Zoriana Semenyuk, the president of the Ukrainian Fashion Association, founder of the Ukrainian Fashion Industry Awards, organizer of Odessa Fashion Week and Odessa Fashion Awards, chief editor of Ukrainian Fashion and Deutsch Fashion magazines, producer of Odessa Fashion and Fashion Star TV channels, and co-owner of the Akel clothing brand, talks openly about her experiences during the full-scale invasion and the prospects for the Ukrainian fashion industry, exclusively for Pro Ukraine.
How did the new year of 2024 begin for you?
The start of the new year is a fantastic time for setting goals, planning, and making changes in life. I love this period because it’s when I dream boldly, set new ambitious goals for myself. That’s how my 2024 kicked off.
I want to express my gratitude to Elvira Gavrylova, the editor-in-chief of your magazine, for the inspiration. She has also contributed to my list of goals for 2024, and I am very thankful to her!
So much effort, time, and love were invested in Odesa Fashion Week. Can you share what you felt or did when you realized that life had completely changed since 2022? Tell us about this period.
It was an extremely challenging period for me, as I witnessed in an instant the seemingly perfect, happy world crumbling before my eyes. Your beloved work, clients, partners, friends – everyone scattered to different corners of the world. Everything I had built since 2015 seemed to be destroyed.
With a newborn and three other children, we were forced to leave our home and embark on an unknown journey. It was an incredibly difficult step for us, as there was truly something to leave behind in Ukraine.
Returning to life only in November 2022, my beloved venture, Odesa Fashion Week, helped me. It was the 18th season, themed “Unbroken Season.” It truly proved unbroken as it took place during blackouts, power outages, and heating disruptions. All designer collections were dedicated to Ukraine, mostly in patriotic colors. For all participants and guests, the event became a sip of their past life, a parallel world they could immerse themselves in and feel the peace they once knew.
And then I felt my new “mission”: to create a “parallel reality” even for just one day during such a challenging time. To recreate events of peaceful times, looking towards the future.
Despite all the difficulties and horrors, the 20th Odessa Fashion Week took place in 2023. How was it? What surprises did the designers bring?
During the war, fashion in Ukraine became an embodiment of national spirit and strength. It showed the world that Ukraine is a country capable of entering the triumphant path of global fashion and creating sophisticated, high-quality products, demonstrating the power and talent of the Ukrainian people. In this way, fashion in Ukraine becomes a true victory. It combines uniqueness, beauty, and national heritage, embodying the unparalleled creative potential of Ukrainian designers. This confirms that Ukraine is a country capable of surprising the world with its fashion achievements and showcasing its beauty and talent to the global stage.
As part of the 20th anniversary Odessa Fashion Week event, designers presented various models and collections, all inspired by the strength of the will of the Ukrainian nation and filled with hope and faith in Ukraine’s victory. In this way, we are approaching victory, each on our own “front.”
How challenging is it to organize an event under such conditions?
First and foremost, it’s a tremendous responsibility. Bringing a large number of people together in one place is risky. We stopped sending invitations, even during quarantine. Instead, we opened registration for anyone interested in attending the event and supporting the designers.
Secondly, the scale of the event has decreased, along with the funding. We had to work with a “new” budget, trying to achieve as much as possible with fewer resources.
Thirdly, remote management became crucial. For several seasons, I couldn’t attend the event, and it wasn’t until the 21st season that I came to support my team, participants, and partners. It turned out to be the most touching season, not just for me.
Despite the new challenges and circumstances, together with the team, we proved that anything is possible, and there are no obstacles or boundaries for creativity. Collections from our Ukrainian designers received global recognition.
Despite everything, you managed to launch your own clothing brand, AKEL. Tell us about it, its philosophy, and the team.
The AKEL brand was born back in 2020, inspired by our son Maxim, who, with his desire to create a children’s collection, sparked the inception of this venture. It drew me into this wonderful process of creating clothing. Currently, we are developing collections simultaneously: he creates children’s sportswear collections, and I focus on women’s, more sophisticated ensembles.
“We create vibrant outfits that you can’t ignore.” – AKEL
Since the full-scale invasion, we have crafted 5 collections for the AKEL brand and showcased them at events like the 18th, 19th, 20th, and 21st Odessa Fashion Week, Nova Brave Kids, Dnipro Fashion Summer, Dnipro Fashion Bunker, Kremenchuk Fashion Weekend, Main People Fashion Show Lviv, and Ukrainian Grand Autumn Fest.
Today, it’s extremely challenging to predict anything, but your opinion on the changes awaiting the fashion industry is intriguing. What can workers in the fashion industry and consumers expect in the near future?
Geopolitics has become the most significant issue for the fashion industry for the second consecutive year. Geopolitical instability is considered the main risk for business growth. Fashion brands will need careful planning to overcome numerous uncertainties and recession risks expected in 2024. Alongside this, the rebuilding of international tourism is anticipated to be the primary growth driver for the fashion industry. Global tourism flow in 2024 is not only expected to recover to pre-pandemic levels, but also surpass pre-pandemic figures, positively impacting purchases in the fashion industry.
Consumers have grown tired of traditional marketing after years of being bombarded with advertising campaigns and brand announcements. Young people prefer avoiding information overload, with Generation Z (those born between 1996 and 2016) losing active attention to ads in just 1.3 seconds. However, influencers and celebrities continue to be a crucial link between the brand and the consumer.
One of the enduring consequences of the pandemic is the continued interest of consumers in a healthy lifestyle and active outdoor recreation, such as camping, hiking, and water tourism. Against this backdrop, the gorpcore style, or camping chic, is becoming increasingly popular: its followers incorporate items originally designed for camping, hiking, and climbing into their everyday wardrobes. The collaboration between North Face and Gucci was one of the first in this trend. It is expected that in 2024, brands will blur the lines between style and practicality even more.
Many fashion designers and models have either left the country or completely requalified, assisting Ukrainian defenders. Do you have projects in this direction?
Our motto is “Approaching victory – each on our own ‘front.'” It is important for us to support the fashion industry, provide it with new development, and highlight those industry representatives who work directly to aid our Armed Forces of Ukraine. We released the first issue of the Ukrainian Fashion magazine focusing on fashion during the war. Simultaneously, all proceeds from Odessa Fashion Week ticket sales were donated to the charitable headquarters “Odesa yak vona ye” (Odessa as it is).
Within Odesa Fashion Awards, we recognized the merits of designers with a special nomination “For a significant contribution and assistance to the Armed Forces of Ukraine.” As part of the Ukrainian Fashion Industry Awards 2024, we also plan to acknowledge the contributions of designers and their assistance to the Ukrainian Armed Forces, with the funds raised going to the Property and Infrastructure Restoration Fund @ukraine.ua. Thus, the Ukrainian Fashion Association (the organizer of the awards) calls for “Rebuilding Ukraine together.”
Your wishes to our readers.
I wish the soonest victory for Ukraine and that no one in the world will ever know the word “war” again.
Interview conducted by Michelle Armand.
