During the creation of the new FW 2025-26 collection, the creative director of the TONiA brand, Antonina Belinska, delved into the heritage of ancient Slavic tribes that lived in the territory of present-day Ukraine in the 5th–7th centuries. Artifacts of the material culture of the Antians, discovered by archaeologists in the Dnipro-Dnister interfluve, were transformed by the designer into decorative elements of exquisite cocktail dresses and classic suits.

“Of course, this is not a reconstruction of the authentic costume of the Antians. In the collection, I combined modern silhouettes and materials with ancient techniques and forms: from jewelry resembling Antian zoomorphic figurines to fibula fastenings and fringe. My goal is to show how diverse and rich the culture was in the lands of Ukraine a thousand years ago,” says Antonina Belinska.

Having extensive experience working with historical costumes in cinema, the designer freely utilizes various fabric embellishments in the runway collection. For example, jackets and corsets are embroidered with crystals in gold settings — an allusion to the lead plates, an important decorative element of clothing in the Early Middle Ages.

“For the Antians, jewelry had a sacred meaning. They wore it as amulets. The more adornments, the better. Pendants and bead chains were attached to fibulas. Decorations were everywhere on the clothes. I decided to reinterpret this tradition in modern wardrobes,” explains Antonina.

But references to Antian heritage are found not only in the décor but also in the shapes of the garments: the asymmetric sweater with a draped scarf evokes medieval cloaks, while headbands refer to the traditional chiltse.

Interestingly, the looks presented in the show were complemented by perfumed compositions from the Ukrainian brand Amoursky: the mysterious Musa scent with notes of juniper and frankincense, the stunning Début with vanilla and blackberry, and the fresh citrus Oasis wafted through the runway.

“Every element of the look matters: clothing, accessories, hairstyle, makeup, or its absence… But the most memorable are the scents, so the models walked the runway in a trail of exquisite fragrances from Amoursky — this way the ‘picture’ becomes fuller and more emotional,” adds Antonina.

Despite the numerous historical references, the collection “Treasures of the Antians” embodies the recognizable style of the TONiA brand: refined and modern, artistic and sensual. The color palette is restrained: black, white, and dark blue serve as the base, complemented by accents of red and gold. The looks from the collection will be perfect for important cultural events as well as everyday life.

Photo: Andriy Sokolov