UPSLOWUSE presented LIMINAL — a performative show dedicated to the contemporary reinterpretation of Ukrainian demonology as a cultural code shaping identity under today’s complex conditions.

Ukrainian demonology exists beyond moral categories. Its figures do not conform to conventional notions of good and evil; they are guided by their own internal logic. These are figures of liminality, transition, and instability. They do not judge or explain — they reflect.

In the process of developing the collection, the UPSLOWUSE team collaborated with cultural researchers, exploring historical, folkloric, and oral sources related to Ukrainian mythological beings. The focus was not placed on external imagery, but on character and the internal rules governing these figures — their psychological structures. These qualities were translated into the design of the garments and the overall physical language of the characters.

Functioning as a contemporary reading of myth, LIMINAL addresses Ukrainian DNA as a complex, multilayered system that resists fixed definitions and allows myth to be understood as an inner force. The shadow side of identity is neither denied nor concealed, but acknowledged as an essential part of wholeness.

At the core of the collection lies the idea that “demons” live among us. Or perhaps, they are us.

Within the context of today’s Ukrainian reality, this theme carries particular tension. LIMINAL captures a state of living between chaos, instability, and constant trials — a condition in which transformation becomes inevitable.

The collection is grounded in the recognisable language of UPSLOWUSE: upcycled denim pieces and hand-knitted garments made from recycled wool. A check motif appears for the first time in the collection — seemingly new, yet deeply rooted in the brand’s history. From its inception, UPSLOWUSE has worked with reclaimed checked shirts, often using them as hidden linings. In LIMINAL, the check surfaces outward for the first time, becoming a restrained revelation of what has always existed within. Silhouettes, materials, and handcrafted techniques convey the emotional states, temperaments, and tensions of the key characters.

The looks are complemented by footwear created in collaboration with the Ukrainian brand HODA.concept — lightweight and flexible, with anatomically wide toe boxes designed in respect for the natural structure of the foot. Delicate ballet flats, bold heels and loafers, and daring barefoot sneakers speak of freedom of movement and unity with nature, without restricting or altering the body’s inherent form. The footwear organically reinforces the concept of LIMINAL — remaining in contact with oneself, the body, and one’s inner state.

The presentation took place in a performative format that deliberately rejected the linear logic of a traditional catwalk. Models appeared both on the runway and among the audience, moving along indirect, chaotic trajectories and constantly shifting the viewer’s focus. The absence of a single direction heightened tension: the audience did not know where the next figure would emerge or where to direct their gaze.

At the same time, the original score evoked eerie, semi-intuitive states and a sense of deep-rooted memory. The soundscape combined echoes of lullabies, unsettling noise, and dark, almost bodily sounds, forming an atmosphere of primal memory and presence — as if something familiar, long suppressed, was resurfacing. Gradually, the show transformed into an experience of being inside the event itself, where the boundary between observation and participation becomes unstable.

An all-female team created the show. The collection was led by creative director and designer Mila Ogly, with styling by Oksana Shults, performance direction by Nastia Tymus, and original music composed by Chrystyna Kirik.

PHOTO: Volodymyr Bosak