We are human beings and therefore dynamic entities, ever-evolving and in constant flux, in transition like unfinished canvases, like perfect or botched masterpieces perpetually in progress. Irina Dzhus' designs flawlessly embody this perpetual state of mutability that characterizes our existence. The previous collections of the Ukrainian designer included indeed creations that could be transformed and readapted to the needs and moods of the wearer thanks to ingeniously placed metal zippers, automatic buttons and press studs.
Yet there was a moment in the life of the designer that marked another and more tragic transformation - the Russian invasion of her home country in February 2022 reshaped Dzhus' life. When the war started in Ukraine, the designer moved to Poland with her pets, leaving her husband and business partner Anatolii Elgert behind as martial law prohibited men to leave the country.
Since then, the production of her collections were split between Poland, Ukraine and Germany, and her experience of the war informed her designs, including her A/W 23 collection "Transit".
Showcased a few months ago during Berlin Fashion Week, Dzhus' new collection features a series of multifaceted garments in monochrome hues, crafted to serve diverse purposes, weather conditions and dress codes.
At Berlin Fashion Week, Dzhus presented a performance with an emphasis on metamorphosis, with models transforming their garments in front of the audience.
The theme of transformability in this collection references the human condition in general, but mainly hints at the drastic changes endured by the Ukrainian people.
The designer thought about how the war has divided every Ukrainian's life into a "before" and an "after". Yet, facing circumstances beyond their control, Ukrainians showed remarkable resilience.
Over a year has gone since the beginning of the war, but, through adversity, Ukrainians still emerge as strong and with their gaze fixed resolutely upon the future.
Thinking about her home country and compatriots, who endured profound loss and embraced new incarnations of themselves in the pursuit of survival, Dzhus reinvented them as superheroes and looked at the changes they went through in a symbolic way.
In Dzhus' A/W 23 collection, dresses, jackets and coats incorporate scarves and hoods that can be used to form cocooning shapes around the body; sleeves turn into hoods and vests while a hat can be turned into a bag, a bag into a long dress and trousers can transmute into dresses and jackets.
A T-shaped monumental white garment almost worthy of a guardian angel yet in reality not by sacred and ethereal garments but by bulletproof-vests and protective gear, incorporates multiple pockets, turning into a symbolic emblem of unwavering protection for a nation that cannot be broken; in other cases aggregates of pockets give shape to a design.
The pockets and bags in this collection are allegorical vessels: they symbolize indeed the arduous evacuation endured by millions of Ukrainians who carried with them only that which they could carry.
At times, as Irina Dzhus explains in the notes accompanying her collection, they preferred to carry things that were symbolic to them rather than practical stuff.
Rather than architectural designs, Dzhus created through inventive patterns tectonic silhouettes in which panels of fabrics form layered silhouettes that can expand into space or contract and even reduced to the smallest possible size and even turned into jewelry. Textured cottons, diaphanous rayons and light knits are combined in this collection in which utilitarian unisex silhouettes prevail.
In the video lookbook for this collection, accompanied by a soundscape of air raid sirens that chill your blood, the designer also shows how each garment can be transformed through strategically placed zips.
Collections inspired by mutations and transformations or migration flows are not new in fashion: Hussein Chalayan created throughout the seasons, transformative designs and costumes.
Besides, his "After Words" (A/W 2000-01) collection was inspired by people fleeing from Kosovo during the war and carrying their possessions on their backs. Models during that show removed the covers from chairs and turned them into dresses; in the most iconic part of that show a model stepped into the centre of a 1950s-style coffee table, lifted it up and transformed it into a skirt. In this way the refugee theme was linked to the idea of hiding and camouflaging valuable possessions or carrying them along in flight.
The final meaning of Dzhus's collection is not just a physical transformation, instead, but it is a metaphor, an evocative allusion to the metamorphosis of the human spirit under the implacable influence of extraordinary circumstances, often demanding heart-rending choices.
The utilitarian approach and the multi-purpose transformations in this collection assumed a more heightened conceptual meaning than in the brand's previous designs such as the A/W 2022 collection, that was accompanied by a photoshoot featuring models in dimly lit surroundings, a reference to the blackouts that have become norm in war-stricken Ukraine.
Dzhus recently resumed production in Kyiv and, since the war began, has been donating 30% of its profit to the Ukrainian army and to animal shelters.
Image credits for this post
All images in this post copyright DZHUS.
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