As part of Ukrainian Fashion Week FW26–27, the redesign brand OMELIA presented a theatrical performance for the second time in collaboration with director and performance artist Veronika Yemelianova, known for her radical authorial approach to creating philosophical interdisciplinary projects. The event also marked a new chapter in the brand’s history with the presentation of a bag adorned with voluminous leather flowers crafted entirely by hand.

Set within the interiors of Kyiv modernist theatre Suzirya Theatre, the event brought together staged action and a material object within a single concept, where performance and accessory exist as two dimensions of the same artistic statement.

“The idea for the bag grew out of my love for fresh flowers. I often buy them spontaneously — without any special occasion. I carry them in my hands or place them in a shopper bag, wrapped in paper or newspaper. At some point, I realized that the bouquet becomes part of the look — it is no longer just flowers, but an accessory. That was the moment when the idea emerged to create a bag that would preserve this emotion forever,” says Kostiantyn Omelia, founder and creative director of OMELIA.

The process of creating the flowers is entirely handcrafted. The leather is carefully selected for its flexibility; each petal is cut and shaped by hand, preserving natural asymmetry and organic movement. The petals are gently heated and molded with the fingers, acquiring a natural curve and flow. The result evokes the sensation of a living bouquet captured in material form.

The image of the flower — a symbol of enduring life — becomes the central motif of the performance. The staged action unfolds as a metaphor for rebirth and the power of individual choice. In a space of contrasts, characters of different ages and temperaments appear in a chess-like formation and gradually gather around a table — the place where decisions are made.

Within the dramaturgy of the performance, the color red emerges in the cold space of winter not as a sign of aggression, but as a carrier of life energy — an impulse for transformation. The climax arrives with the appearance of the heroine dressed in red — Anima*. She does not dictate decisions, but opens the possibility of choice.

I don’t want this performance to provide answers. I ask questions, and each person present can find their own response,” says the director and main performer, Veronika Yemelianova.

The a cappella musical accompaniment by electronic musician and vocal architect Gottlieb intensifies the sense of ritual. His vocal performance unfolds as a transitional rite — moving from restrained, almost naked a cappella tones toward a destabilizing vocal eruption.

Within this dramaturgy, the bag ceases to be merely an accessory. It becomes part of the action: the characters approach the table holding flowers in their hands, while the voluminous clutch with a leather blossom transforms into a symbol of hope — a reminder that after every winter, spring inevitably arrives.

The general hair partner of the show was L’Oréal in Ukraine, while the beauty partner was Kimera.

Anima, according to Carl Gustav Jung, is the inner archetypal impulse of the soul that animates consciousness and fuels creativity; in the performance, it is embodied through blood as a sign of transformation and intense emotional experience.

PHOTO: KATIA GAGOSOVA, LIKA PORTSYNA