Mercedes-Benz Kiev Fashion Days 2015    

Gli ultimi giorni di Marzo hanno visto festeggiare la decima edizione dei Mercedes-Benz Kiev Fashion Days con le sfilate delle collezioni fall/winter 2015-16, un evento internazionale che ogni anno ha attirato su di se l’attenzione dei giornalisti, fotografi e buyer di tutto il mondo con una scena di designer molto creativi e innovativi.

Ben 37 collezioni ready to wear sono state svelate. MBKFD ha anche ospitato una sezione dedicata ai giovani designer emergenti, la Fashion Scout Kiev: uno showcase con accessori, brand di streetwear e il nuovo Kiev Fashion Industry Forum.

Se si guarda a soli 5 anni fa e a quanta strada abbiano fatto i designer ucraini non c’è che rimanere stupiti, adesso molti di loro lavorano all’estero, due di loro sono stati selezionati per la short list nel 2014 e uno, Anton Belinskiy, per l’edizione di quest’anno del prestigioso LVMH Prize. Basta il solo nome Anna K e del suo crescente successo internazionale per capire la dimensione della nuovelle vague della moda ucraina.

Daria Shapovalova (founder dei MBKFD e direttrice creativa dell’evento) quest’anno è stata inclusa fra le 500 figure più importanti nel mondo della moda del 2014, quest’anno è stata lei insieme a Nina Vasadze a premiare Ksenia Schnaider con il Mercedes-Benz Fashion Prize FW 15-16 locale, dando al brand supporto economico per produrre la sua collezione.

Il forum alla sua prima edizione ha raccolto personalità come Hilary Alexander  (OBE – una dei più importanti giornalisti di moda), Rebecca Voight (contributor to W Magazine) editor-in-chief di Vogue.ru Masha Popova, e il founder del Fashion Scout London Martyn Roberts e il direttore creativo del London College of Fashion Tony Glenville. Valerie Steele (director del Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology) e Vanessa Friedman (Fashion Director and Chief Fashion Critic del The New York Times) hanno partecipato al Forum online.

Ecco un flash-report sulle collezioni presentate sulla main catwalk del MBKFD

Anna K, giovane designer che ha conquistato il mondo con oltre 40 stockists in tutto il mondo.

Yasya Minochkina, una jetsetter con uno stile elegante e colorato.

OMELYA, il maestro dello sport-chic.

Ksenia Schnaider, l’iconico trademark delle immagini pixellate e una nuova idea sul bianco e nero classico con accenni di colore.

DMDV streetwear funzionale.

Andreeva lezione di color blocking e ricamo in versione moderna.

TAGO dark e raffinatissimo.

Vahan Khachatryan una rivisitazione dei vestiti tradizionali armeni e dell’iconografia “golden”.

La prima collezione di Theo Dekan con il marchio #theo ha stupito critici e giornalisti per la padronanza delle linee e un gusto sartoriale non banale.

Anton Belinskiy, (semifinalista del LVMH Prize 2015) ha presentato la sua collezione al “The Polytechnic Museum”, il leit motiv stampato/cucito/ricamato era “Poor but cool”…poor+very cool+colorful.

RCR Khomenko, Yasya Khomenko ha accolto i suoi guest alla sua presentazione nel Giardino Botanico della città.

Anna October, (semifinalista al LVMH nel 2014) ha organizzato una colazione con i giornalisti e i fotografi che hanno potuto ammirare la sua collezione fra un caffè e un croissant.

#FASHIONWINS
MERCEDES-BENZ KIEV FASHION DAYS CELEBRATES ITS 10 ANNIVERSARY SEASON

On March 26 – 29, 2015, Mercedes-Benz Kiev Fashion Days – Ukraine’s international fashion week – celebrated its 10 season, the Fall-Winter 2015-16.

37 ready-to-wear collections were presented on schedule. MBKFD proudly hosted Fashion Scout Kiev – a showcase of young fashion talents, Level’s – a tradeshow with 50 jewelry, accessories and streetwear brands, and the newly launched business conference, the Kiev Fashion Industry Forum.

Looking almost five years back, what started as an adventure for a young generation of Ukrainian creatives has now grown into a real fashion industry.

Ukrainian designers are working abroad and enjoy worldwide recognition: two of them shortlisted in 2014, and one – Anton Belinskiy – for this year’s LVMH Prize. Brands that made their first steps at MBKFD can proudly list international stockists, plan their sales campaigns and, most importantly, produce their collections in Ukraine.

While political turmoil and economic crisis still make the biggest headlines, the country’s fashion industry is having its big moment as S tyle.com begins regular coverage of the MBKFD catwalk, picking up its first ten shows for FW 15-16 season. Nowfashion.com started its coverage in 2011.

Daria Shapovalova, MBKFD founder and creative director, made it to the Business Of Fashion’s Top 500 in 2014 for a good reason, having put Ukraine on the world’s fashion map and raising Ukrainian fashion to international standards.

At the tenth season’s opening ceremony, Daria was joined by Nina Vasadze, Mercedes-Benz Ukraine representative, as they awarded the local Mercedes-Benz Fashion Prize FW 15-16 to Ksenia Schnaider from Kiev, granting the brand financial support that, despite the troubled state of the local economy, was doubled compared to last season. Anton Belinskiy, the first Mercedes-Benz Fashion Prize winner, proved he was the right choice – within six months after receiving the award the brand made it to LVMH Prize semifinals and launched a successful sales campaign in Milan and Paris. Sweetheart of international and local press, Anton’s latest FW15-16 show at Mercedes-Benz Kiev Fashion Days is now getting rave reviews from top fashion critics.

New categories expanded Mercedes-Benz Fashion Prize with awards for fashion photographers (won by Yana Tokarchuk) and fashion journalists (awarded to D aria Zarivnaya, editor of the digital edition of L’Officiel Ukraine). This season’s winners of Design It, a contest supported by Vogue Italia and Vogue Ukraine, were designer Alisa Kuzembaeva from Russia, who received a grant to showcase her next collection at Fashion Scout Kiev, Daria Lagenberg (designer of Zirochka Ukraine), winning a grant to produce her next collection at the «KyivMade» factory, and FLOW, a young Ukrainian brand that won a special feature by Vogue Ukraine.

Over the past years, MBKFD’s initiative to host talks and Q&A sessions by international experts, sharing their experience with aspiring locals, by season ten grew into the Kiev Fashion Industry Forum, a business conference for professionals of the growing industry.

MBKFD’s tenth and the Forum’s first season welcomed Hilary Alexander, OBE – one of world’s most renown fashion journalists, Rebecca Voight, contributor to W Magazine, editor-in-chief of Vogue.ru Masha Popova, as well as founder of Fashion Scout London Martyn Roberts and creative director of London College of Fashion Tony Glenville, both making their second visits to Kiev. Valerie Steele (director of the Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology) and Vanessa Friedman (Fashion Director and Chief Fashion Critic at The New York Times) joined the Forum online. Proving the rise of the country’s local professional level, this season’s list of speakers included local fashion journalists, online and offline retailers, developers and business owners sharing their success stories.

Photographers Adam Katz Sinding ( Style.com, W Magazine, T magazine, Le21eme), Nabile Quenum (L’Officiel France, J’ai Perdu Ma Veste) and Adriano Cisani ( Whatastreet and Vogue Italia) caught crowds flocking to shows of local stars Anna K (a 19-year old sensation with 40 stockists worldwide), Yasya Minochkina, a jetsetter with offices in Moscow and Kiev, O MELYA, the master of sport-chic, and Ksenia Schnaider, the duo behind coveted dresses with digital prints. DMDV and Andreeva impressed with their powerful comebacks, the first brand working with functional streetwear, the second – perfecting color blocking and embroidery.

The main catwalk saw strong debuts of TAGO’s dark elegance and Armenian Vahan Khachatryan’ stake on his country’s  traditional dress after leaving  a position at Dolce and Gabbana to start his own business. The first collection of local Theo Dekan for #theo caused an uproar among the critics, surprising with maturity and flawless styling. Zirochka Ukraine, another startup, was founded by Kiev fashion-insider Daria Lagenberg, presenting her first collection dedicated to girl power to hundreds of avid supporters.

Anton Belinskiy, semifinalist of LVMH Prize 2015, RCR Khomenko, a known local talent, and A nna October, LVMH semifinalist in 2014, all chose to show off-site. The Polytechnic Museum hosted Anton’s sensational “Poor but cool” catwalk, while Yasya Khomenko welcomed guests of her presentation at the botanical garden, and Anna October held an invite-only breakfast, serving her favorite food to the press as girls modeling her elegant collection walked down the aisles.

The tenth MBKFD season was a great success for Fashion Scout Kiev, the platform for emerging fashion designers. Fashion Scout Kiev is the Eastern outpost of the British showcase, renowned for scouting and developing creative fashion talent. 19 young designers from Eastern, Central and Western Europe presented their collections on the main MBKFD catwalk and in the dedicated showroom space. Alisa Kuzembaeva (covered by Style.com) and Victoria Irbaieva from Russia, Flow, IdleIdol, Maria Hitcher, Palson Kifot, SLAVA and Lana Ballary from Ukraine, Le Parole from Moldova, T he Euphoric Soul from Italy and other designers were noted by critics and enjoyed valuable feedback from local and international experts.

Last but not least, the Level’s tradeshow, traditionally held during MBKFD, hosted over 50 collections of jewelry, accessories and streetwear brands, among them the Eastpak x DMDV collaboration, Askotaxist, Francoise Oz, Hoodie, Woodfarm and many others.

Over the past ten seasons, Mercedes-Benz Kiev Fashion Days proved, that the world it open for creativity and passion, that no door is closed to ones that want to learn, and that great effort is always rewarded. We look forward to new beginnings, because together we proved, that #FASHIONWINS.