The fashion in Ukraine obeys the rules of conduct accepted in the world. Hence, Ukrainian pret-a-porter week Fashion Seasons founded by the RIA “YANKO” (advertising and news agency), Eve magazine and “Serhiy Byzov” fashion house is held in Kyiv since 1997 twice a week.     Ukrainian designers   The name of Mykhailo Voronin, fashion designer and entrepreneur, is famous far outside Ukraine. His collections won numerous international rewards including such prizes as „The Golden Thimble" (Paris, 1993), “The Best Trademark of the Year» (Rome, 1997 year), international prize for quality „ The Golden Arch of Europe" (Madrid), the highest degree of recognition - Global Quality Management (USA). Outlets of Voronin’s stores are open in Vienna and New York, and fashion shows of his collections are staged continuously in the world fashion capitals. Presently, his garment factory Zhelan’, which he heads for many years, is one of the three in Europe fitted with the most state-of-the-art equipment.   The designs by Victoria Hres’ gained distinction from the first Fashion Seasons shows (autumn-winter 1997). It was already then that the Victoria’s efforts raised the roof and attracted press people’s rapt attention who called her the most sensational discovery of the event. They marked off especially the refined classic style that her collection possessed. The designer “hit the nail on the head” at the first stroke by defining her client well – an independent woman that actively makes her own life and takes important decisions.   The traditional word combination of words "vanguard designer" will scarcely allow grasping the creations of Olexiy Zalevsky. Not merely a fashion designer, he is also a master of performance capable of constantly amazing by his creative ideas and a new approach to seemingly usual things and events. He is an adherent of the “limitless pret-a-porter” view according to which all the things that can be put on physically are suitable for everyday wear.   Olga Hromova is a phenomenal combination of a fashion designer and a new economic structure manager. The unique designs of footwear, accessories and jewelry harmonized with hand-made embroidery and pattern on cloth clear the path for Olga to create integral and unique models.  Demonstrations of her collections are inevitably successful in Kyiv and Moscow, Saint Petersburg and Deli, London, Geneva and other major European cities. Apart from the design-studio, Olga Hromova heads also the companies Hromova Exclusive and Hromova Design. On top of that she makes corporation apparel for the Philip Morris Corp., Interbrew, British Tobacco, and Galahar companies.   Creations of the Lilia Pustovit belong to the so-called conceptual vogue that unites designers from various European countries. At the same time being national and cosmopolitan, her collections are known even better than in Ukraine. Idolized by the “advanced” youth and favorite with fashionable pundits, she often appears in the best and most stylish selected magazines L’Oficiele, Elle, Vogue. However, as a holder of the Golden Button award and prize-winner of the Admiralty Needle contest and various festivals, Lilia treats the public attributes of her talent philosophically. Very calmly and continuously, she realizes what is bestowed on her by creating on harmonious images that are both highly topical and independent of time.   The original style of Victor Anisimov is well known not only in Ukraine but also in Europe. As master of collection-performance, he became the “calling card” of the Ukrainian fashion. It is exactly for such a collection that he was awarded the Golden Button prize at the international contest In Vogue in Vilnius in 1999. His undertaking with ‘transformers” was, however, only one of the stages in his creative activity. Today, he is using different techniques, but that fails to change his habitual audience – modern and cosmopolitan urban youth. One of the inescapable features of Anisimov’s collections is topicality, and not only in style, but of social nature.   Still as a green dressmaker, Olexandr Hapchuk ventured boldly for an experiment by offering his services to the commercial center Stolychny, an ordinary place of particular activity where on top of other things there was a tailor’s workshop. The designer was eager to show that genuine professional is capable to realize himself under any conditions despite all kind of limitations and special requirements. As a result, the bright and bold collections of the commercial center became the major events at the Fashion Seasons.  The whole country started talking about wonderful clothier who equally fine and with good taste worked with male and female attire. By revealing new facets of beauty in each of his models, Hapchuk is anxious to create fashion which perfection one may enjoy for long.   Olena Vorozhbyt and Tetiana Zems’kova have gained international recognition when they became awardees of the Assembly of Untamed Fashion in Riga. With time, their creations happen to be more balanced. And today the Vorozhbyt-Zems’kova tandem manifests a very balanced style that in equilibrium combines unblemished functionality and comfort as well as complies with the latest trends in European vogue. The designers are seeking no easy roads and reject attempts to produce impression at the account of the extreme element. They fundamentally avoid going deep into ethnic exotics, negativism, aggressiveness or the present-day urbanistic culture. Staying within the frames of classic female fashion, the two girls are creating highly up-to-date, compelling, positive and bright images united with unflawed cut, splendor of materials and precision of artistic techniques.   In artistic creations of Oksana Karavanska talent professionalism of a designer goes hand in hand with vivid perception of mysticism of the old Carpathian Mountains, their ainciant history and impressive beauty. Native of Lviv, Oksana feels strongly the vigor of the Ukrainian culture although her collections are quite far from direct ethnographic borrowing. Knitting, embroidering, beadwork, and handmade fabrics turn into natural elements of the present-day ensembles imparting uniqueness and custom-made look, a very important feature at the age of mass production. Oksana’s collections were successful on shows in Kyiv, Warsaw, Budapest and other capitals. The Ukrainian coloring of the collection makes itself felt not only in designs, but also in the production of the show accompanied by both authentic and adapted music of the Carpathian Ukraine.   Diana Dorozhkina, the designer that makes her masterpieces of fur and leather, won recognition at one of the most prestigious international contests of young designers Etoiles de la Mode in Belgium. Her dress Sea Shell turned out as best at the competition Crystal Silhouette. From year to year, the collections of Diana emerge as demonstration of new textiles, color spectrum and classic dress particulars renovated. In her collection, leather is combined with silk, chiffon and plaiting; corset has become her distinguishing feature. Diana makes promotion of her collections invariable always reminding the all the fur is of Ukrainian origin.   Anna Babenko is absolutely sure that businesswoman should dress brightly, showing ingenuity and stirring up interest, sometimes even outlandishly but, certainly, fashionably and staying within the limits of bourgeois respectability (in the positive sense of the word).   Painting suffered a great loss when Olexandr Moniak made his mind to become a fashion designer. His superb appreciation of color, the ability to create super-complex chromatic and tonal compositions and skill to impart mood and state through coloring make his collections unparalleled on the stripy map of the Ukrainian fashion.

Victoria Hres’