When the Revolution of Dignity occurred in 2014 the Ukrainian president “ran away” to Russia taking money from the country with him. “Before people earned more, now people have less but still want to be fashionable” explained Kristina, a stylist and volunteer at Ukrainian Fashion Week
Today the Ukrainian economy seems to be on the up-rise with the average wage climbing from under 200€/month in 2016 to just over 450€/month in December 2019, but this is still far from western European standards (source below).
For a long time there has been hesitancy to admit to second-hand shopping. In places where sustainability in fashion has not yet become a fully integrated subject, this activity can still be surrounded by a shameful stigma of being labeled as not being able to afford new clothes. Some are afraid that this choice affects their image and social status, and as a result feeling as they have failed to live up to society’s norms. This was a reminder to me that the pride of consuming sustainably through second hand, which I am so used to in Berlin, is really not a global standard. In Ukraine this stigma is now being broken through the next generation of Ukrainian designers where we can see an encouraging mixture of old and new.
During the entire fashion week I only encountered designers who produce in their own ateliers or small Ukranian productions which they are closely connected with and visit regularly. Many brands turn to second hand, dead stock fabrics, reusing and up-cycling out of necessity, which. This can bring up the question of ‘true’ intent to work sustainably, but it can also be exactly this limitation which initiates a general shift of mentality.
