Ukrainian Fashion Week announces a new international partnership within the “Support Ukrainian Fashion” Initiative – for the first time, Ukrainian fashion brands will introduce collections at ModaLisboa.

The shows of NADYA DZYAK, DARJA DONEZZ, and OMELIA as part of the official schedule of ModaLisboa will take place on March 10.

“ModaLisboa is, above all, a communication platform. Of Fashion Design, in the first place, but also of the values that have always guided its intervention: creativity, positive action, a concrete and unequivocal response to the context in which we’re living. In a Lisboa Fashion Week  under the motto FOR GOOD, this protocol with Ukrainian Fashion Week is extremely important for us to support its designers, offering a stage where their work can be shown in freedom.” Eduarda Abbondanza, President of ModaLisboa Association.

The UFW team expresses sincere gratitude to colleagues from ModaLisboa for supporting Ukrainian designers in the FW24-25 season and joining the “Support Ukrainian Fashion” Initiative. The event is supported by Anastasiia Bilous, fashion editor of ELLE UA.

“Being a Ukrainian designer today means hiding from rockets in the bomb shelters at night, and in the morning, no matter what, going to work and creating beautiful dresses.

We are incredibly grateful to ModaLisboa and Ukrainian Fashion Week for this opportunity.  Fashion and creativity for us are our language of communication with the world.  To convey the situation in Ukraine – to tell that we fight and work no matter what, create beauty and believe in our victory”, comments Nadya Dzyak, Founder and Creative Director of NADYA DZYAK.

For the third year of the full-scale Russian invasion, the Ukrainian Fashion Week team has been supporting Ukrainian designers within the “Support Ukrainian Fashion” Initiative, presenting Ukrainian designers on the global fashion stage within the International Seasons. During this time, 11 Fashion Weeks in Europe and the USA have supported the Ukrainian Fashion Week Initiative, allowing 69 Ukrainian fashion brands to showcase collections created in Ukraine to international media, buyers, and industry professionals.

“This show to me is not only an opportunity to showcase my collection but also a way to convey my inner feelings and emotions through fashion…

My designs reflect the modern reality where every day brings uncertainty and anxiety. The sounds of air raid alerts, unexpected tragedies – all this is reflected in my collection. Another important aspect is that my collection was created during a period of difficult time in Ukraine, but thanks to my participation at ModaLisboa, it has been able to exist and communicate with the world. It is not just clothes – it is a weapon and an effective tool for expressing myself and my ideals”, said Kostiantyn Omelia, Founder and Creative Director of OMELIA.

Ukrainian designers continue to create on the contrary to the destruction brought by the Russian war, and Ukrainian Fashion Week remains true to its mission – to support the industry and promote Ukrainian brands on the global fashion scene. Today, this mission takes on new meaning by organising the participation of Ukrainian fashion brands in international professional events, creating opportunities for Ukrainian designers to secure orders in the international market, thus saving and supporting companies, businesses, and preserving jobs for hundreds of workers of the fashion industry in Ukraine.

“My team is located in Ukraine and they are my heroes, together we create something beautiful. Beauty will definitely save the world.

Every show is a moment of pure art. For me, Lisbon is a very special city, a place of strength and tranquillity at the same time. After all, it was here that I took my children away from the horrors of the Russian war in Ukraine. Here, I was able to create beauty again. Therefore, I am waiting for the show in this city with special trepidation and excitement”, comments DARJA Donezz, Founder and Creative Director of DARJA DONEZZ.

In the last three seasons, Ukrainian Fashion Week took place outside Kyiv on international runways and platforms for the first time in the institution’s 26-year history. The NADYA DZYAK, DARJA DONEZZ, and OMELIA shows at ModaLisboa will be the final event of the fourth international season – UFW International Season FW24-25.