Ekaterina Pizhova, Dream blog? la Mode. Ukrainian fashion.

Today we will talk about Ukrainian fashion, which, as it turned out, is very diverse and strives only forward, and the fashionable life of Kiev is full of events. Fashion blogger Ekaterina Pizhova, who runs the Dream la Mode blog, will help us to reveal all the facets of Ukrainian fashion. Ekaterina Pizhova is a journalist by education, she began to be interested in fashion 4 years ago, but during this time she has accumulated tremendous experience, attended many events, and she managed to become a real expert in the world of Ukrainian fashion. Ekaterina Pizhova, as can be seen from the interview, really loves her job and she can talk about Ukrainian fashion for a long time and with love, and most importantly it is interesting.

1.You are blogging about fashion, are fashion blogs popular in Ukraine? Who is your audience?

I would say that Ukrainian fashion blogs are still in the making. In fact, fashion bloggers began to appear in our country not much later than the rise of popularity to Western colleagues, but only recently they separated into a separate class, and now the fashion blogosphere is beginning to actively develop. It's nice that insiders are helping this process. In particular, I started my blog as a member of the Kiev Fashion Blogger project. Bloggers in Ukraine are beginning to be recognized, invited to shows, closed fashion events, designers, buyers, organizers of fashion events come into contact with them. Perhaps soon some bloggers will grow to a level where not only readers, but also professionals will begin to listen to their opinion. I have been blogging Dream la Mode not too long ago. He will only be one year old in March. At the moment, most of the audience is creative youth between the ages of 18 and 25. These are people who are fond of art, interested in what is happening in the fashion arena, both in Ukraine and abroad. Among the readers there are also representatives of creative professions, including bloggers. By the way, there is an opinion that fashion bloggers in Ukraine are read by other fashion bloggers. Of course, the audience is actually wider, but there is some truth in this.

2. What are the most striking and memorable events in the Ukrainian fashion industry?

One of the brightest and most anticipated events was the international fashion week Mercedes Benz Fashion Week Kiev (formerly Kiev Fashion Days). This is an excellent platform for the development of creative youth, a place where successful and novice designers, critics, stylists, other insiders, and advanced youth gather under one roof for several days. The organizers bring many interesting foreign guests to the capital. In addition, it is also an extensive educational program from the world's leading fashion experts. A slightly different format is Ukrainian Fashion Week. This is an event with a long history, and even if to some extent the secular component prevails over the fashionable one, some successful Ukrainian designers can still be seen only on this site. Various fashion meetings in concept stores and in designer showrooms are becoming a good tradition. It mobilizes fashionable creative people in a certain way.

3. Tell us which designers (Ukrainian) are the most popular in Ukraine now? And which of them are known in the world?

It all depends on what is the meaning of the word "popular". There are more successful designers. This is, first of all, Lilia Pustovit. Poustovit collections are successfully sold in London, Seoul, Tokyo. Second line L.P. by Poustovit has recently been presented in the Spiga2 multi-brand boutique from Dolce & Gabbana. The designer is loved in Ukraine, but due to economic reasons in Europe, the demand for things from Lilia Pustovit is much higher. Fedor Vozianov is well known in Italy. It is sold in Milan, and in March 2010, Italian Vogue named him among the eight most progressive masters of Europe, Asia and the United States. Another worthy designer is Igor Kikot.He takes part in the 7 Touch and White Fashion Fair Milan exhibitions, and his brand items can be purchased in boutiques in Paris, Tokyo and Milan. Podolyan is successfully sold in Europe. Many beginning Ukrainian designers began to be noticed in the world. For example, sketches by Sasha Kanevski (sasha.kanevski) in 2009 attracted the executive director of Hearst Magazine International Kim St. Clair Bodden, and just the other day he was included in the top 7 new European designers according to Refinery29. Last year, another talented Ukrainian designer, Svetlana Bevza, appeared on the international arena. She took part in the London Fashion Week A La Mode project, in the Coterie Fashion Trade Show (New York) and White Fashion Show (Milan). Just recently, the Bevza brand entered the US fashion market. In addition, the works of many talented designers who take part in Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Kiev (Kiev Fashion Days) periodically appear on the pages of foreign press - Italian, Russian and British Vogue, Zoot Magazine, well-known fashion bloggers write about them. Ivan Rodik has become a real fan of Kiev and Ukrainian fashion. Among other well-known designers in Ukraine, I would name the duet of Natalia Kamenskaya and Olesya Kononova (KAMENSKAYAKONONOVA), Anna October (ANNA OCTOBER), Lilia Litkovskaya (Litkovskaya), Irina Karavai (NOTA BENE & KARAVAY), Valeria Kovalskaya (Valery Kovalska) ...

4. And what Ukrainian designers' collections do you like?

I really like what Lilia Pustovit does. It is always of impeccable quality, laconic cut, natural fabrics, thoughtful colors, amazing prints. On the one hand, the Poustovit brand has its own recognizable signature - a synthesis of romance, national traditions and international trends, on the other hand, every season, within this rather conservative framework, the designer manages to create something new and unique. Also, in spirit, I am close to the creative ideas of progressive Ukrainian designers, such as Lilia Litkovskaya, Sasha Kanevsky, Valeria Kovalskaya. I would also highlight some novice designers, for example, Yulia Pascal, Kostya Omelya, Masha Reva, Yasya Khomenko, as well as accessories of Kostya Sweatshirt. I think they have a great future.

5. What, in your opinion, is the peculiarity, zest, of Ukrainian fashion, collections of Ukrainian designers?

I think the main trump card of the Ukrainian fashion industry is that it is still at the stage of development. She is born before our eyes, here and now, which means that it is in our power to make her the way we want her to be. Due to its relative youth, it is quite bold, plus the problems of the national light industry (expensive import of raw materials, lack of production of high-quality fabrics, insufficient capacity of garment factories, etc.) force resourceful designers to experiment more with shapes, fabrics, textures, colors. This makes Ukrainian fashion interesting in the world. Those who were able to find their niche became successful and continue to develop in line with global trends. And then, those who have not yet grasped their topic will be forced to either join more successful comrades in the shop, or give way to young and talented ones. Of course, designers are not the entire industry. Roughly the same thing happens with fashion magazines, critics, stylists, photographers, retail outlets.

6. Can you name Ukrainian models who were able to achieve success on the world catwalks?

Of course, there are many of them. Snezhana Onopka, Natalia Gotsiy, Victoria Sasonkina, Alina Baikova, Alisa Matviychuk, Victoria Kuropyatnikova, Masha Telnaya, Natalia Piro, Zhuzhu Ivanyuk ... Today, one of the most popular and demanded models in the world is Ukrainian Alla Kostromicheva. She makes several dozen shows per season, she is shot by the best photographers, the most prestigious brands sign contracts with Alla. Evelina Mambetova is also very popular. By the way, recently the creative director of the Mulberry brand, Emma Hill, named a bag (Evelina) in her honor.

7. What are the most famous fashion photographers in Ukraine?

If we mean popular Ukrainian fashion photographers, then these are Synchrodogs (duet of Roman Noven and Tatiana Shcheglova), Moi Sophism, Sasha Samsonova, Cate Underwood, Yana and Eva Tokarchuk, Yuri Balan, Alina Berezenko, Alena Hajilova.There are more professional photographers who are known abroad even more than ours, for example, Konstantin Lunarin.

8. In your opinion, the development of the Ukrainian fashion industry is standing still, or is it evolving on the contrary, and soon the names of Ukrainian designers will be known outside their native country?

The fashion industry in Ukraine has never stood still. It just has its own history of development. According to fashion critic Zoya Zvinyatskovskaya, at the moment Ukrainian fashion has gone through several important stages of development from national entertainment fashion to global fashion and continues to develop rapidly. The number of interesting concept stores, multi-brand and prestigious mono-brand stores (Dior, Prada) is constantly growing, new fashion events appear. Undoubtedly, the transformation of Kiev Fashion Days into Mercedes Benz Fashion Week Kiev with the acquisition of the status of an international fashion week contributes to the integration of Ukrainian fashion into the global fashion context. Fashion journalism is gradually developing, talented fashion photographers, stylists, buyers, illustrators are growing. Ukrainian models are well known in the world. At the moment, a contingent of people who are engaged in and want to be engaged in fashion professionally has clearly stood out in the country.

As for Ukrainian designers, as it was said, many are already known outside the country, but I think there will be much more of them. And it's more about young talents. Moreover, who knows, it is quite possible that in the future Kiev itself will appear on the international fashion map.