Music is a form of memory. It preserves experience, inspires, transforms recollection into sound, and gives voice to what cannot be articulated in words.

In the new STARCHAK collection, music becomes the primary conceptual language — a source of inspiration, a form of protection, and a method of transformation. The album ROSALÍA — LUX served as the core artistic reference, shaping the collection’s approach to corporeality, form, and transformation. Bridal gowns are reinterpreted as markers of new beginnings, while evening pieces evolve into more bodily, expressive silhouettes. Upcycling functions as a design form of remix: materials retain traces of their previous lives but are rewritten within new structures.

The album’s exploration of memory and transformation resonates with STARCHAK’s key value — upcycling as an ethical and aesthetic practice. The operatic adaptation of the track “Berghain” becomes a metaphor for sonic upcycling — the transformation of an existing musical code into a new form.

At the conceptual climax of the show stands the story of Andrii Herasymov, a military orchestra musician and former prisoner of war. For him, music was not a metaphor but a fragile means of survival within a system of violence. In captivity, he was forced to sing, including Russian songs, as a tool of humiliation and control, to the point of vocal exhaustion. At the same time, music partially altered how he was treated, functioning as a temporary form of relative protection within a dehumanizing environment.

In the performative gesture of the show, Andrii stands alone at the center of the space. He wears a jacket bearing the name of his brigade, 36th Marine Brigade, and the slogan adopted by families and friends: “Music must be free.” He performs a short trumpet fragment — a gesture of memory and testimony. He then unfolds a textile panel embroidered with the names of the comrades who remain in captivity:

• Ivan Zakharov (born March 27, 1996)
  
• Oleksandr Zui (born August 12, 1996)
  
• Yevhenii Farionov (born June 2, 1993)
  
• Yevhen Drebet (born April 21, 1995)
• Serhii Shtefan (born January 17, 1986)

The collection functions as an act of presence. Within this space, music becomes a socially charged and embodied form of freedom. 

Musical accompaniment: Rebeka Mikhaeli and Andrii Herasymov

PHOTO:  Volodymyr Bosak