A “harvest” of emotions and heritage: LITKOVSKA at Ukrainian Fashion Week

5 September 2024 23:27

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Revival of traditions, returning home and new symbols at the brand’s presentation during the first fashion week since the start of the full-scale invasion

At this year’s Ukrainian Fashion Week, LITKOVSKA presented a unique project that united past and present through the symbolic Harvest, "Komersant Ukrainian" reports

The season, which began in Kyiv and will continue in Paris, embodies the harvest of the brand’s efforts over its almost twenty-year history, rethinking the traditions of correspondence in a new light, as well as the iconic part of the brand’s DNA – the Kyiv-Paris dichotomy.

One of the sources of inspiration for the Kyiv presentation was the Ukrainian Underground Post Office, a hidden network created after the Second World War. Alternative postage stamps were issued by various communities of Ukrainians in the mid-twentieth century, and famous artists were involved in their design.

Thus, the guests of the presentation gained their own experience of “underground mail”. This correspondence began in March this year in Paris, where guests of the LITKOVSKA presentation from all over the world wrote on white ribbons wishes for victory, peace and harmony for Ukrainians. The brand brought these messages to Kyiv, creating an art installation to share their warm words not only with the guests of the event, but also with everyone.

And throughout the day on 4 September, invited representatives of the Ukrainian fashion community, clients and friends of the brand wrote letters and cards of gratitude, which will be sent to Paris.

Especially for this purpose, the LITKOVSKA team developed author’s stamps, which the guests glued to envelopes and postcards. This event was aimed at reviving the tradition of correspondence and emphasising the connection between cities and generations, which is the basis of the Harvest concept.

Special attention was also paid to calligraphy: the ZHNYVA logo, which became the central symbol of the season, was created by a person who has been studying Ukrainian calligraphy for many years. This inscription became a visual representation of the idea of harvest, both physical and spiritual.

The presentation, which took place in the LITKOVSKA BASECAMP space on Lutheranska Street, the brand’s future flagship store, also included an exhibition of 80 photographs. The photos captured the key moments from almost 20 years of LITKOVSKA – the “Harvest” of achievements and memories before a new exciting chapter in its history.

The atmosphere of the evening was harmoniously complemented by the sounds of bandura, a traditional Ukrainian stringed instrument, performed by bandura player Maryna Krut. These melodies and the artist’s magical vocals further enhanced the emotional and cultural depth of the event.

“Kyiv has always been and always will be our home, and we wanted to create this feeling of coming home and harvesting wishes from the world to Ukrainians and from Ukrainians to the world. This is a very special moment for us, to return to our native Kyiv for the first time with a physical event in many years, to gather in the space where our first flagship store will soon open, and we wanted to focus not on clothes, but on the dialogue between people and the importance of connecting with home and roots,” summed up Lilia Litkovska.