SUMMER WEEKEND by OFD 2026 Reveals What It Takes to Create Fashion During War

SUMMER WEEKEND by OFD 2026 took place in Odesa on 8 and 9 August, bringing Ukrainian designers, emerging talent, educators, media and industry professionals together across two locations. The second day went ahead after a combined missile and drone attack struck Odesa and the surrounding region overnight, placing the practical and human cost of producing fashion during wartime at the centre of this season’s story.

The annual summer project opened at MarAmax Academy before moving to the Odesa Botanical Garden of I. I. Mechnikov Odesa National University. Across the two days, the programme presented contemporary designer clothing, summer and cruise collections, and work by a new generation entering Ukraine’s fashion industry.

The Decision to Continue

The first day concluded on 8 August. During the following night, Odesa and the surrounding region came under a large-scale combined attack involving missiles and drones.

After the difficult night, the organising team, led by Odessa Fashion Day producer Oleh Shkilniuk, seriously considered cancelling the programme scheduled for 9 August at the Botanical Garden.

The decision to continue came collectively. Designers remained ready to travel with their collections, while models, make-up artists, stylists, photographers and other members of the production team confirmed that they would work.

SUMMER WEEKEND by OFD continued because the people behind it chose to gather and complete what they had started. This decision did not make the circumstances easier, nor did the organisers attempt to present them as such. Instead, the event showed the effort now required to sustain independent creative work in Ukraine.

“This season became very personal for us. Until the final moment, we did not know whether we would be able to hold it at all. First, because of the difficulty of financing an independent project, and then because of what happened in Odesa the night before. After such a night, the question was no longer about organising a fashion event. It was whether we had the moral and physical strength to continue. The people themselves gave us the answer. The designers were ready to come. The team was ready to work. The models, make-up artists, stylists and photographers all arrived. For me, this is where the strength of Ukrainian fashion lies today. We do not romanticise the conditions in which we work, but we do not want to allow those conditions to take away Ukrainian designers’ opportunity to create, develop and be seen,” said Kostiantyn Lieontiev, Founder of Odessa Fashion Day.

DeClassic Opens the Two-Day Programme

On 8 August, Ukrainian designer brand DeClassic opened the season at MarAmax Academy.

Founded by designer Anastasiia Mykytyn, the brand works within contemporary designer wear. Its approach combines classical tailoring with conceptual fashion, reconsidering the traditional women’s suit through deconstruction, form and an individual interpretation of modern elegance.

DJ esvyato, also known as Maryna Shtelmashuk, created the musical programme for the presentation.

The following day, SUMMER WEEKEND by OFD moved to the Odesa Botanical Garden. Its natural setting brought the collections into direct conversation with the garden’s architecture and greenery, creating an open-air context for summer and cruise clothing.

PANACEA, LUMÉA, Yankovska Helen & Lady Forever, Soul Swim, PODOLSKA, Nimble Scissors and KEOSMY by yesundress presented collections during the second day.

Together, the participating labels represented different areas of contemporary Ukrainian fashion, from established designer businesses to independent brands continuing to develop under the economic and logistical pressures of war.

A Platform for Emerging Ukrainian Designers

The season also continued the Odessa Fashion Day team’s collaboration with the Kyiv National University of Technologies and Design.

Young designers almaz.wear, WYN and Kenzir Eugene presented their work alongside professional fashion brands. Their inclusion gave students and emerging creatives access to a working industry environment, media visibility and an audience beyond the university.

This educational direction remains an important part of SUMMER WEEKEND by OFD. The project does not treat young designers as a separate addition to the programme. Instead, it places their work within the same professional context as collections from active Ukrainian labels.

For designers beginning their careers during wartime, such opportunities carry particular importance. Limited resources and continuing instability affect production, education and the ability to present new work. A public platform can therefore provide more than exposure. It can create professional connections and confirm that new creative voices still have a place within the industry.

More Than a Fashion Event

The Odessa Fashion Day team established SUMMER WEEKEND by OFD in 2014 as a separate summer and cruise project. Over more than eleven years, it has become a recurring part of Odesa’s fashion calendar.

Its purpose remains focused on discovering new names, supporting Ukrainian designers and manufacturers, and building connections between fashion, education, media and business. The project also aims to place contemporary Ukrainian design within the wider cultural landscape of Odesa.

In 2026, that mission acquired another dimension. Producing an independent fashion event required professional experience, but it also depended on the personal time, resources and commitment of the people involved.

The team has been clear that it does not want to romanticise these circumstances. Every collection, runway appearance, photograph and presentation represents work completed during war, uncertainty and restricted access to funding.

That reality became the defining context of SUMMER WEEKEND by OFD 2026. After one of the summer’s most difficult nights, Odesa woke up and Ukrainian fashion continued to create.

Season Partners

Locations: Odesa Botanical Garden of I. I. Mechnikov Odesa National University and MarAmax Academy.

Exclusive partner: Sady Pobedy Luxury Gallery.

Educational partner: Kyiv National University of Technologies and Design.

Image partners: Ultimate Trend Store and Totalite Model Agency.

Media partners: FASHION, Best People Club, FABIOS Magazine, CHAS PERSHYKH, ABSURDU.NET, BUT.IN.UA, Culture Trend, TrueUa, EPOQUE Magazine, GLORY magazine, GOSSIP magazine, Lucky Ukraine, fbc.biz.ua, Super Lady magazine, TOUCH magazine, Studio of My Dreams, Cool’baba, Collaboration Magazine, Favorit, Odesa Media and PROMINENT MAGAZINE.

International partner: London Fashion Day.