Ukrainian fashion designer presents a mini collection of clothes taken out during the evacuation

Ukrainian designer Irina Dzhus created an improvised fashion collection using clothes from the only suitcase that she took with her while evacuating from Ukraine to Poland, reports Dezeen.

After the beginning of full-scale Russian aggression, Irina fled her house in Vyshgorod carrying half of a Spring-Summer Physique collection in a single suitcase.

“Taking into account the fact, that I had three cats to evacuate, there were only so many clothes that I could take with me,” explains the designer. Currently, Dzhus stays in Warsaw.

When the war started, she had spent four days in a basement, before grabbing a chance to get to the railway station in Kyiv and board an evacuation train. “The first couple of days were the worst,” recalls the designer, “I was utterly shocked, and I couldn’t eat, sleep or even breathe properly.”

On her arrival in Warsaw, Irina started researching the ways for her brand to work in a new reality. She had presented the Physique collection at the Ukrainian Fashion Week and the Paris Fashion Week at the beginning of February. However, now only a handful of evacuated clothes are available for sale.

The collection is made of ribbed wool and crumpled organza. “Each piece of clothing can be transformed into something else — even in an accessory,” says Dzhus. For example, a hooded shirt can be transformed into a purse, and overalls — into pants.

Part of the revenue is transferred to charitable organizations, including the “Come back alive” foundation, the UAnimals animal rights group, and animal shelters. The rest of the money helps Irina keep her brand afloat. She expects to receive more clothes, retrieved and transported by her relatives. Her husband and business partner, Anatolii El’gert, had also fled Vyshogorod but stayed in the west of Ukraine.