On Sunday, 10 April, the 13th season of Odessa Fashion Day came to a close in Odesa. The biggest fashion event in southern Ukraine lasted four days, with shows taking place across different locations.
On the first day, 7 April, fashion guests gathered at Casa Nova restaurant for a private quest dinner. Around 70 guests, in a warm and friendly atmosphere, sampled dishes specially prepared for the occasion by representatives of the fashion industry.
The official opening took place on 8 April in the hall of The Дом restaurant. Here, it was not only the designers who surprised the audience with clothing — the guests themselves also became part of the visual story. Naked brides, mitten bags, and folk ornament all appeared as part of the bold creative mood of the event.
The Main Post Office roof held up!
The Saturday and Sunday shows of the 13th season of OFD took place inside the Odesa Main Post Office building. For two days, it was transformed into a true fashion house with a runway, dressing rooms, and colourful brand walls.
Announcing the festival earlier at a press conference at IA “Odesa-Media”, OFD president Kostiantyn Lieontiev admitted he was concerned about whether the building would handle the sound load. The result was clear: the roof stayed in place, the walls remained intact.
“The roof held up, everything is fine,” Kostiantyn said with relief. “It is very beautiful here, unusual. We will speak with the building’s management so that the 14th festival can also take place here.”
The founder of Odessa Fashion Day was pleased with how the event turned out. The team of volunteers and organisers worked professionally throughout the festival.
“Everyone did a great job and the festival was really a success. Yes, there were some small things that should have been considered in advance, but again, we react quickly and adapt to the location where we hold OFD,” Kostiantyn Lieontiev stressed.
A full house and striking guest looks
There were many guests at the closing of the festival. Fashion audiences came to Odesa from Lviv, Kyiv, Dnipropetrovsk, Poland, and even the United Arab Emirates. Honour guests were seated on chairs by the runway, while many others had to watch the shows standing in the aisles.
“We had more than 100% capacity. Much more people came to each show than we expected. Guests kept registering until the last day — they called, wrote, asked, found different ways to attend. We had to bring chairs out from the dressing room just to seat people,” Kostiantyn said.
It was not only the designers who stood out during the fashion festival, but also the visitors. Guests from Odesa and other cities seemed to split into two groups: some arrived in classic black so as not to draw attention away from the runway, while others chose bright and unusual looks.
“Some people came dressed in classic black so as not to pull attention onto themselves. On the other hand, for people this is a celebration, and there is nothing wrong if someone comes wearing the clothes of their favourite designer to that very designer’s show. Of course, more bold looks were seen among women. Men are still not fully keeping up with the fashion dress code: a leather jacket is a must-have, trainers — and that is about it. It is not critical, and I think in the future men will no longer be afraid to wear fashion brands not only to fashion gatherings, but also in everyday life,” the creator of OFD noted.
The next fashion event comes in summer
During the 13th Odessa Fashion Day, Kostiantyn Lieontiev and Ukrainian Fashion Week general producer Volodymyr Nechyporuk signed a memorandum of cooperation.
“A great responsibility has appeared before us, because we understand that this cooperation is aimed at building the fashion industry in Odesa. We want our designers to have even more motivation to move to a higher level. OFD is not the limit — there are still many victories ahead,” Lieontiev said.
The next event to be held by the festival team will be Summer Weekend. The 14th season of Odessa Fashion Day will take place in autumn, on 7–9 October.
