For many years, the International Trade Fair for Footwear, Leather Goods, Clothing and Accessories “LEATHER AND SHOES” has been a reputable and powerful platform for demonstrating industry achievements, attracting business, establishing new partnerships and monitoring the needs of the modern market, as well as a venue for meeting fashion industry professionals, understanding current trends and directions of the industry development. This year, the 49th International Exhibition “LEATHER AND SHOES” was held from January 21 to 24, 2025 at the International Exhibition Center.
Traditionally, Kyiv National University of Technologies and Design demonstrates the achievements of scientific, technical, artistic and creative potential. The event was opened by Ivan Gryshchenko, Rector of KNUTD, Doctor of Economics, Professor, Academician of the National Academy of Pedagogical Sciences of Ukraine, winner of the State Prize of Ukraine in Science and Technology. Ivan Mykhailovych welcomed the participants and honored guests and emphasized that the University is a leader in training highly qualified experts in the fashion industry and design, has international recognition and a positive image, is constantly developing, dynamically changing in accordance with the requirements of society. The Rector also emphasized that this year the University celebrates its 95th anniversary. He noted that the University has deep traditions in training qualified design and technology professionals and in the scientific approach to solving the current problems of the footwear industry in Ukraine. The scientific school of footwear, founded in the 1980s by Professor Viktor Konoval, has been developed in the subsequent work of KNUTD researchers. These traditions have been deepened and brought to a qualitatively new level with a modern scientific approach under the leadership of Professor Svitlana Garkavenko. The Department of Fashion Technology is actively implementing digital technologies and the principles of sustainable development in the footwear design and production processes.
Ivan Mykhailovych emphasized the importance of the University's development in the context of European integration of the educational process and active cooperation with Western European partner universities, focused on the international Erasmus+ project “3D Fashion Concepts for Education in Ukraine” (3D4U), which aims to introduce 3D technologies into the fashion industry of Ukraine and promotes innovative development of the industry. The Rector also emphasized the strong staff of the University’s Department of Fashion Technology, which is focused on continuous professional innovation development, high efficiency of creative and research activities in the footwear industry. He noted the professionalism of the University’s academic staff – Prof. Viktor Lishchuk, Prof. Natalia Pervaia, Associate Professor Lilia Chertenko, Associate Professor Antonina Babych, Associate Professor Victoria Kernesh, Associate Professor Tymofii Lipskyi, Associate Professor Serhii Kamenets – who continue the traditions of the scientific school with dignity.
This important industry event brought together respected stakeholders of the University, including members of the Educational Investment and Technology Cluster of Light Industry in Kyiv: Valerii Rybas, Director of TK-FURNITURE LLC; Liudmyla Balashova, Development Director of Barva TM; Andrii Prokhorovskyi, Director of RA. DA LLC, Deputy Head of the Cluster; Oleh Pivovar, Director of Hydrostyl Research and Production Company LLC, Cluster Coordinator; Viktor Lishchuk, Professor of Fashion Technology; Oleksandr Holotko, Director of EKOTAPOK LLC; Tymofii Lipskyi, Founder of TM LITINI, Associate Professor of Fashion Technology; and Oleksandr Bondar, long-term business partner, Director of Prime Shoes LLC.
On behalf of the staff of the Faculty of Arts and Fashion of the University, Natalia Ostapenko, Dean of the Faculty, expressed deep respect and gratitude to Ivan Mykhailovych for his assistance and support for the long-term development of the light industry through powerful scientific schools, experienced academic staff, well-known graduates, as well as assistance in participating in various research, educational and social projects. She noted that today’s exhibition area once again demonstrates a variety of high-quality footwear models, which indicates a significant level of manufacturability, environmental friendliness, digitalization, and high creative potential and level of training of the Department of Fashion Technology at the University.
Andrii Prokhorovskyi, Deputy Chairman of the Board of the Educational Investment and Technology Cluster of Light Industry in Kyiv, greeted the participants and emphasized the innovativeness of the University’s developments and high research potential.
Tymofii Lipskyi, Associate Professor of the Department of Fashion Technology, spoke in detail about the exhibits and emphasized the high-tech, functional and aesthetic nature of modern footwear models.
The University's academic community joined this significant event: Liudmyla Hanushchak-Yefimenko, Vice-Rector for Research and International Cooperation, Ihor Panasiuk, Director of the Institute of Engineering and Information Technologies, and Viktoriia Marhasova, Director of the Research Institute of Economics, Tetiana Derkach, Dean of the Faculty of Chemical and Biopharmaceutical Technologies, Kalyna Pashkevych, Dean of the Faculty of Design, Yulia Biriukova, Director of the International Institute for Academic Mobility and Cooperation, Olena Mokrousova, Head of the Department of Biotechnology, Leather and Fur. The exhibition was also attended by the leading teachers of the Department of Fashion Technology – Antonina Babych, Tymofii Lipskyi, Larysa Rzhavicheva, Tetiana Makhinia, headed by the Head of the Department Olha Haranina, and postgraduate students – Daryna Kaptiurova, Maria Kravchuk, Mykhailo Matveiev, Anna Vardanyan, Andrii Lipskyi.
Visitors to the exhibition highly appreciated the student collections of footwear and accessories presented and testified to the professionalism of experienced university teachers. The footwear models were made in the educational and research laboratories by the academic staff, graduate students and students of the Department, both as part of intra-university collaborations and with the involvement of partners.
The shoe models made by students as part of their internships, qualifying projects, and competitive collections for the International Competition for Young Fashion Designers “Pecherski Kashtany”, etc. demonstrate the creativity, artistic expression, design experiments, and creative potential of the authors.
Teachers, postgraduate and undergraduate students of the University in the training and research laboratories of the Department have made many models of orthopedic shoes for people with diabetes, the elderly, children with special needs and others.
Also, among the exhibits of the stand are shoes for people with special needs after gunshot, mine and other injuries due to the armed aggression of the Russian Federation in Ukraine. For example, highly qualified specialists of Talan, a recognized leader in the production of modern military footwear, together with students and teachers of the Department of Fashion Technology, as part of a special project, made military boots for a Ukrainian officer who, despite losing most of his right foot after being wounded, continues to serve in the military.
The exhibition visitors and manufacturers showed interest not only in the highly aesthetic, creative models of footwear and accessories at the University’s stand, but also in the research and methodological developments in the light industry and educational services provided by Kyiv National University of Technologies and Design.
Significant support and assistance to the Department of Fashion Technology of the University was provided by partners of the footwear industry from Germany as professional literature, training videos, leather kits, artificial materials, etc. for the manufacture of footwear. The exhibition featured models designed and manufactured in cooperation with international partners from Germany, namely internationally renowned orthopedic shoe maker Bernd Franke, representative of the 3D transformation company Trans2 Form Martin Jaeger, Hartmut Seidich, orthopedic shoe manufacturer Franz Fischer and Praeparatio e.V.
We sincerely thank the organizers of the 49th International Specialized Exhibition of Footwear, Leather Goods, Clothing and Accessories “LEATHER AND SHOES” – Anastasia Kutsenko and Andriy Oberemko, for the opportunity to exchange ideas, experience, share innovative developments in the footwear fashion industry, develop new contacts for further cooperation, which will contribute to the development of the country’s economy, support the Armed Forces and the post-war recovery of Ukraine!
27.01.2025
