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‘We learned to live with war’: Ukrainian fashion week makes poignant return

Designers display creativity and resilience as show is held in Lviv for first time since full-scale Russian invasion

As the conflict drags on, “daily life going on in the face of adversity” has become a familiar feature of Ukrainian society: opera houses and theatres have remained open since the first weeks of the invasion, Kyiv’s restaurant and bar scene is vibrant – at least until the midnight curfew approaches – and the Black Sea beaches are filled with holidaymakers in the hot summer months. Guests had stickers affixed to their phone cameras as they were ushered into the industrial space for the secretive show, which was loosely based on a Ukrainian children’s fairytale, and featured video installations, live music, fragrances and plenty of erotica alongside the viewing of Frolov’s new collection. Photograph: Julia Kochetova/The GuardianEven if some of the collections seem far removed from the grim world of missile strikes, trenches and combat, the war has touched the fashion industry just as it has affected almost every Ukrainian over the past years.

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