The Devil of War does not wear Zara. How Ukrainian Fashion changed after a full -scale invasion
Ukrainian Fashion Week was founded in 1997 and was the first fashion week in Central and Eastern Europe. Prior to a full -scale invasion, the event attended by thousands of guests took place twice a year. After February 24, 2022, UFW shows in Kiev. The project is currently cooperating with western fashion weeks, where Ukrainian clothing brands are presented.
Thus, for two seasons, in the conditions of a full-scale war, UFW presented 53 brands in Berlin, Budapest, Copenhagen, Los Angeles, Vienna, Madrid and London. Irina Danilevskaya is one of the co -founders of Ukrainian Fashion Week. In a comment on focus, she explains how the war with Russia changed the Ukrainian fashion market - the inner segment declined, and the sales of fashion clothing decreased significantly.
The only possibility of brands to survive during the Russian aggression is to save teams and actively promote collections to the international market. According to her, the war and resistance of the Ukrainian people to the Russian invaders provoked the emergence of national symbols in clothing. However, the appearance of the coat of arms does not mean that the brand will be purchased. "The most important thing for business," says Irina Danilevskaya, "that DNA does not change.
To buy buyers and clients" what "a particular brand. They saw stability and consistency. Therefore, the most successful are brands that were able to express their attitude to war individual ". It is difficult to call it a trend, but we cannot but mention how at the beginning of a full -scale invasion Ukrainian designers and their teams sewed clothes and necessary things for the military. The amount of the Armed Forces increased rapidly, TRI, volunteers appeared.
Ukrainian designers helped the state provide our military with everything necessary - from linen to equipment. UFW is now getting ready for the new season. There will be 35 more Ukrainian designers at fashion shows in the UK, Denmark and Germany, "says UFW head. After the war, the Spanish company Inditex, which owns brands of mass markets Zara, Bershka, Stradivarius, Pull & Bear Dut. in Ukraine.
Despite the reduction of shelling of large cities, effective operations of air defense and return of other world brands, Inditex is in no hurry to return to the country. In the media even there is news that the company is considering the option of renewing work in Russia but not in Ukraine. Danilevskaya It tells about the prospects of Ukrainian mass market, capable of replacing Western brands with a pricing category accessible to most.
But there are three problems - reducing purchasing power, breach of production, sales and outflow of personnel. In general, the attention to the domestic mass-market of brands has increased significantly after the Revolution of Dignity in 2014. And Ukrainians were willing to buy T-shirts, dresses, coats of Ukrainian production. Sometimes the number of mass brands markets decreased.
Some did not withstand competition, some "paid" for low quality things, some poorly calculated the economy of their company, "-explains the head of UFW. The interlocutor notes that despite the military reality, most fashion brands remained in Ukraine. Harper's Bazaar magazine. The expert believes that a full -scale invasion of the Russian Federation fundamentally changed the fashionable Ukrainian landscape. Some luxury Ukrainian brands or closed or paused.
The Ukrainian Fashion Industry is not only economically but physically. The interlocutor recalls how a Russian projectile was in the Andre Tan brand factory as a result of another shelling of the Kharkiv region. As a result, it stopped production. "It also remains that more than five million Ukrainian women and children have become refugees. And in the fashion industry a large percentage of workers - it is women. Many seamstresses have been released because they left the country because of the war.
These are those people who are able to work with their hands and this is a long learning process. These women have found their specialty in the EU countries. Ukraine is losing precious personnel and because of this there is now a shortage, " - explains Focus Roman Timofeev. After a full -scale invasion of the Russian Federation, Ukrainian patriotic songs, traditional clothing and design have gained a new wave of popularity.
However, some manufacturers give up quality and creative design, speculating on national symbolism. For example, the image of the Patron Patroni is actively used (the service dog of the SES, which helps the sappers to exchang the liberated territory), T -shirts with the inscription "Good evening, we are from Ukraine" appeared, which send to the appropriate song, cake "Ghost of Kiev", Combus Under the name "Bucha-Commbuch" and Sausage "Armed Forces".
Due to the frequent use of symbols of war in Ukrainian society, quite acute discussions began to emerge. Some believe that it is the popularization of Ukraine and deliberately distinguishing from the Russian information space. Others blame marketers of parasitic on war and lack of style, calling a similar creativity "Bajraktarschyna" and "Sharovar region". "It is sure to happen. It is clear that the mass taste will always be more simplified. There is nothing wrong with this," Timofeev says.
"I would not buy myself such a sweater, but I like some designers who work sophisticatedly with Ukrainian The national code. The same burst of primitive clothing design was in 2014–2015. Over time, the trend left and remained quality products, and those who made T -shirts with a trident were closed. There is now in demand and it is important to satisfy it.
Many Ukrainians want Wearing a T-shirt with a blue and yellow flag because they feel pride and want to tell the world about it, "the expert explains. The interlocutor notes - in Ukraine there are many brands of clothing that integrate national symbols harmoniously and thoughtfully. In addition to the Bevza brand, which created necklaces and earrings in the form of wheat spikelets, Timofeev mentions the collection from Gunia Project.
"A part of the house collapsed in Borodyanka of the Kiev region after the Russian projectile was hit. It was evident that in the kitchen cabinet in one of the apartments of the ceramic vessel in the form of a rooster. Ukrainians began to use this rooster as a symbol , earrings and bracelets. Olena Zelenska often appears in such jewelry now, ”Timofeev says.
The interlocutor believes that the absence of a western mass market will allow Ukrainian brands to develop, since the low price tag of large companies did not allow competing with foreign manufacturers. However, having purchased an inexpensive thing in Inditex brands, the consumer sometimes received poor quality of goods.
"Of course, when Zara and H&M went, it created a hole in closing the need for consumers-and the girls now completely switched to Ukrainian brands and styles of different direction. I, as a representative of the fashion industry, can say that the fashion community does not miss the mass markets "We understood that the price of clothing was priority. And now Ukrainian brands have the opportunity to meet demand. Moreover, Ukraine is a very fashionable country, "Timofeev explains.
After the Russian invasion in the wardrobe of Ukrainians, Khaki became more frequent - a shade of green, reminiscent of the color of military equipment. Some brands have been making camouflage collections. "I remember khaki and military prints since 2014. At that time, there was a trend on an elitist military, which refers to the aesthetics of British officers.
Then he felt that in the wardrobe of ordinary civilians military paraphernalia and khaki were inappropriate because these things were labeled as a military. For me, this is a question of respect, because if you are civil, you cannot try on the image of the military. It is disrespect for those who not just wear these things - but give their lives at the front. If you dress, please go to the war, "Timofeev is convinced. Ahmad Swedan is a technical director of the Sabina Bambino brand.
After the start of a full -scale invasion, the company moved from Kiev to Paris. The expert tells how to save business in war and forced migration. "We are a high -fashion brand, we have existed for over four years, but now we are forced to restart, because after the start of the war everything has stopped - it is not even about production. At this point, we are creating a business plan, looking for French investors.
We also participate in the Institut Français de la Mode - this is one of the best in the world of fashion institutes, as a result, three brands that will cooperate with the main fashion media, we participate in this project and intend to produce a new collection, before issuing a new collection, Create a stun around us, "says Ahmad Swedan focus. Sabina Bambino's technical director specifies that despite geographical location, the brand is positioned as Ukrainian.
However, it does not have national ornaments or symbols. Sabina Bambino clothing is created everyday life. "It is important to say that we are from Ukraine. To talk about our country. Plus, there is a lot of help and appropriate attitude. If we talk about current trends in the country, I do not think that it is possible to call a fashion T -shirt with a print "Military Ship . . . ". It's just a print. Some brands that showed Ukraine on the world stage left the country.
Production still remains there because it is cheap. No brand that expects in Paris, Italy or Spain, "says Akhmad Swedan. According to the expert, Ukrainian fashion has changed: economic situation and 30% of unemployment levels lead to the fact that Ukrainians are not ready to spend big money now on clothing. However, fashion brands, the cost of which is much higher than the price tag of the mass market, was not injured because they were initially designed for buyers with high earnings.