Highlights of the 57th Season of Ukrainian Fashion Week

From 4 to 8 September, Kyiv hosted the 57th season of Ukrainian Fashion Week SS26, dedicated to the power of fashion as a cultural code and as an instrument for preserving national identity.

A significant part of the program focused on events exploring the synergy between art and fashion:
The XXVI Young Designers Contest “Look into the Future. The Khanenko Museum Collection” opened the new season of UFW in the historic interiors of the Khanenko Museum.
The “Art of Fashion” exhibition united ten signature looks by Ukrainian designers inspired by the works of renowned painters, sculptors, graphic artists, and illustrators. Fashion and art merged into one narrative, presenting decades of creative experiments and collaborations by brands including FROLOV, KSENIASCHNAIDER, LITKOVSKA, LONA PRIST, LYSENKO Gallery, NADYA DZAYK, PASKAL, POUSTOVIT, VOZIANOV, 91 LAB.

Within the walls of the Old Academic Building of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy, POUSTOVIT staged the performance “Connection”, an art project inspired by the work of artist Pavlo Makov.

GUNIA Project unveiled a Christmas ceramics collection KONIK — drawing on the tradition of horse imagery in Ukrainian culture, continuing the preservation and renewal of Ukrainian craft.

MY THEATRE by Dariia Bila celebrated its first anniversary with a runway debut at UFW. Having started her creative journey in theatre costume workshops, designer Dariia Bila embedded this aesthetic into the foundation of her brand.

TONiA presented the collection Renaissance, referencing European aristocratic fashion and Renaissance painting. Dresses featured artwork reproductions from Sandro Botticelli’s The Birth of Venus.

GAPTUVALNYA showcased Rusalka Dnistrova in a performance-presentation inspired by the first Ukrainian-language almanac of 1837 — a symbol of national awakening, reinterpreted through fashion.

J’AMEMME revealed the SS26 collection Sa Lumière in an immersive performance at the National Art Museum of Ukraine, plunging the audience into a world of light — intimate and layered.

For the first time, the general public could view unique embroidered shirts from the archive of KHRYSTYNA RACHYTSKA as part of the exhibition I Am! Materia by Khrystyna Rachytska — embodying the continuity of artistic tradition and style formed over centuries.

Grains de Verre presented a conceptual exhibition “Path [to] Woman” — an allegory of a museum display, where four installations reflected different states, contradictions, and facets of womanhood.

The SAMOKISH exhibition explored generational dialogue, combining paintings by Ukrainian artist Mykola Samokysh with jewelry by his granddaughter, designer Kateryna Basovska.

Season Presentations

ARTICLE presented the collection Structured Freedom in an intimate showcase dedicated to the jacket as the heart of the brand’s universe.

DAMIRLI unveiled a new capsule collection in a chamber presentation, continuing to shape its language of modern classics by combining minimalism, strength, and recognizable style.

DIIEVA staged a presentation-performance reflecting on roots, traditions, and their role in modern life.

KACHOROVSKA hosted a flagship store presentation, dedicating its new collection to work as a grounding daily ritual that disciplines and maintains a calming rhythm.

TG Botanical introduced The Garden of Awakening, evoking craftsmanship and the sensation of inner blossoming, inspired by gardens as spaces for slowing down, reconnecting with the earth, with oneself, and with silence.

“Clothes with Function” Initiative

At the Mystetskyi Arsenal, from 5–7 September, Ukrainian brands ANDREAS MOSKIN, JULIYA KROS, MAKI, SIDLETSKIY, and UFEG x VOZIANOV presented adaptive looks within the “Clothes with Function” exhibition.
Harper’s Bazaar initiated the public talk Inclusive Fashion: Code of Resilience, continuing the important conversation about adaptive design in fashion.

Adaptive looks were also featured on the runway in the collections of ANDREAS MOSKIN, JULIYA KROS, and SIDLETSKIY.

Charity remained integral to Ukrainian Fashion Week. Within the framework of the “Faces of Heroes” initiative, UFW has already raised ₴750,000 to fund reconstructive surgeries for veterans with mine-explosion facial injuries, and participating brands continue the fundraising effort.

Key Runway Shows of UFW SS26

The finale of UFW was marked by the COAT by Katya Silchenko, transforming the closing into a historic moment. The collection was dedicated to theatre as a symbol of devotion to art, and to women as embodiments of beauty and strength capable of sustaining life despite challenges.

SIDLETSKIY presented the collection Identity, where architectural forms intertwined with Ukrainian craftsmanship. In collaboration with the U+ System prosthetics center, the brand created adaptive clothing modeled on the runway by military personnel.

NADYA DZYAK unveiled BORYVITER SS26, inspired by Southern Ukraine — Berdyansk, the Azov Sea, and the work of dissident artist Alla Horska.

ANDREAS MOSKIN presented To Live Towards, a collection exploring resilience and unity born in times of trial.

Grant winner of last year’s UFW x United For Freedom program, and graduate of School of Art x Craft, Solomiia Hrynkyv debuted at UFW SS26 with her collection SOLOMIIAHRYNKIV, consisting of 12 looks crafted through destruction, dyeing, and experimental forms.

SANTA delivered a transformational show — the brand’s signature sparkle evolving into refined cinematic brilliance.

VIKTORANISIMOV, a UFW resident since 1997, presented a collection built on layering and transformation principles.

Due to another Russian missile attack on Kyiv, CHUPRINA’s show was held without an audience, following the lifting of an air raid alert. Inspired by morning light, the SS26 collection reimagined tweed through the prism of color and texture, turning it into a symbol of new beginnings.

Season Debuts

Many Ukrainian brands debuted this season at UFW, including AMELINA, ARTICLE, COVER, DAMIRLI, GRAINS DE VERRE, JJSQUEE, NAZARELLI, LINNI CARO.

Support for Young Designers

The Grand Prix of “Look into the Future” and a cash prize of ₴100,000 from the main partners Visa and PrivatBank went to Nadiia Dobrovolska.

DANIA STINOVA, a participant of the New Names platform, received a ₴100,000 grant from the concept store NIESHE.

Young brand SIDLETSKIY was awarded a ₴100,000 grant from the KACHOROVSKA Group.

Conference “Industry Challenges in Current Realities”
On the final day of UFW SS26, Kyiv’s TSUM hosted the first-ever business conference organized by Ukrainian Fashion Week and White Rabbit Agency. Leading professionals discussed the challenges facing Ukraine’s fashion industry in wartime: production adaptation, transformation of formats and sales geographies, and communication strategies in times of crisis.