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

For astir designers, London Fashion Week was a accidental to debut caller collections.

But for Ukrainian decorator Ivan Frolov, it was astir truthful overmuch more.

Ivan chose to deterioration a Ukrainian emblem T-shirt for his amusement and saw it arsenic an accidental to "keep the speech astir warfare going".

"It's inactive going connected and we request the attraction we got astatine the beginning," helium says.

The 29-year-old chatted to BBC Newsbeat pursuing his show, saying this past week has been a bully 1 successful a hard year.

Ivan recalls the greeting warfare broke out. He gave his employees the accidental to halt working.

But to his surprise, wrong 2 weeks they each substance the decorator saying they wanted to proceed arsenic normal.

In the aboriginal days of war, manner was acold from their minds - they donated sewing machines to marque bulletproof vests and turned their skills elsewhere.

"We were sewing rocket carriers and making uniforms for guys who needed peculiar sizes, similar precise gangly guys for example," helium says.

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

As you mightiness imagine, Ivan says moving from a warfare portion is thing but predictable.

He explains they inactive person regular air-raid sirens, adding "you ne'er cognize what volition hap next".

"When Russia started bombing powerfulness stations, we had a batch of problems with energy and blackouts."

But Ivan and his squad haven't lone been helping the warfare effort, they besides returned to designing clothes.

There was 1 occasion, erstwhile 'normal' concern had resumed and Ivan was finishing an bid of outfits for Sam Smith's euphony video.

"We had a precise abbreviated deadline due to the fact that we needed to nonstop the outfits to Poland by bid and abruptly determination was a blackout."

Instead of cancelling the order, Ivan's squad recovered a mode to bash it by hand.

"Our embroidery masters taped their phones to lamps and utilized the torch airy to embroider with a thread and needle," helium says.

"After that I understood there's nary task that's intolerable for Ukrainian people."

The warfare makes sending retired apparel much hard though - and it present takes garments implicit 17 hours to permission the country.

"Unlike earlier wherever we would alert apparel consecutive from Kyiv, each bid present has to beryllium taken by a squad subordinate by bid to Poland, earlier flying elsewhere," Ivan says.

Sam Smith isn't the lone creator Ivan has designed for successful the past year. If you're a instrumentality of Doja Cat, Rita Ora oregon Dua Lipa you mightiness person spotted his work.

Oh, and past there's Beyoncé.

"It's ever bully erstwhile thing similar that happens, due to the fact that nowadays we lone person bittersweet news.

"When thing supportive happens it helps america judge proceed everything volition beryllium better."

Beyoncé's determination to deterioration a Ukrainian marque astatine specified an "important performance" meant a batch to Ivan.

But, helium reflects, it didn't mean arsenic overmuch arsenic it would person done pre-war.

"It was ever my imagination to formal Beyoncé, but present those dreams person changed.

"Right now, I person lone 1 imagination and it's a triumph of Ukraine."

Looking towards the aboriginal though Ivan inactive feels hopeful that 1 time his manner amusement volition instrumentality to Kyiv alternatively of London.

"I privation it to beryllium successful beauteous Ukraine. autarkic and escaped arsenic it was before."

And arsenic for a beforehand enactment of A-listers, including Beyoncé?

"Oh for sure," helium laughs, "she volition ever get the invite."

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