Ukrainian fashion at NYFW!

Ukrainian culture in the collections of national brands at New York Fashion Week!

The events in Ukraine are actively covered in the press, on the internet, and in tabloids.

During the fashion week, felt that the fashion community did not bypass these events either and empathized with the Ukrainian people. 

At New York Fashion Week, in support of the homeland, the Ukrainian brand Bevza presented its SS ’23 collection, a visual voice of modern Ukraine, engulfed in war but still fighting for its country and looking optimistically into the future. The collection was inspired by the image of a woman in the fields gathering wheat and reaping the bountiful harvest of her motherland.

Like in the previous seasons, the Ukrainian cultural heritage is traced in the Bevza SS ’23 collection. In every detail, the designers refer to the national cultural symbols: the ears symbolizing wheat are seen in the brand’s signature jewelry with ears, which were reinterpreted for the new collection, as well as in the textures and details of the dresses.

The collection’s skirts and dresses resemble the traditional “plahta” skirt styles women wear while harvesting wheat. Traditional shirt blouses inspire the sleeve shapes on jackets. Traditional knit elements depicting the sacred star symbol can be seen on T-shirts and dresses, and the khustka shawl worn by Ukrainian women is used in elegant evening gowns. Even the hairstyles of Kin Huang of the OribePro team stylized the traditional male hairstyles of the Ukrainian Cossacks, the defenders of the country who lived centuries ago.

But Bevza did not forget its corporate aesthetic. Clean lines and simple cuts are combined with drapery, nautical details, and unexpected design elements. BEVZA believes that the main principle of beauty is simplicity. Brittleness and strength.

Another Ukrainian brand SANTA BRANDS, presented a mind-blowing partywear collection. In collaboration with Revolve, they recreated a story about femininity, looking for a way to reveal the fabulous sides of the personality of a modern party-goer.

Unlike their compatriots who focus on the harvest of their country, SANTA BRANDS built the story of the collection at the intersection of Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” and poetic folk tales familiar to every Ukrainian since childhood, depicting forest nymphs called “mauves,” and their curious, playful adventures.

SANTA BRANDS nymph is brave, confident, radiant, and full of youth. And at the same time, she is aware of her power and how powerful she is.

The heroine of the collection is a free-loving dryad, a hippie at heart, but in love with the city and the thrill that a night party can bring – a muse for herself, she does not need to look for adventure because she can set in motion any party.

SANTA BRANDS has chosen all the most trendy colors for this capsule: silver, gold, purple and black are shimmering, ethereal, and full of life. The heavenly palette is balanced by an earthy, nature-inspired aesthetic that combines floral crowns, motifs, and SANTA BRANDS signature fabrics embellished with rhinestones.

Article & Photos by Fashion Stylist Daria Beloyvan Article edit: Fashion Magazine 24