Ukraine has recently got in the forefront of international thought but its reach has extended far beyond newspapers front pages. Whether you were aware or not, Ukrainian influence has fully arrived to the top world catwalks and became a big hit in a world fashion. Paskal garments are a perennial presence at Colette, Yulia Yefimtchuk took the Jury prize at 2016 Hyeres Fashion Festival and Vyshyvanka by Vita Kin are among most favorite garment summer 2016 pieces of Anna Dello Russo and Leandra Medine. These are rising talents and hopes of contemporary Ukrainian fashion industry: 

Ksenia Schnaider

Ksenia Schnaider bagged a prize from Mercedes-Benz Kiev Fashion Days 2016 for her collection of dresses and casual pieces with digital prints inspired by Ukranian embroidery. By enlarging the patterns and breaking up pixels, she created a feminine camouflage juxtaposed with graphic shapes in bold black, orange and white. Schnaider is a best seller at Asthik, Kyiv's popular concept store, which mixes Marni, Valentino, Opening Ceremony, Kitsuné and other top brands with new Ukrainian talent. Moreover, Ksenia's jeans are a favorite item of many Hollywood celebrities and singers like Camila Cabello.

Anna October

Anna October launched her eponymous brand at 19. Today, she says her clothes are for “girls who act like ladies with elegance and a hint of craziness”. In 2016 Anna created a collection of satin dresses, shorts and parkas embellished with hand beading and laser cut flowers, which became an absolute hit among buyers. The collection was produced in-house in Kyiv with French and Italian fabrics.

Anton Belinskiy

Anton Belinskiy designs patchwork, floor-sweeping dresses that resemble Matisse-style cutouts and pairs them with mixed faux-fur coats and 80's retro knits. The designer cites industrial architecture, jigsaw puzzles and the country’s youth, who are keeping it cool despite the war and an uncertain economy as his inspiration.

RCR Khomenko

Young Ukrainian designer Yasia Khomenko used simple shapes as a canvas for hand painting and patchwork in an iconic Fall 2015 collection. The clothes are inspired, she says, “by a girl lost in the woods suffering stress and the interior battle, between her heart and lungs, as she tries to find a way out”.

DMDV

Originally, Olga Demydova produced pieces for other young Ukrainian designers, but now she designs her own line of urban basics that comes in psychedelic stripes, color blocking and vinyl. While Demydova only launched her brand in 2016, she was quickly invited to design a bag collection for Eastpak.
Nowadays Ukrainian designers are creating the trendiest clothes that are widely recognized and loved in fashion capitals around the world.
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