Young Ukrainian designers presented their collections at the Transilvania Fashion Festival as part of the “Support Ukrainian Fashion” Initiative of Ukrainian Fashion Week.

Transilvania Fashion Festival 2022 was held with the support of Banca Transilvania at the Urban Culture Center in Cluj-Napoca, Romania. During three days, 45 designers from all over the world presented their collections at the festival, including young Ukrainian designers: APSARA, DIMA MAKEEV, PANOVE and SHEEZEN.

Members of the Ukrainian Fashion Council were also guests of honour at the Transilvania Fashion Festival 2022: Maryna Loseva, founder and CEO of Ukrainian Fashion Education Group, and Maria Kostelna, founder of Lviv Fashion School.

“The Transilvania Fashion Festival 2022 program had a number of goals: to present the collections of young and recognized designers from Romania and European Fashion Council member countries, to involve art universities of Eastern Europe and well-known clothing manufacturers in joint projects, and to demonstrate to buyers the exceptional capabilities of designers who presented their collections at the Transilvania Fashion Festival,” said Anka Elena Balan, TFF producer, president of the Romanian Fashion Council Association and executive president of the European Fashion Council.

APSARA “Get out of your shelf”

The brand’s collection contains a message about getting out of the framework and limitations that we set for ourselves. Through the shell prototype, the designer conveys a call to leave the comfort zone and be open to the world and not be afraid to express yourself. The collection includes complex non-standard shapes of soft plastic, created using the modelling method and inspired by sea shells, combined with knitted elements and fringes. Minimalism, pastel shades, plastic three-dimensional shapes and the texture of coarse yarn are the key features of the APSARA brand.

DIMA MAKEEV “LYUBOMYR“

The collection is named after a friend of the designer, who has been defending Ukraine in the ranks of the Armed Forces since the beginning of the full-scale Russian invasion. A special feature of the collection is reused bandages, through which the designer broadcasts sensual sexuality. The colours of the Ukrainian flag are presented in yellow and blue details – ribbons were woven into a neoprene mesh and contrasting details in the shoes. Star-flower-like embroidery floral motifs are featured in neoprene tops.

PANOVE «SENSUALITY»

The accent of the collection is asymmetric tunics and dresses, sensual and voluminous forms of tops, which thanks to the features of the design can be adjusted and modified, and dresses and tunics can be worn in several ways. The architectural design of things creates new meanings that reflect individuality and uniqueness, and voluminous multi-layered forms combined with the play of fabrics of different textures symbolize natural femininity and sensuality in the collection’s images.

 

SHEEZEN “ALOPHOTA”

To create the shapes and colours of the “Alophota” collection, the designer was inspired by strange jellyfish-like creatures from the book “Art and Science” by the marine biologist and naturalist Ernst Haeckel. The idea of the “Alophota” collection came to the designer after a month of observing the lifestyle of Berliners, who have a developed waste recycling culture.

Not only the accessories of the collection are made from recycled plastic – the fabrics have also been given a second life. The main colours of this collection are yellow, black and blue. The combination of black with yellow and blue symbolizes the colours of the Ukrainian flag.

Photo: Carina Plescan