The most challenging and tragic season throughout the 25 years history of Ukrainian Fashion Week – UFW International Season SS23 – has ended. 2022 is the year of the 25th anniversary of Ukrainian Fashion Week. It was supposed to be the year of celebration of modern fashion in Ukraine as an integral part of bright and prosperous Ukrainian culture, but on February 24 with a full-scale war started by Russia in Ukraine the life of every Ukrainian has significantly changed.

The UFW team has launched a “Support Ukrainian Fashion” Initiative. Within the Initiative we have appealed to fashion weeks in Europe and the USA with a request to support Ukrainian designers and Ukrainian Fashion Week in this extremely difficult time. Therefore, by showing new collections on the catwalks worldwide Ukrainian designers could save their teams, companies, businesses and not lose the SS23 season.

“Ukrainian designers found the strength during the war to create new collections to tell the whole world about Ukrainian resilience and courage, as well as to show Ukrainian national identity through fashion.  We are deeply grateful to our colleagues from Europe and the USA: Malta Fashion Week, Copenhagen Fashion Week, Budapest Central European Fashion Week, Berlin Fashion Week, Transilvania Fashion Festival, Vienna Fashion Week, MBFWMadrid, Brussels Fashion Week, Vegan Fashion Week (Los Angeles), who have supported us.

In this difficult time for Ukraine and the whole world, fashion stands not only for diversity, inclusiveness, sustainability and freedom. Fashion demonstrates solidarity”, Iryna Danylevska, Founder and CEO of Ukrainian Fashion Week.

Nine fashion weeks have joined the “Support Ukrainian Fashion” Initiative by UFW both on their catwalks and digitally that has given the opportunity for 43 Ukrainian brands, 37 established and 6 emerging ones, to present their collections and save the SS23 season.

The UFW International Season SS23 has started with the NADYA DZYAK fashion show at Malta Fashion Week. The iconic feature of the brand is a plisse, made by Ukrainian company in Kharkiv city that is now constantly under fire. Nevertheless, the company still works and made NADYA DZYAK signature plisse that is part of the collection presented within Malta Fashion Week and Ukrainian Fashion Week partnership.

Copenhagen Fashion Week showcased the COAT fashion film, shooted in Pyrohiv Museum of Folk Architecture, and TG Botanical presentation as part of the official Event & Presentation Schedule. 

Budapest Central European Fashion Week warmly welcomed nine Ukrainian designers on the catwalk of the 10^th BCEFW. Although it was not the first collaboration between BCEFW and UFW, this season’s partnership was the biggest. Ukrainian brands GUDU and DARJA DONEZZ presented SS23 collections within individual shows, STARCHAK, KIR KHARTLEY, SIDLETSKIY, LISABO and YADVIGA NETYKSHA presented capsule collections within Ukrainian Collective Show, POUSTOVIT and AISENBERG DENIM were presented in the showroom.

Berlin Fashion Week has invited Ukrainian brand BOBKOVA. With an opening fashion show at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Berlin, the brand presented a collection inspired by blossoming chestnut trees on Khreschatyk Street in Kyiv, hometown of the designer.

Six finalists of the All-Ukrainian contest of young fashion designers “LOOK into the future” took part in Neo.Fashion. 2022 – a unique platform for promoting young talents in Germany.

Transilvania Fashion Festival has held fashion shows of young Ukrainian designers APSARA, DIMA MAKEEV, PANOVE and SHEEZEN, coinciding with the meeting of representatives of the European Fashion Council dedicated to its 15^th anniversary.

At Vienna Fashion Week took place fashion show of Ukrainian brand VOROZHBYT&ZEMSKOVA. The collection was created and produced, while part of the brand’s manufacture continues to sew for defenders of Ukraine and the other part produces collections of the brand.

Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Madrid joined the Initiative “Support Ukrainian Fashion” digitally and presented  fashion films and digital fashion shows of Ukrainian designers DZHUS, DOMANOF, FROLOV, GUDU, LITKOVSKA, the COAT, NADYA DZYAK, OVERALL, ENNO, UFEG and PUSHKA School.

At Brussels Fashion Week, eleven Ukrainian designers have presented SS23 collections: GASANOVA, OVERALL, AISENBERG, FINCH, SAYYA, GURANDA, DZHUS, JULIYA KROS, UBERLOVE, CHUPRINA and SVITLO. Participation of 11 designers from Ukraine was supported by the EBRD and Switzerland under the EBRD’s Small Business Impact Fund.

The final event of the UFW International Season SS23 was a unique fashion show of Ukrainian sustainable brands at Vegan Fashion Week. Eleven Ukrainian designers including CHERESHNIVSKA, DZHUS, HOUSE MARTIN, GOROHOVA, OCHIS, OVERSIZED, ROUSSIN, SHEEZEN, PALINGENESY, DEVOHOME and REVICLO took part at VFW in Los Angeles in a collective show, placed under the sign of compassion and support.

Unfortunately, the war in Ukraine continues and it calls into question the holding of Ukrainian Fashion Week in February in Kyiv. Now the UFW team works on the format of the next season and hopes for the support of the colleagues throughout the world. 

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