On May 16, 2024, as part of the work of the student scientific club "Current trends in fashion design" (club leaders - Nataliia Chuprina, Doctor of Art History, Professor, Tetiana Krotova, Doctor of Art History, Professor) a round table "Trends of a tragic time: war themes in Ukrainian and the world fashion community" was held. The moderators of the event were Tetiana Krotova, Professor of the Department of Art and Fashion Design, and Anastasia Yukhymchuk, a post-graduate student under the EPP “Design”.

During the event, the students analyzed the situation on the Ukrainian and international catwalks, where designers demonstrate a change of meaning in the concepts of "costume" and "fashion" familiar to society. In particular, the collections of Ukrainian designers presented in Budapest and Berlin were examined.

Designer Maria Starchak (STARCHAK), a graduate of KNUTD, demonstrated the stories of tragedies through stylized handmade embroidery on things mutilated by casings, nails and glass; The most painful memory of the tragic history of the Mariupol Drama Theatre is embroidered on a jacket with threads in the form of the inscription "CHILDREN".

The "Freedom" collection of the KIR KHARTLEY brand carries the message that true freedom should not be intimidated or shot, because it lives in the heart of every Ukrainian; through the combination of military elements with flowers by the designer Yadviga Netyksha (YADVIGA NETYKSHA), a graduate of KNUTD, expresses sadness and pain due to the destruction of the flowering steppes of Ukraine; the collection of designer Zhan Grytsfeldt (a graduate of KNUTD) is simple things on which patriotic Ukrainian messages are printed: Palyanytsia, Language, Consciousness, Ukraine, New Life, Courage, Freedom, Happiness, Unity, Song, Peace.

Answering the question "What is the importance of fashionable clothes when the most important thing is to preserve life, safety and the country in general?", the students came to the conclusion that today it is more appropriate to speak through fashion, to demonstrate not the trends of the season but thoughts, feelings, appeals that tell the world about the tragedy of Ukraine and which contribute to the unification of efforts of people from different countries.

Teachers of Kyiv National University of Technologies and Design encourage future fashion designers to bring traditions and innovations in fashion design to the world with dignity, reflecting the challenges and requirements of modern society. Talented students and graduates of the Faculty of Design, the Department of Art and Fashion Design, promote the national identity of Ukraine on the world catwalks, demonstrating the best achievements of Ukrainian culture in their collections.

23.05.2024