UFW determined to raise fashion patriots
The Ukrainian fashion industry is trying to persuade us that things are OK. Telling the public that the national haute couture is slowly but steadily marching on and that moaning over global economic hardships is the privilege of irresponsible politicians, the Ukrainian Fashion Week organizing committee has announced that a new, 25th, Ukrainian Fashion Week will be held on October 15 to 20. More than 40 Ukrainian and foreign designers are going to display their spring/summer 2010 collections.
The press release of the oncoming fashion fest very much resembles an ideological manifesto that urges the public to help support and propagate the national fashion by embracing “fashion patriotism” of sorts.
“Ukrainian designers need your support in the current economic situation. Many countries have already chosen to redouble their efforts to develop fashion business. They regard fashion as a point of interest for their economy and an object of respect on the part of their compatriots,” the press release says.
“To be supported, Ukrainian fashion need a joint effort of all those who have anything to do with it,” says Iryna DANYLEVSKA, the longtime chairperson of the Ukrainian Fashion Week organizing committee. “For example, Italy has established a special Light Industry Promotion Foundation which also incorporates mass media people.
The organizers explain that this is an appeal not only to journalists but also to all the Ukrainians who can support – above all, financially – national designers. For more and more fashion designers are creating today the so-called second lines of clothing intended for mass production. It is of a much lower cost and, therefore, accessible for a wide range of fashionistas. But, to tell the truth, it is not only consumers but also popular trademarks that should take a step towards a radiant future of Ukrainian fashion: the latter very often do not even know who they create their apparels for.
“The trouble of all our trademarks is absence of the end-user. Meanwhile, success has always attended those who know for whom they work and what the consumer needs,” says Oleksandr SOKOLOVSKY, an UFW cofounder.
In spite of this, according to Danylevska, owing to the “quiet” work of Ukrainian designers, we can say even today that a gradually improving Ukrainian fashion industry is a proven fact. Although it is far easier for our fashion designers to work abroad, they stay at home, where they have to vie with importers under the unfair conditions of competition.
“They have established – without slogans and strikes – an economic sector, even though not a top-priority one. But this means, first of all, jobs and high-quality garments made by our compatriots,” the UFW organizing committee chair says.
“Now there are far more reasons for optimism than we think,” Sokolovsky assures us. “While a year ago things were more or less normal in the industry as a whole but the light industry was steadily plummeting, now the light industry is picking up against the backdrop of an overall fall. Earlier, the biggest problem for designers and some trademarks was the shortage and unjustifiably high cost of retail outlets. Now more good outlets are available, and their rental is on the wane. Let us look at statistics: in June—July 2009 the light industry registered a 14.5-percent rise compared to the same period of 2008, while the industry as a whole grew by a mere 3 percent. But the main factor that shows a considerable growth of the Ukrainian light industry is import. It has dropped by 40 percent since 2008.”
As Ukraine’s import of foreign products is diminishing, our designers continue their invasion of world fashion venues. The Ukrainian Fashion Week organizers reminded us, in particular, about the Ukrainian Fashion Games project (when Ukrainian designers displayed fragments of their cruise collections in Greece) and the second in a row participation of our designers in the international exhibition Pr t-a-Porter Paris held in the capital of France. What also pleases us is cooperation of Ukrainian fashion designers with world-famous brands. For example, Lilia Pustovit has launched a new line of accessories, Poustovit Made with Crystallized-Swarovski Elements, and Olha Gromova (Gromova Design brand) has signed an exclusive three-year contract with Nexus, one of the most prestigious show rooms in the US, which represents the well-known brands of the Americas, Italy, and Japan, for promoting her garments in the US, Canada, and Latin America.
As for the 25th Fashion Week’s geography, this year it will embrace five countries in addition to Ukraine: Georgia (to be represented by Avtandil Tskvitinidze, a frequent guest on our catwalks), Germany (Annette Gortz brand which has been displaying its collections at Ukrainian Fashion Weeks in the past few seasons and is marking its 25th anniversary this year), the United Kingdom (Anna Unger will take part in Fresh Fashion, a parade of young fashion designers who have already achieved some success in fashion business), Poland, and Russia (their representatives Alicja Czarniecka and Galina Beloshitskaya, respectively, will take part in the New Names show that demonstrates the achievements of designer novices).
In addition to traditional fashion parades, the Ukrainian Fashion Week is going to launch a number of projects the details of which the organizers so far refuse to reveal. It is only known that the UFW organizing committee, in conjunction with the civic organization Ukrainian Fashion Council (which comprises Ukrainian designers) will display, as part of the fashion week, the first Ukrainian fashion prize whose concept they have been drawing up for five years.
The 25th Ukrainian Fashion Week will be opened, as before, by Lilia Pustovit.
The Day is looking forward to this event, as are thousands of Ukrainian fashionistas.
