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T
he catwalks of Fashion Scout
this season were graced with
the Slavic motif and regal silk
of Eastern European fashion
initiative: Kiev Fashion Days.
Twenty two years since the
fall of the iron curtain, the majestic city of
Kiev has been revived with the energy of
young creatives. Imbedded with a complex
history, the city has been rebranded as the
next fashion capital thanks to the Mercedes
Benz Kiev Fashion Days institute.
Launched in October 2011, the four-
day Mercedes Benz Kiev Fashion Week
was established to promote a new
generation of Ukrainian fashion designers
on a worldwide platform. As the only
fashion event in Ukraine of international
significance, the initiative serves not only as
a promotional event but also as a unique
educational project with multiple lectures
and workshops held by industry experts
such as Tony Glenville and Alessandro
Buzzi. With Mercedes as a sponsor, the
event has gained much recognition in
its three years and has been frequented
by fashion celebrities David Downton,
Jean-Pierre Braganza and Francesco
Scognamiglio. In collaboration with highly
respected London based enterprise
Fashion Scout, Kiev Fashion Days made its
UK debut at the AW13 London Fashion
Week showcase.
As part of a plan to expand Fashion
Scout internationally, director Martyn
Roberts invited Kiev Fashion Days to
showcase following a visit to Mercedes
Benz Kiev Fashion Week in October.
Natalia Modenova, Executive Director of
Kiev Fashion Days said,“Martyn expressed
an interest in working with us and invited
us to showcase at Fashion Scout.Together
with Martyn we selected eight clothing
designers and one accessories designer
to showcase on the catwalk and at the
exhibition.”
Overwhelmed with the positive
response to the catwalk and exhibition
from both London and foreign press,
Natalia commented,“Kiev FashionWeek is
only three years old. All these designers
are young, creative and ambitious.
They really want to progress to other
international fashion weeks so for them
to showcase in London is life changing.”
Certainly, the designs of Anna Kolomoets,
Yasya Minochkina, Yulia Paskal and Anna
October, which were chosen for the
catwalk showcase, impressed the team at
The Bite. Drawing from times past under
Soviet rule, each young designer channelled
their commitment to their country and
used it to produce innovative pieces also
reminiscent of western pop-culture.
Opening the show was the youngest
of all four designers, Anna Kolomoets. At
the ripe age of 16, Anna launched her first
fashion collection for AW12 through the
Mercedes Benz Kiev FashionWeek. Having
worked as a model from the age of 14,
Anna already had a grasp of the industry.
Now a student of fashion design at the
Kyiv National University of Technologies
and Design, the teenager presented an
impressive collection which questioned
and reinvented classic separates.
With a youthful playfulness, Kolomoets’
collection challenged winter style
conventions and swapped burgundy and
chocolate brown shades for monochrome.
On first appearance the collection
could strike one as simplistic, however,
Kolomoets cleverly re-invents classic
feminine silhouettes through fine, intricate
tailoring and attention to detail. The small
laser cut petals on a leather three-quarter
length sleeved jacket and the thousands of
chiffon flowers each embellished with bead
detail on a black shift dress added a special
something to Kolomoets’ collection.Mixing
materials such as chiffon, leather and the
Eastern European staple of fur the young
designer reinvents the classic fur stool and
leather jacket to create something more
contemporary and edgy.
Gaining degrees from both Central Saint
Martins College in London and Antwerp
Royal Academy of Arts in Antwerpen,
Belgium, the next designer, Yasya
Minochkina, launched her debut collection
in 2012. Drawing inspiration from the
fashion archives of great designers and her
travels around Europe, Yasya’s enthusiasm
about her London debut is evident as
she grins and fidgets with her thumbs, “I
launched my brand just one year ago so to
be in London is so exciting. I love the style
here!”
Minochkina’s designs celebrate feminine
beauty, which can be seen in her collection
for AW13 with classic silhouettes that
embrace the smooth curves of the body
to fit with a theme of 1950s Hollywood
glamour. Yasya’s pieces retained both
vintage and modern elements and had
a utilitarian feel with zip detail, sculpted
checks, ra-ra skirts and peplums. Using
flowing silks, brocades and velvets and
clashing colours, Minochkina’s collection
had something to please everyone from
chic minimalists to bold extroverts.
Currently based in Moscow, the
Ukrainian designer has a loyal following
in Eastern Europe with celebrities such as
Russian model and girlfriend of Cristiano
Ronaldo, Irina Shayk, donning her designs.
Now following her London debut, Yasya
hopes to gain international recognition: “I
would like to continue to design clothes