London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Aug 27, 2026

Ukraine war: Designing oufits for Beyoncé and Smith Smith from Kyiv

Ukraine war: Designing oufits for Beyoncé and Smith Smith from Kyiv

For most designers, London Fashion Week was a chance to debut new collections.

But for Ukrainian designer Ivan Frolov, it was about so much more.

Ivan chose to wear a Ukrainian flag T-shirt for his show and saw it as an opportunity to "keep the conversation about war going".

"It's still going on and we need the attention we got at the beginning," he says.

Ivan, 29, founded his fashion brand in 2015


The 29-year-old chatted to BBC Newsbeat following his show, saying this past week has been a good one in a difficult year.

From corsets to bulletproof vests


Ivan recalls the morning war broke out. He gave his employees the opportunity to stop working.

But to his surprise, within two weeks they all text the designer saying they wanted to continue as normal.

Ivan works with a team of 35 at a studio in central Kyiv


In the early days of war, fashion was far from their minds - they donated sewing machines to make bulletproof vests and turned their skills elsewhere.

"We were sewing rocket carriers and making uniforms for guys who needed special sizes, like very tall guys for example," he says.

"Our sewing machines are suited for making corsets and evening gowns, but we did the best we could."

As you might imagine, Ivan says working from a war zone is anything but predictable.

He explains they still have daily air-raid sirens, adding "you never know what will happen next".

"When Russia started bombing power stations, we had a lot of problems with electricity and blackouts."

But Ivan and his team haven't only been helping the war effort, they also returned to designing clothes.

There was one occasion, when 'normal' business had resumed and Ivan was finishing an order of outfits for Sam Smith's music video.

"We had a very short deadline because we needed to send the outfits to Poland by train and suddenly there was a blackout."

Ivan's team were tasked with designing the outfits for Sam Smith's I'm Not Here to Make Friends video


Instead of cancelling the order, Ivan's team found a way to do it by hand.

"Our embroidery masters taped their phones to lamps and used the torch light to embroider with a thread and needle," he says.

"After that I understood there's no task that's impossible for Ukrainian people."

The war makes sending out clothes more difficult though - and it now takes garments over 17 hours to leave the country.

"Unlike before where we would fly clothes straight from Kyiv, each order now has to be taken by a team member by train to Poland, before flying elsewhere," Ivan says.


Fans in high places


Sam Smith isn't the only artist Ivan has designed for in the last year. If you're a fan of Doja Cat, Rita Ora or Dua Lipa you might have spotted his work.

Oh, and then there's Beyoncé.

In January, Ivan got the call up to design one of the outfits for the star's Dubai concert.

"It's always good when something like that happens, because nowadays we only have sad news.

"When something supportive happens it helps us believe continue everything will be better."

Ivan calls this Beyoncé dress 'The Firework'


Beyoncé's decision to wear a Ukrainian brand at such an "important performance" meant a lot to Ivan.

But, he reflects, it didn't mean as much as it would have done pre-war.

"It was always my dream to dress Beyoncé, but now those dreams have changed.

"Right now, I have only one dream and it's a victory of Ukraine."

Looking towards the future though Ivan still feels hopeful that one day his fashion show will return to Kyiv instead of London.

"I want it to be in beautiful Ukraine. independent and free as it was before."

And as for a front row of A-listers, including Beyoncé?

"Oh for sure," he laughs, "she will always get the invite."

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
TSA Unveils Major Airport-Security Overhaul as It Drops Gold+ Privatization Plan
CIA Chief Warned Russia Against Attacking NATO in Secret Moscow Mission
Raheem Sterling Charged With Dangerous Driving After Lamborghini Crash
The Secret Dolly Parton Kept Until Her Death: "She Was Much Sicker Than She Let On"
Middlesbrough House Fire Kills Woman and Seven-Year-Old Girl
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle Return to UK Amid Renewed Media Attention
Raheem Sterling Charged With Dangerous Driving After London Collision
Greenpeace Threatens Legal Action Over Crown Estate Offshore Wind Leasing
Nvidia Revenue Surges to Ninety-Six Point Two Billion Dollars on Artificial Intelligence Demand
Meta Agrees to Global Youth Safety Changes Following Multi-State Legal Settlement
UK Government Plans Autumn Summit With Scottish, Welsh and Northern Irish Leaders
CMA Caps Veterinary Prescription Fees at Twenty-One Pounds
Thames Water Pilot Records Forever Chemicals at Thirteen Times the Legal Limit
Kent Meningitis Outbreak Reaches Thirty-Four Confirmed Cases
Forty Children Missing From UK Asylum Accommodation Remain Unaccounted For
UK Court Upholds VAT on Private School Fees
US Designates Palestine Action as Foreign Terrorist Organization
UK Approves Massive New Chinese Embassy Complex in London Amid Security Concerns
Prime Minister Andy Burnham Visits Kyiv and Offers Cruise Missile Designs to Ukraine
Glacier Collapse, Not Earthquake, Triggered Deadly Nepal-Tibet Flood
Andy Burnham Drops Plan to Cap Political Donations
Conservative Leadership Contest Intensifies as Robert Jenrick Attacks Kemi Badenoch
French-Born Defence Secretary Wes Streeting Condemns Homophobic Abuse Since Taking Office
UK Government Delays Commercial Robotaxi Rollout in London Over Regulatory Gaps
NHS Complaints About Autism and ADHD Care Waiting Times Triple Over Five Years
UK Government Launches 10,000 Work Placements for Young People With Sainsbury's
NHS England to Offer Free At-Home Cervical Cancer Screening Kits
EU Biometric Border Checks Cause Delays of Up to Five Hours for British Travellers
US Imposes Economic Sanctions on UK-Based Protest Group Palestine Action
Two Planned UK Datacentres Could Produce More Annual Carbon Emissions Than ExxonMobil's Entire UK Operation
London Surgeons Complete First Artificial Intelligence-Assisted Brain Tumour Removal
UK Services Growth Rebounds as Consumer Confidence Reaches Two-Year High
Ofgem Confirms Four Percent October Energy Price Cap Increase for UK Households
Government Considers Insolvency Law Changes to Bring Thames Water Into Public Ownership
Andy Burnham Signs Artificial Intelligence Defence Pact During Visit to Kyiv
Church of England Faces Renewed Scrutiny Over Historical Safeguarding Failures
Reform UK Proposes £30 Tax Credit for Long HMRC Telephone Queues
Greater Manchester Secures More Than £100 Million to Upgrade Victorian Railway Stations
East Midlands Railway Urges Essential Travel Ahead of Bank Holiday Strikes
UK Economy Grows 0.4 Percent in Second Quarter as Global and Energy Pressures Weigh
UK Government and Sainsbury’s Launch Plan for 10,000 Youth Work Experience Placements
Scottish Government Plans Tighter Remote-Working Rules and Possible Voluntary Redundancies
Scottish Budget Faces More Than £700 Million Reduction After Tax Revenue Adjustment
Nearly 100 Labour MPs Press Andy Burnham to Back Electoral Reform Commission
UK Energy Price Cap Rises Four Percent to £1,723 as Middle East Conflict Drives Wholesale Gas Costs
Turnbull Warns AUKUS Could Leave Australia Without Promised Nuclear Submarines
California Billionaires Pour More Than $150 Million Into Fight Over Proposed Wealth Tax
German Broadcaster Goes Dark to Warn AfD Could End Its Saxony-Anhalt Service
Badenoch Plans Major Shadow Cabinet Reshuffle as Tories Struggle in Third Place
UK Government Demands Action Against Social Media Content Promoting Dangerous Driving
×