Photo: Bild Credit: © Lina Grün
Recently, a Ukrainian brand BOBKOVA presented a new collection called “MRIYA (Dream)) on Berlin Fashion Week in Kant Garagen. The fashion show was made possible thanks to support for Ukrainian designers from the NEWEST (Fashion Council Germany) project.
The MRIYA collection is full of contrasts: delicate feminine lace and soft knits speak of the search for inner comfort, and rough military blazers embody the bravery of a fighter. Bobkova pays a lot of attention to how a woman perceives her clothes and how she adapts them to a life that is constantly changing.
The sensuality of lace is one of the main highlights. It lends delicacy to BOBK’s signature minimalist styles, from 90s lace-edged long slip dresses and bras worn over shirts to patchwork mini dresses and A-line skirts paired with 60s-era Françoise Ardi leather stockings. Allusions to military uniforms tell the story of female soldiers: suits in a safari aesthetic with skirts and blazers with massive patch pockets represent a refined and grown-up view of practical functionality. The word MRIYA adorns metal rings styled like boxers.
The philosophy of upcycling rules this collection, heroically created in the Kiev atelier against the background of critical war conditions. Shifting to manual labor was a pragmatic decision when machines regularly shut down due to power outages. From scraps of fabric and scraps of knitted material, craftsmen created new products and decorative details using patchwork and crochet techniques known and practiced for centuries in the Ukrainian countryside. Recycling helps the studio to reduce waste and develop a sustainable approach. The designer, for whom sustainability is a principle of thinking, buys fabrics in Italy from surplus rolls of luxury brands to support a conscious second cycle of using surplus materials in the fashion industry.
At only 23 years old and as a graduate of Kyiv National University of Technology and Design, Ukrainian Kristina Bobkova founded her eponymous label. He has been a part of Ukrainian Fashion Week since 1998 and has been presenting his ready-to-wear, handmade accessories and shoes in his homeland since then.
Since BOBKOVA was founded, the label has been synonymous with self-conscious femininity. By combining feminine silhouettes and straight, unmistakable Japanese cuts, the designer follows a higher sense of fashion, that is, breaking gender stereotypes.
