PARTICIPATION OF STUDENTS FROM THE DEPARTMENT OF ART AND FASHION DESIGN IN UKRAINIAN FASHION WEEK SS27 EVENTS: FROM ARCHITECTURAL MANIFESTOS TO SCULPTURAL ANATOMY
At the 59th season of Ukrainian Fashion Week SS27, young talents and graduates of the Department of Art and Fashion Design of the KNUTD Faculty of Design transformed the language of fashion into a powerful artistic and social manifesto.
As part of the "New Names" program, KNUTD master’s student Yelyzaveta Malynovska – founder of the brand KAZHAN ELIS – presented her debut collection, "Cathedral Spider Lace". The collection is dedicated to the preservation of the St. Nicholas Roman Catholic Church in Kyiv. Through the language of fashion, the designer draws attention to the urgent need to save this unique Neo-Gothic landmark, originally designed by Władysław Horodecki. In the collection, the exposed metal frameworks of crinolines and paniers serve as a metaphor for construction scaffolding, symbolizing the journey from ruin to restoration. KAZHAN ELIS blends the structural logic of historical costume with contemporary tailoring, resulting in bohemian, androgynous silhouettes. Artificially aged fabrics, traces of rust, signs of wear, and hand-knitted cobwebs evoke the passage of time and oblivion, while roses sprouting through the ruins symbolize a beauty that endures beyond time.
Anna Kuzmenko, a finalist in the "A Look Into the Future – 2025" (Pohliad u maibutnie – 2025) competition and a graduate of the Department of Art and Fashion Design, presented the "Menagerie" collection under the brand leCRI. The project’s concept was inspired by Pietro Longhi’s painting "Clara the Rhinoceros" and research into the fates of exotic animals transported to Europe in the past to entertain monarchs. The image of a creature confined to a cage serves as a metaphor for human powerlessness in the face of a system where the lives of millions depend on the decisions of a few influential figures. In this minimalist, animal-themed collection, leCRI moved away from complex tailoring, focusing instead on raw emotion, a more aggressive color palette, and distressed textures. Adhering to zero-waste principles, the brand also incorporated leftover materials from other production processes into the designs.
Graduate Maksym Kudrevskyi presented an expanded version of the project "BODY" ("TILO") for his brand, KUDREVSKYI. For the designer, human anatomy is reimagined as a structural blueprint: the musculoskeletal system and muscular structure are transformed into strategic cuts, asymmetry, and fluid silhouettes. Anatomical forms undergo a process of abstraction, while the naked body is presented not as the opposite of clothing, but as its extension. The conceptual space for the presentation was developed by Anastasiia Kanarova, Head Visual Merchandiser at TSUM Kyiv; she created a full-scale 3D installation featuring voluminous paper replicas of dresses, which evolved into independent sculptural objects.
A true testament to the continuity between generations was the recognition of talented graduate Yuliia Psarova, Creative Director of the brand APSARA. She was awarded the prestigious Emerging Brand Prize by KACHOROVSKA. As Alina Kachorovska noted, amidst the immense challenges of the present day, the "Ascent of Apsara" collection offered a sense of light and hope. The collection’s visual language is defined by monolithic silhouettes, contrasting textures, and the fluid forms of palm leaves – all reimagined through the lens of natural transformation and renewal.
It is also worth noting the students оf the department who participated in this year’s All-Ukrainian "Look Into the Future" competition – Alina Mazur, Bozhena Mamchuk, Artem Puhach, and Iryna Chernohrytska – as well as university alumni Maksym Kudrevskyi and Anastasiia Navrotska.
The current generation of fashion design students is also catching up with their more experienced counterparts. In early September 2026, works by junior-year students Nadiia Kalchuk and Yelyzaveta Boretska were showcased at events during UFW SS27.
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An accessory designed by Nadiia Kalchuk (3rd year student) |
Stylist Orysia Matsiota complemented her look |
The participation of KNUTD students and graduates in the country’s premier fashion event confirms the high level of training of professionals capable of combining profound meaning, eco-friendly innovations, and exceptional craftsmanship!
Photos of collections from the resource http://fashionweek.ua/uk/
16.10.2026