The new collection by the brand KATERINA RUTMAN was inspired by the work of Oleksandra Ekster, an artist of global significance whose artistic language was shaped within Kyiv’s cultural environment and developed between Kyiv and Paris. As part of the European avant-garde, she continually returned to Ukraine, maintaining a strong connection with her roots.

In this story, one can trace a clear parallel with the present day: today Ukrainian women live and work across different countries, travel and gain experience, yet return home to create, support one another, and build a new reality despite ongoing challenges.

The collection reinterprets the avant-garde through a contemporary fashion language. Its foundation lies in expressive colour dramaturgy: milky white and black create graphic clarity, pink and lilac soften the rhythm, while coral appears as an energetic accent.

The silhouettes are constructed through geometry, asymmetry, and architectural logic, referencing Ekster’s principles of pure colour, diagonals, and contrasting planes. At the same time, bows and voluminous flowers — recognizable elements of the KATERINA RUTMAN signature — bring movement, emotionality, and a sense of modern femininity to the looks.

Ekster worked at the intersection of art and fashion, designing stage costumes and becoming one of the first artists in Europe to think of costume as a form of movement. Her life unfolded during an era of radical change — revolutions, wars, and эмиграція — and became an example of strength, adaptability, and creative resilience.

This collection builds a dialogue between Kyiv of the 1920s and Ukrainian women of today. It speaks about beauty as an inner force, colour as the energy of life, and geometry as the language of a new femininity — about the ability to move forward, to create, and to live.

Photo: Volodymyr Bosak