Ukrainian Fashion
Design by Yuzhen Wang
The atrocities, terror and sheer devastation that the Ukrainian people face amidst the Russian invasion has left the international onlookers in deep shock and poignancy; the world has been left to “navigate the dark hour in our shared history”. Yet the resilience of the Ukraine, the peoples’ absolute courage in the face of adversity and their united front is a force to be reckoned with. Here at Purveyour we feel we must acknowledge the unparalleled commitment, the dedication and intrepid valor brought to light through Ukraine’s fashion industry as we too stand in support of Ukraine.
We Stand With Ukraine
Masha Popova
Masha Popova’s Y2K butterfly aesthetic is the vibrant whimsy defining summer trends this season. As spied on the Instagram accounts of Dua Lipa, Bella Hadid and Billie Eilish back in 2021, the emphasis on craft and the appeal of the handmade is at the forefront of Popova’s creativity.
Popova graduated from Central Saint Martins in 2020, and learning and refinement has always been the concept underpinning each of Popova’s pieces. She blends her raw spirit with the precision of delicately draped fabric, a technique she learnt whilst interning at Celine. Whilst speaking on her craft, Popova explains: “I do everything on a mannequin…It seems very simple, but it gives you structure” and thus her collection is defined as elegantly experimental and enchanted: “I get white fabric, raw denim and the rest is magic”.
Chereshnivska
Chereshnivska is a Ukraine-based unisex brand founded in 2016 and their designs are valued as pure artistry, constantly evolving and innovating itself with sustainable practice always at its core whilst reflecting the buzz of modernity. Until 2024, the brand has pledged that 50% of their production will be made from recycled items, and because of this, the brand remains uniquely couture as all their lines are available only in very limited quantities.
Most of the designs of Chereshnivska feature hand-drawn prints by Creative Director Anastasiya Rozova exuding premium and individuality. The brand is instant that each line is driven by a strong core concept but it is always one open to interpretation.
PASKEL
PASKAL was launched by finalist of the first LVMH prize edition and architect Julie Paskal back in 2013, and in 2016 when Paskal’s collection was featured in the window display at Colette Paris and subsequently showcased at Paris Fashion Week, the brand sky-rocketed to fame.
The brand is renowned for its airy femininity, delicate silhouettes and minimalistic shapes, all of which are “reminiscent of innovative architecture and nature”. For Paskal, beauty is distilled from the construction of the garment, from the bouncy tulle or the laser cut techniques that define PASKAL. And as the brand asserts, “the result is [always] sensitive design with a strong personality.
91LAB
91LAB is an emerging womenswear knitwear brand founded in 2018 by its parent company RITO whose brand has over 30 years of knitwear experience.
Each of the 91LAB collections feature sophisticated knitwear and jacquards all created using carefully selected fine yarns. The brand epitomises luxuriously understated feminine shapes and “grown-up sensuality”.
91LAB has defined its purpose as creating a new kind of knitwear, reimagining it as a “modern classic and contemporary luxury”.
FROLOV
“Sometimes people pronounce FROLOV as FOR LOVE - and there is no mistake. Cause the first thing we create as a brand is love, and everything we do is with love. That’s why anatomical heart is our logo, and we put it out on each of our pieces” – Ivan Frolov.
“Couture-to-wear” is how designer Frolov defines his brand that launched back in 2015 in the heart of Kyiv. His collections are framed around juxtapositions of “flawlessness and comfort, intelligence and provocation, social responsibility and serenity”. Frolov’s message then is to convey, through the medium of fashion, how people’s individuality, whose quirks and kinks need not be taboo but be what makes them uniquely beautiful. It’s a brand about Transsexual culture, BDSM, Fetishism, LGBTQIA+.
The aesthetics of a FROLOV garment includes corsetry, lux fabric and opulent embellishment that communicates the powerful statement about its wearers’ diversity.
FROLOV uses an elastic mesh to create statuesque, figure-hugging silhouettes and uses crystals that do not cling to the fabric and do not irritate the wearer’s skin, and thus it is a key feature of FROLOV to create custom pieces for the beautifully unique bodies of each client.
FROLOV is about empowerment and experiment, and no where is this brand more relevant than today.
Whilst the Ukraine remains vigilant in these trying, uncertain and frankly heart wrenching times, the nation has miraculously found a renewed sense of purpose and pride in their culture, in their identity, one of spirit and agency that speaks volumes to the rest of the world.