All of the Coolest New Fashion Brands Come From This Unexpected Country

I have a very long list tucked away on my desktop Stickies where I copy and paste the names of new brands I need to look into further, shop from or ensure that we profile on Who What Wear UK. Recently, that list has been stacking up with labels from a particular part of the world, and with our month's focus on global style, it seemed appropriate to shine a light. It would appear that some very exciting fashion happenings are coming out of Ukraine right now.

"It's been an incredible growth—the creativity in the region is booming," Daria Shapovalova, the Ukranian fashion entrepreneur and street style favourite, tells me. "When I co-founded Kiev Fashion Week, the entire fashion industry in Ukraine was being established, and after seven years, we have a fashion market full of bright, young talents. It's always amazing to select designers to represent in our showroom in Paris, More Dash, where we work with stores from more than 20 countries, such as Lane Crawford, Barneys and MatchesFashion.com."

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(Image credit: Getty Images)

Daria Shapovalova wearing a beautiful dress from Kiev-based designer Anton Belinskiy.

What is it about these burgeoning talents that are hitting the spot? Many of the wider region's most famous designers have been at the core of an agenda-setting streetwear scene (think Gosha Rubchinskiy from Russia or Georgian-born Demna Gvasalia of Vetements), but that isn't the only aesthetic leading the charge. "I am sure the world loves Ukrainian and Eastern European designers because they know how to use colour, how to create sleek clothes and make a unique product that stands out. In the end, the product is what is the most important," says Daria.

Through my research (and some of Daria's hot tips), I've pulled together a list of Ukranian fashion brands you need to get acquainted with. See and shop them below.

Lake Studio

Paskal

Anna October

Flow the Label

Chakshyn

Marianna Senchina

Ksenia Schnaider

Vita Kin

Poustovit

Kachorovska

Sleeper

Hannah Almassi
Editor in Chief

Hannah Almassi is the Editor in Chief of Who What Wear UK. Hannah has been part of the the Who What Wear brand since 2015, when she was headhunted to launch the UK sister site and social channels, implement a localised content strategy and build out the editorial team. She joined following a seven-year tenure at Grazia magazine, where she led front-of-book news, fashion features and shopping specials as fashion news and features editor. With experience in both print and digital across fashion and beauty, Hannah has over 16 years in the field as a journalist, editor, content strategist and brand consultant. Hannah has interviewed industry heavyweights such as designers including Marc Jacobs and Jonathan Anderson through to arbiters of taste including Katie Grand and Anna Dello Russo. A skilled moderator and lecturer specialising in the shift to digital media and e-commerce, Hannah’s opinion and work has been sought by the likes of CNBC, BBC, The Sunday Times Style, The Times, The Telegraph and MatchesFashion.com, among many others. Hannah is often called upon for her take on trends, becoming known as a person with their finger of the pulse of what’s happening in the fashion space for stylish Brits. Hannah currently resides in Eastbourne with her photographer husband, incredibly busy son and highly Instagrammable cat.