One of the lead Ukrainian fashion designers and EuroMaidan supporter, Lilia Poustovit did her best to emphasize that her show wasn’t an entertainment. She closed the show for spectators, invited only buyers and journalists, and had the models walk the catwalk in complete silence. While her collection was Poustovit’s usual set of long dresses covered in specially designed prints, she did give a gentle hint to the Kyiv’s revolution with waistcoats that looked a lot like bulletproof vests.

Unlike Poustovit, young designer Kseniya Bobkova didn’t reflect the latest events in her collection, but chose Ukrainian national anthem as a soundtrack for her show. The anthem was reworked in a pleasant slow melody. Several designers used the Ukrainian flag in their shows.

Fashion tandem Nataliya Kamenskaya and Olesya Kononova, who recently changed their brand from KamenskaKononova to easily remembered Lake, presented a winter collection in grey colors with a complicated pattern. At closer look, the pattern was tires’ traces, another reference to Maidan, where tires were used to keep smoke curtain.

Pop singer Natalia Gordienko (center) attends fashion week wearing an anti-war sweatshirt.

It was the patriotic slogans on t-shirts and sweatshirts that definitely ruled the fashion circles this week. Many guests wore the printed sweatshirts, designer-made or fashioned by visitors themselves, with prints saying “Ukraine,” “Stop Putin” and “F*ck the war.”

However, not everyone was pleased with the ultra-patriotic mood of the fashion week.

“Some guests of the fashion week tried to attract the photographers’ attention by dressing in the uniform that looked like Maidan’s self-defense forces uniform. It was sad to see. For some it was a carnival, while others really tried to bring attention to this situation in the country,” said fashion blogger Anastacia Ukhova after visiting the shows.

One of the prominent designers and regular UFW participants Anna Bublik has canceled her show due to the protests. Bublik could not prepare the collection properly because her office on Liuteranska Street was under threat during the clashes that took place in February.

“Everybody expected designers to show military uniform, balaclavas, guns and helmets, but as you see, they managed to find artistic approach and prove their professionalism and creative vision,” proudly said Volodymyr Nechyporuk, a UFW organizer.