For the first time since the full-scale Russian invasion, Ukrainian Fashion Week will return to Kyiv from September 1st to 4th, symbolising resilience, survival and hope.

Ukrainian designers continue to create and succeed despite the destruction and devastation caused by the Russian war. To support the Ukrainian fashion industry and amplify Ukraine’s voice on the global stage, the Ukrainian Fashion Week team is hosting its 55th season back at home ground, from September 1 to 4 in Kyiv. This promises to be a significant and emotionally charged fashion week.

“Rocket attacks, air raid sirens, power outages — these are the daily challenges we face. But despite all this, despite pain and loss, our commitment to our cause remains unwavering. Over 50 Ukrainian brands have supported our decision to hold this season in Ukraine. We highly appreciate the solidarity of the global fashion industry, which has helped us persevere through these challenging times. United Ukrainian designers and Ukrainian Fashion Week have navigated through two and a half difficult years of the full-scale war, representing Ukraine worldwide and preserving our industry during four International seasons under the Support Ukrainian Fashion Initiative. Today, we demonstrate our creative strength and courage to the world by bringing Ukrainian Fashion Week back to Kyiv,” comments Iryna Danylevskaya, Founder and CEO of Ukrainian Fashion Week.

As part of a joint charitable initiative, all Ukrainian Fashion Week SS25 participants will contribute to raising funds for equipment for the palliative care unit for veterans at the Svyatenko Rehabilitation Clinic (Cybli village, Kyiv region). UFW guests can join the fundraiser by donating via a QR code at the event venues.

An emotional reflection of the new reality will be a special space at the main UFW SS25 venue. The installation will showcase creations by Ukrainian fashion brands that embody designers’ creative reflections on the challenges of our wartime reality. These creations will demonstrate the influence and responsibility of culture in times of war. A notable feature of this special space will be a portrait gallery of our colleagues who left peaceful professions in the industry and went to defend us. This is a tribute to everyone who brings our victory closer daily while remaining an integral part of the Ukrainian fashion community.

“We hope to open a new dimension of design and encourage everyone to feel its form-creating power. Two major institutions demonstrate what unity of action means. By joining forces, Kyiv Design Week and Ukrainian Fashion Week create a broad platform for reflection and creative interaction to start a dialogue between representatives of the creative area,’ comment Kyiv Design Week curators Anastasia Biletska and Yaroslav Belinsky.
Kyiv Design Week, an event embodying the multidimensional potential of Ukrainian design will take place in Kyiv for the second time from August 28 to September 4.

As part of the official Ukrainian Fashion Week SS25 program, the first political jewellery exhibition in Ukraine, “Brave to Live,” will open at the “Sens at Khreshchatyk” bookstore on September 1. This project by the Ukrainian jewellery community LANKA is dedicated to human resilience in the face of war. The exhibition has previously been showcased at Munich Jewelry Week and Lisbon Jewelry Biennial. In an expanded format, it will be part of Ukrainian Fashion Week, running from September 1 to 4.

This season, Ukrainian Fashion Week will feature an open educational platform, School of Art x Craft, which will be held with the support of technology partner Lenovo. Dedicated to the challenges faced by Ukrainian fashion and Ukrainian culture during the war, the event, which will take place on 3 September, will bring together national and international experts and fashion industry professionals to discuss the preservation and promotion of our cultural heritage. 

Ukrainian Fashion Week will introduce a new format this season — a trade show that will include 15 Ukrainian clothing and accessories brands. The trade show will become a permanent format of Ukrainian Fashion Week and will expand the number of invited brands. Alina Kachorovska — co-founder and CEO of the Kacho Group holding and creative director of the Kachorovska brand — initiated the introduction of this format at Ukrainian Fashion Week. The Ukrainian Fashion Week and Kachorovska teams are jointly inviting Ukrainian buyers to UFW SS25. When the large-scale Russian invasion began, they supported the domestic market, professionally encouraging Ukrainians to value and buy local products.

This historic Ukrainian Fashion Week will become a season of unity. We are proud that Ukrainian fashion media, united by their responsibility to the industry, support this season. We are sincerely thankful to VOGUE UA, ELLE Ukraine, MARIE CLAIRE Ukraine, and many other resources for their inspiring support.

The partners for the season of unity at Ukrainian Fashion Week are:

MINI Ukraine — exclusive auto partner
KRONENBOURG — sponsor
PERWOLL — official partner
SOVA — official partner
VODA UA — official partner
LENOVO — technology partner
EXTRA LIFE — official partner
TAFT — beauty partner
PUMB — presentation of the social project “We Are One Blood”
WATSONS — backstage partner
11 MIRRORS — partner of the UFW SS25 charity program
NAM&BAO — partner
Nelly De Vuyst® — partner
YANKO Production — technical support for UFW

Photo credit: Luca Fröhlingsdorf