SUMMER WEEKEND by OFD 2026 goes ahead in Odesa after overnight attack
SUMMER WEEKEND by OFD 2026 brought Ukrainian designers, independent brands, students, educators and fashion professionals together in Odesa on 8 and 9 August.
The annual summer project from the Odessa Fashion Day team took place across two locations. MarAmax Academy hosted its opening presentation, while the Odesa Botanical Garden of I. I. Mechnikov Odesa National University provided the setting for the second day of shows.
However, the organisers faced a difficult decision before the main programme. During the night of 8 to 9 August, Odesa and the surrounding region came under a combined missile and drone attack.
Following the attack, the organisational team, led by Odessa Fashion Day Producer Oleh Shkilniuk, considered cancelling the second day. Designers, models and members of the production team confirmed that they remained ready to take part.
The programme therefore continued at the Botanical Garden on 9 August. Designers arrived with their collections, while models, make-up artists, stylists, photographers, media representatives, partners and guests joined the event.
“This season became deeply personal for us. Until the last moment, we did not know whether we would be able to hold it at all,” said Kostiantyn Lieontiev, Founder of Odessa Fashion Day.
“First, we faced the difficulty of financing an independent project. Then came what happened in Odesa the night before. After a night like that, the question was no longer about organising a fashion event. It was whether we had the moral and physical strength to continue,” Lieontiev added.
“The people themselves gave us the answer. The designers were ready to come, the team was ready to work, and the models, make-up artists, stylists and photographers all arrived. For me, this is where the strength of Ukrainian fashion lies today.”
Lieontiev stressed that the team did not want to romanticise the conditions facing Ukraine’s creative industries. Instead, it wanted to protect opportunities for Ukrainian designers to create, develop and present their work.
DeClassic opens the two-day programme
SUMMER WEEKEND by OFD opened at MarAmax Academy on 8 August with a presentation by Ukrainian designer brand DeClassic.
Designer Anastasiia Mykytyn works within contemporary designer wear. She combines classic tailoring with conceptual fashion and reconsiders the traditional women’s suit through deconstruction, shape and her own interpretation of modern elegance.
DJ esvyato, also known as Maryna Shtelmashuk, created the music programme for the opening evening.
The project moved to the Odesa Botanical Garden of I. I. Mechnikov Odesa National University on 9 August. Ukrainian designers and brands presented summer and cruise collections in the garden setting.
The line-up included PANACEA, LUMÉA, Yankovska Helen & Lady Forever, Soul Swim, PODOLSKA, Nimble Scissors and KEOSMY by yesundress.
Together, the collections reflected different areas of contemporary Ukrainian fashion. The programme moved between swimwear, occasionwear, experimental forms and clothing designed for everyday wardrobes.
Emerging designers join established brands
The season also continued Odessa Fashion Day’s collaboration with the Kyiv National University of Technologies and Design.
Young designers almaz.wear, WYN and Kenzir Eugene presented their work alongside professional Ukrainian brands. Their participation supported one of OFD’s central aims: giving emerging designers an early professional platform.
The collaboration connects fashion education with public presentation and industry experience. It also introduces audiences and media to a new generation of Ukrainian designers at the beginning of their careers.
SUMMER WEEKEND by OFD began in 2014 as a separate summer and cruise fashion project from the Odessa Fashion Day team. Over more than 11 years, it has become a recurring part of Odesa’s fashion calendar.
Its original purpose remains central to the project. The platform aims to discover new names, support Ukrainian designers and manufacturers, and build connections between fashion, education, media and business.
It also places contemporary Ukrainian design within Odesa’s wider cultural environment.
Ukrainian fashion under wartime pressure
The 2026 season highlighted the resources and personal commitment required to deliver an independent cultural event in Ukraine.
Members of the team contributed their time, professional skills and personal resources to support the project and its participating designers. The organisers said it was important to acknowledge the real cost of producing fashion events during the war.
Behind each collection, runway appearance, photograph and presentation are people continuing to work amid uncertainty and limited resources.
The decision to proceed after the overnight attack did not suggest that conditions had become easier. Instead, it showed the determination of designers and creative professionals to protect a space for Ukrainian fashion.
Partners of SUMMER WEEKEND by OFD 2026
The season took place at the Odesa Botanical Garden of I. I. Mechnikov Odesa National University and MarAmax Academy.
The exclusive partner was Sady Peremohy Luxury Gallery. The educational partner was the Kyiv National University of Technologies and Design.
Image partners included Ultimate Trend Store and Totalite Model Agency.
Media partners included FASHION, Best People Club, FABIOS Magazine, ЧАС ПЕРШИХ, ABSURDU.NET, BUT.IN.UA, Culture Trend, TrueUa, EPOQUE Magazine, GLORY magazine, GOSSIP magazine, Lucky Ukraine, FBC, Super Lady magazine, TOUCH magazine, Studio of My Dreams, Cool’baba, Collaboration Magazine, Фаворит, Одеса Медіа and PROMINENT MAGAZINE.
The international partner was London Fashion Day.
