From September 4 to 8, the 57th season of Ukrainian Fashion Week SS26 took place in Kyiv, dedicated to the power of fashion as a cultural code and a tool for preserving national identity.

The spotlight this season was on events exploring the synergy between art and fashion:

The XXVI Young Designers Contest “A Look into the Future. The Khanenko Museum Collection” opened the Ukrainian Fashion Week SS26 in the historical interiors of the Khanenko National Museum of Arts.

The “Art of Fashion” exhibition united ten iconic looks by Ukrainian designers inspired by outstanding painters, sculptors, graphic artists and illustrators. Fashion and art merged in a shared narrative, presenting decades of creative experiments and brand collaborations of FROLOV, KSENIASCHNAIDER, LITKOVSKA, LONA PRIST, LYSENKO Gallery, NADYA DZYAK, PASKAL, POUSTOVIT, VOZIANOV, 91 LAB.

At the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy, POUSTOVIT presented the performance “Connection,” an artistic project inspired by the work of artist Pavlo Makov.

GUNIA Project unveiled a new ceramic collection KONYK, drawing inspiration from the tradition of depicting horses in Ukrainian culture, thereby continuing to preserve and renew local craft.

MY THEATRE by Dariia Bila marked its first anniversary with a runway debut. Having begun in theatrical costume workshops, Dariia Bila transferred this aesthetic to the brand’s foundation.

TONiA showcased the Renaissance collection, referencing European aristocratic fashion and Renaissance paintings; designer Antonina Belinska reproduced the motif of Sandro Botticelli’s “Birth of Venus” on her dresses.

In a performance show, GAPTUVALNYA presented the “Rusalka Dnistrova” collection, inspired by the first Ukrainian-language almanac of 1837—a symbol of national cultural awakening—now reimagined through fashion.

J’AMEMME revealed the SS26 “Sa Lumière” collection in an immersive performance that plunged guests into a world of intimate, layered light at the National Art Museum of Ukraine.

For the first time, the exhibition “I Am! Fabric by Khrystyna Rachytska” displayed unique embroidered shirts from the KHRYSTYNA RACHYTSKA archive, embodying the continuity of artistic tradition and style shaped over centuries.

Grains de Verre presented the conceptual exhibition “the path [to] woman,” an allegory of a museum show where four installations reflected different states, contradictions, and facets of womanhood.

SAMOKISH exhibition-display, devoted to inter-generational dialogue, combined paintings by Ukrainian artist Mykola Samokysh with jewellery by his granddaughter, designer Kateryna Basovska.

Presentations of the Season
ARTICLE introduced the “Structured Freedom” collection in an intimate presentation centred on the jacket as the heart of the brand’s universe.

DAMIRLI presented a new capsule in a private atmosphere, continuing to shape its own language of modern classics — combining minimalism, strength with distinguished style.

DIIEVA unveiled a collection in a presentation-performance format—a conversation about roots, traditions, and their role in the present.

KACHOROVSKA held a presentation in its flagship store; the brand’s new collection is dedicated to work as a grounding ritual that disciplines and maintains a calming rhythm.

TG Botanical introduced the “Garden of Awakening” referring to craftsmanship and conveying an inner sense of blooming. The collection is inspired by the garden—a place where time slows, allowing closeness to the earth, to oneself, and to silence.

“Clothing with a Function” Initiative
At Mystetskyi Arsenal from 5 to 7 September, Ukrainian brands ANDREAS MOSKIN, JULIYA KROS, MAKI, SIDLETSKIY and UFEG x VOZIANOV presented adaptive designs within the “Clothing with a Function” exhibition.
Harper’s Bazaar Ukraine initiated the public talk Inclusive Fashion: Code of Resilience, continuing an important dialogue on adaptive design in fashion.
Adaptive looks also appeared on the runway in the collections of ANDREAS MOSKIN, JULIYA KROS and SIDLETSKIY.

Charity has become an integral part of Ukrainian Fashion Week. This season, brands and organising committee raised funds within the “The Faces of Heroes” for initiative reconstructive surgery for veterans with mine and blast-related facial injuries, and participating brands continue to fundraise.

Key Shows of Ukrainian Fashion Week SS26
The show by the COAT by Katya Silchenko was the final chord of Ukrainian Fashion Week, turning the conclusion of the Week into a historic event. The collection is dedicated to theatre as a symbol of service to art, and to women as the embodiment of beauty and strength capable of preserving life despite all challenges.

SIDLETSKIY unveiled the new Identity collection, where architectural forms merged with Ukrainian crafts. In cooperation with the prosthetics centre U+ System, the brand created adaptive clothing modelled on the runway by service members.

NADYA DZYAK presented the BORYVITER SS26 collection, inspired by southern Ukraine—Berdyansk, the Sea of Azov, and the art of Ukrainian dissident artist Alla Horska.

ANDREAS MOSKIN introduced the SS26 “Live Toward” collection, exploring resilience and unity born in times of trial.

Winner of last year’s Ukrainian Fashion Week x United for Freedom grant and School of Art x Craft graduate, Solomiia Hrynkiv, debuted with her show at UFW SS26, introducing a collection created through experimentation with destruction, dyeing, and form.

The SANTA show became transformational for the brand –characteristic shine turned into refined cinematic radiance.

VIKTORANISIMOV, a UFW resident since 1997, presented a collection built on the principles of layering and transformation.

Due to another Russian missile attack on the capital, the CHUPRINA show took place without an audience after the air-raid alert was lifted. Inspired by morning light, the SS26 collection re-interprets tweed through colour and texture, transforming it into a symbol of a new beginning.

Debuts of the Season
Many Ukrainian brands made their UFW debut this season, among them AMELINA, ARTICLE, COVER, DAMIRLI, GRAINS DE VERRE, JJSQUEE, NAZARELLI and LINNI CARO.

Support for Young and Emerging Talents
The “Look into the Future” Grand Prix and main prize from the contest’s main partners, Visa and PrivatBank, went to Nadiia Dobrovolska.

DANIA STINOVA, a participant of the New Names platform, received a grant for brand development from concept store NIESHE.

Young brand SIDLETSKIY received a grant from KACHOROVSKA Group.

Conference “Challenges of the Industry in Today’s Realities”
On the final day of Ukrainian Fashion Week SS26, Kyiv’s TSUM hosted the first business conference organised by Ukrainian Fashion Week and white rabbit agency. Leading professionals discussed the challenges the Ukrainian fashion industry faces during a full-scale war, including production adaptation, transformation of sales formats and geographies, and communication strategies in a time of crisis.