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? Designer Kateryna Zharikova, founder of the Zharko brand, talked about how the team copes with today’s challenges.

In February 2022, the Zharko brand was preparing the new AW22/23 collection, getting ready for a fashion show, and planning to enter foreign markets. However, due to a full-scale invasion, everything came to a halt. It was initially challenging to understand what to do and how to make plans. Unfortunately, some employees moved abroad indefinitely, making it hard for the brand team to operate. By mid-May 2022, the brand had stopped operating due to a lack of craftspeople, materials, and suppliers.

Despite the challenges, the brand’s designer, Kateryna Zharikova, believed it was important to keep going and support the country. At the end of May, with limited materials and a team of three, the brand resumed its work, developed a concept, and created a new collection inspired by Ukrainian culture, ancient techniques, and symbols.

The collection featured items decorated with traditional Ukrainian ornaments created with ancient weaving methods on a modern loom and included inscriptions and slogans that conveyed the Ukrainian spirit.

The collection received positive reviews abroad, and the brand participated in various pop-ups, exhibitions, and markets, gaining new connections and clients, and entering the American market. The Zharko brand is now represented in New York at The Canvas store, and its collection was selected for the finals of an international competition in Brussels, where a show was held as part of Brussels Fashion Week.

I think that, just like everyone else, we are trying to be helpful in this difficult time. Zharko participated in a charity market in Warsaw organized by the KAPSULA showroom, collecting money for Ukrainian fighters.

Despite constant blackouts and the lack of electricity, the brand continues to work. Today, the team of over ten people produces two collections each season and collaborates with Ukrainian sewing enterprises. Zharko is available in retail stores and platforms internationally, supports charitable causes, and fulfills its tax obligations.

Initially, everything seemed impossible, but faith in the country and the desire to showcase talents and skills kept the team going. The brand is determined to support Ukraine and its people during these challenging times. “Who else, if not us!” says the designer.