Behind the Scenes

Getting ready for the upcoming Ukrainian Fashion Week SS25, which will take place in Kyiv from September 1 to 4, the UFW team reached out to the participating brands with a question: How is your brand coping with the full-scale invasion? This time, the costume artist and designer Antonina Belinska, who created the brand TONiA during the war, shares her story.

TONiA was founded in the summer of 2023 during the war in Ukraine. In July, the debut collection “Entropy” was launched, and in January next year, it was presented at the Fashion Week in Budapest within the Support Ukrainian Fashion initiative. At that time, I already had 20 years of experience working on some of the leading Ukrainian films and a Golden Dzyga 2020 award, but building my own brand was not easy.

The full-scale invasion forced me not to postpone the realization of my long-held dream for so long – to start a clothing brand. To take a step in this direction became my artistic manifesto about the value of life, creativity, and beauty at a time when they are under threat of destruction. Thus, my work became my psychological and moral support.

By creating clothes, I aim to inspire women to preserve their identity during the war and to rediscover a sense of security and inner freedom. All TONiA collections are imbued with the energy of life because, in times of despair, people need to be reminded that there is a future for them as well as for the entire nation.

For a young business such as mine,  the war became an extraordinary test: constant shelling, problems with logistics and electricity, and border blockades do not allow for predicting the terms of materials delivery. Blackouts leave ateliers without the capacity to produce. However, the brand found a way out by distributing production among contractors, adapting work volumes to power outage schedules, and ordering sewing materials in advance.

TONiA actively participates in charity initiatives and helps fundraisers aimed at helping the needs of the military and civilians. We also employ internally displaced persons forced to move from the occupied territories.

During its first year, TONiA became one of the brightest debutants in the Ukrainian fashion market. The brand is constantly in the spotlight of famous influencers and fashion editors. Articles about TONiA appeared in L’Officiel Ukraine, Marie Claire Ukraine, and Vogue Ukraine, and street style images were published in Vogue Italy, Vogue Japan, Grazia, and Elle Italy.

Currently, the brand is establishing cooperation with foreign buyers and showrooms, aiming to enter the international market. After all, you can achieve success only by going forward!