Since its return to Kyiv in September 2024, Ukrainian Fashion Week has been held under conditions that repeatedly disrupt the regular rhythm of a fashion week. The autumn/winter 2026/27 edition was no exception.
Between a postponed date and ongoing attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, with noticeable consequences for power and heat supplies in Kyiv, the event, held from March 12 to 15, nevertheless asserted itself. This once again highlighted the role of fashion in Ukraine, not only as an aesthetic force but also as a cultural and economic one.
“This season will not be remembered for its postponed dates or the difficult conditions under which the collections were created,” said Iryna Danylevska, founder and CEO of Ukrainian Fashion Week. “It will be remembered for the uncompromising belief in what we stand for and in the Ukrainian fashion industry.”
Stemming from this attitude, questions of identity—national, individual, or brand-specific—became a central theme of the presentations in Kyiv. In parallel, textiles and sustainability took on key significance. Under the title Art of Fashion, Ukrainian Fashion Week presented an accompanying exhibition that brought together sustainable approaches, new materials, and experimental techniques. It featured works by Bevza; J’aemme; Kseniaschnaider; Litkovska; Nadya Dzyak; Plngns; TG Botanical; Upslowuse; and the Ukrainian Fashion Education Group.
Sustainability as structure
The discourse was not confined to the exhibition space. The runway collections also engaged intensively with sustainability. The theme rarely appeared in isolation; instead, it was closely linked to questions of identity, memory, and transformation.
At Upslowuse, upcycling and zero-waste production are not supplementary layers but the foundation of its entire approach. Materials carry visible histories within them. Denim, wool, and reconstructed textiles retain their past and are placed in new contexts.
In the ‘Liminal’ collection, this material approach is expanded by a conceptual layer. Drawing on Ukrainian demonology, the work explores transitions, ambivalence, and psychological tension. The presentation reinforces this impression through layering, material contrasts, and a performative structure. Here, sustainability is evident in the life cycle of the clothing as well as in the question of cultural memory and the shifting of meaning over time.
A similar approach is seen at St. Mariia. Reused materials are understood as carriers of experience. Their rearrangement does not erase the past but allows different layers of time to coexist. This creates garments that appear less as finished products and more as condensations of time.
This process destabilises existing codes and opens up new interpretations. Here, upcycling becomes a critical tool that questions not only the production but also the social function of clothing.
Ukrainian identity as a system
Alongside sustainability, the question of Ukrainian identity forms a second central axis of the season. This is less about representation and more about the translation of cultural content.
At Khrystyna Rachytska, the work is based on traditional embroidery techniques, archival research, and artisanal precision. Elements of Ukrainian folk art are translated into contemporary silhouettes without losing their meaning. Every detail refers to historical contexts while simultaneously becoming part of a contemporary narrative. Natural materials strengthen this connection and anchor the designs in a material reality. Themes such as resilience, continuity, and care shape the collection. Here, fashion becomes a medium of cultural transmission.
Identity is also central at Yaroslav Filip, explored through questions of stigmatisation and social attribution. Clothing becomes a space for negotiation. The deconstruction of classic suits questions the symbolic content of clothing within social systems of order. The suit, traditionally associated with authority, professionalism, and gender norms, is broken down and transformed into modular forms.
Across these positions, a common core emerges: Identity is not understood as a fixed entity but as a process. It arises from the interplay of experience, context, and attribution. The runways make this movement visible.
Between form and fluidity
In addition to these thematic axes, the relationship between form and function comes more sharply into focus. Juliya Kros works with the principle of transformation. Her designs change through reversible constructions, variable elements, and modular systems. Clothing becomes an active system, co-designed by the wearer. The focus is on cut and proportion, often in clean, architecturally influenced silhouettes.
Chuprina, in turn, transforms classic materials like tweed into softer, more fluid forms. The collection is characterised by candy colours, movement, and lightness, while fringes and flowers add soft accents. This creates an image of femininity that moves between structure and fluidity. Meanwhile, table tennis rackets worn as bags—covered in tweed, of course—suggest a sporty idea.
The season in Kyiv defies a single, clear narrative. Instead of committing to a single narrative, it unfolds in layers where sustainability, identity, and form merge. Materials carry memory; silhouettes allude to change; and cultural references are not merely cited but re-staged. This complexity creates an image of fashion that relies less on clarity and more on resonance—on the interplay between past and present, personal experience, and collective history.
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