Today, it is no longer considered extreme for a fashion brand to take a nod to folk design. Reimagining the old is one of the most popular options of our time, showing how creativity can give new (and worthy!) form to our heritage. Ukrainian fashion designer Katya Silchenko’s brand the COAT follows this philosophy in her Spring-summer collection, which indirectly revisits traditional Ukrainian folk costumes and folk forms while paying tribute to Ukraine’s courage.
The events of the past year have filtered down into fashion, and nothing proves this more than the many talented Ukrainian brands that have reached back to the pure source of folk culture. The conquest of the Ukrainian essence has not escaped the COAT SS23 collection, which wraps national culture in color codes and silhouettes. Indirect references appear in the form of a pale blue–yellow ‘bicolor’, or the ceramic silhouettes of the Poltava region.
“This collection is my loud statement to draw the attention of the global fashion world to Ukrainian culture. It’s a responsible mission to worthily present my country,” said creative director Katya Silchenko.
From Opishnia to Copenhagen, the collection’s history is no ordinary one. The village of Opishnia in Poltava Oblast is the concept’s birthplace, which was presented as part of Copenhagen Fashion Week. Katya Silchenko’s aim was to bring the spirit of traditional Ukrainian folk costume into the soft, elegant, and modern style that is so familiar at the COAT, without any unnecessary corniness. That’s how we came up with the trendy yet unique approach that appears in the collection, such as the shirt dress reminiscent of a vyshyvanka and the handmade crochet bag, but also the smooth hourglass silhouettes reminiscent of pottery. The collection’s character is further enhanced by the colorful confetti sprinkled on the garments, evoking the upcoming summer. This pattern has been developed exclusively for the brand using green technology, with minimal use of water, energy, and chemicals in Italy—a process the brand is very proud of.
Photos: Denis Manokha