‘It is our new reality’: Kyiv welcomes its first fashion week since war began

Missile attacks, blackouts and bomb shelters: Ukraine Fashion Week will make a defiant return to the fashion calendar this September.

The organizers of Ukrainian Fashion Week have announced the event’s 55th season in September will take place in Kyiv — the first time since Russia invaded the country on February 24, 2022. Around 50 brands are scheduled to show via a variety of mediums, from traditional runway shows to installations, presentations and performances. Most events will take place at the Mystetskyi Arsenal — Ukraine’s National Art and Culture Museum Complex — while a parade of designers and models will walk through the city in “a symbolic demonstration of unity,” according to a press release. Since Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the invasion of neighboring country Ukraine almost three years ago, more than 30,000 Ukrainian soldiers have died. With Russian forces suffering even bigger losses (earlier this month, the UK Defense Ministry said more than 70,000 soldiers were likely killed or wounded in May and June 2024 alone), authorities in Moscow are offering record signing-on bonuses of around $22,000 to attract new recruits to fight in the conflict. “We still have war in the whole country, and we feel the war in the whole country,” Lisa Ushcheka, head of international communications for Ukrainian Fashion Week, told CNN in a video call. “Because of the missile attacks, the blackouts and power outages. There are regions that (have) extremely hard shelling, regions that are suffering. We are used to it, and we have to live in this war reality. It is our new reality.” Protective measures will be in place for all eventualities. The Mystetskyi Arsenal, for example, where most shows will take place, is equipped with bomb shelters. “Once we hear the air raid siren, all guests will be asked to proceed to the bomb shelter,” Ushcheka said. A spokesperson for the public relations team working on the event said that despite this, “local media, industry talent and influencers” are expected to attend. The international fashion pack, however, may find it more challenging, with the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office still advising against all travel to most of Ukraine, including Kyiv; and the US Department of State listing the country as a “Level 4” — the highest on its travel advisory scale — warning citizens not to visit due to armed conflict.