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Ukrainian female designers join their forces to empower women’s creativity and resilience

Text: Tatiana Stolyarova

Photo credit: Nick Naida

October 8 2023

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UWFIA which stands for Ukrainian Women Fashion Industry Alliance is a creative and business partnership of the five brands: Nadya Dzyak, Chereshnivska, Grie, SAYYA, and Tamar Keburia. As the name of this Alliance indicates, all of the designers and founders of the brands are women. What also unites them is their talent, bravery and ambitions.

The event was supported by the USAID Competitive Economy Program in Ukrainian (USAID CEP).

Designers showed their latest creations in the VETEMAZE showroom in the French capital, where, in addition to presenting their collections, they discussed the mission of the Alliance and made plans for the future. The event got the attention of both foreign and local media, revealing the current problems and the general Ukrainian socio-economic issues through the prism of fashion and culture.

“Our teams are based in Ukraine. We all work and create to preserve jobs in our respective companies. It is very important given the circumstance,” – says designer and brand founder NADYA DZYAK.

Every collection presented at the Paris Fashion Week is a testament to the resilience, dedication, and unique creative potential of the Ukrainian designers. Among their creations are up-cycled denim pieces, handwoven garments, transparent pleat dresses made in Kharkiv, and items with David Hockney prints. It is a variety of textures and shapes accompanied by bags produced in a Kyiv-based family studio, with technologies passed down from generation to generation.

Nadya Dzyak showcased her new collection earlier in London within the official program of the London Fashion Week. This time the designer, who has a long history of presenting her garments to the Western European and Middle Eastern public in a variety of showrooms, has drawn her inspiration from the work of the artist Polina Raiko. The house-museum of Raiko after was destroyed The Kakhovka Dam tragedy.

A photo collage installation was set up specifically for the event. It showed the production process of each brand. Highlighting the work of teams, creative studios, and their workers. These displays allowed foreign media to witness how Ukrainian production operates despite various challenges. Everyone is determined to stay in Ukraine no matter what.

“It is a great joy to find like-minded people. Those who give their best and work as one towards shared success. Doing everything possible and impossible for the development of the fashion industry in Ukraine,” – says Alisa Grishaeva, GRIE accessories brand designer.

Unique accessories were made for the guests of the showroom. Hand-made fabric flowers were crafted from the material used by the five brands in their collections, representing a thematic symbol of unity.

The UWFIA’s mission is to support women in the fashion industry, regardless of their place of residence, age, or specialization. It is an Alliance with a special emphasis on women’s entrepreneurship and leadership.

The brands have come together and function as a single entity. In just a few months of their collaboration, the designers have provided each other with invaluable assistance in finding new employees, suppliers, sales channels, and business contacts. This coordinated teamwork proved that the unity of like-minded people yields incredible results and amplifies each other’s voices.

Alliance’s slogan is: “You are not alone”! To inspire women to follow their greatest ambitions and develop Ukrainian fashion during the most challenging times.

As Lyubov Makarenko, designer of the SAYYA brand says: “Alliance has become a support system for me. I don’t feel alone in my line of work. I now have partners who will lend me a helping hand, and I’m ready to help them in return”!

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