Ivan Frolov Interview: “The power of Fashion”
Text by Brian James for Flanelle Magazine
Fashion is often viewed as inhabiting its own bubble, a bubble that’s divorced from the real world and real-world problems. A form of fabulous escapism where the transformative and invigorating power of clothes transports us to our happy place. For Ukranian designer Ivan Frolov residing in Kyiv it would be understandable if the apparent frivolities of fashion were something to step away from in this war-torn country. Ivan has, however, managed to find creativity in the chaos, found a freedom in creating clothes that has overridden the fear of war, and has used his own resilience to pay homage to that city and his country’s unquenchable resilience.
His and other Ukraine based designers’ commitment to their art and their harnessing of fashion to tell Ukraine’s story are qualities that were recognized by the British Fashion Council and London Fashion Week with his brand FROLOV and a cohort of fellow Ukranian brands having been invited to London in September to show their collections in an expression of solidarity and support with that nation’s creatives.
It was my pleasure to be invited to the FROLOV London Fashion Week presentation staged in the sumptuous splendour of the Bulgari Hotel in opulent Knightsbridge. A fitting venue to showcase the designer’s latest collection titled “MOLODA”, one which channeled the feelings of youthfulness and freedom that emerge as young lives begin to blossom. One which featured the brand’s signature corsets and corset dresses embellished with Swarovski crystals specially designed by the crystal masters. Also featuring were black and white silk robe-dresses bearing the signature FROLOV heart incorporated in the form of an ultrasound, together with structural silhouettes and rose motifs inspired by the Ukranian artist Zhanna Kadyrova.
The Frolov SS24 Collection
I sat down with Ivan to ask him about this latest collection, the challenges and obstacles he faced creating it in a war zone, and how he hopes that his work and the work of other Ukranian designers can provide a symbol of positivity to both his homeland and the watching world.
Congratulations on your latest collection “MOLODA” which I loved. What inspired it and what is the significance of the title?
Thank you so much for your kind words! MOLODA in Ukrainian means a “young girl”. I wanted it to encapsule the feeling of youthfulness and freedom.
Part of that inspiration emanates from the work of Ukrainian artist Zhanna Kadyrova. What is it about her art that compelled you to draw from it for your designs?
Exactly! Zhanna is famous for her concrete sculptures, and it’s her works of art and vision that have inspired me to incorporate this specific concrete color into my collection, as well as brought an idea of conveying sculpture in clothing and make even flowers from concrete.
While maintaining many of the core components synonymous with FROLOV the collection also shows a designer who is growing creatively. How important to you is it to maintain those beloved signature elements while also exploring new directions?
The exploration of all forms of love and discovery of your own sexuality lies in the core conception of our brand and our items are aimed at helping with those discoveries. That’s the crucial part of FROLOV, our core. It’s an endless source of inspiration and enables me in particular takes a different turn with it, and experiment, researching and portraying every aspect of it: from first love to transgender and transsexual culture etc.
The FROLOV heart emblem remains to the fore in your designs while this season you paid further homage to Ukraine incorporating a chestnut motif, a symbolic tree in Kyiv, into your creations. What messages about your country do you want to convey to us through this symbolism?
Kyiv is the city where our brand was born, and our production still takes place. No matter of war and the ease of getting lost in the sentiments of fear, the city is still fresh and blooming. I wanted to pay homage to Kyiv this way and encapsulate the feeling of freedom and boldness it gives you, when you live there or visit it.
How challenging has it been to continue producing collections in Kyiv throughout the war, and how have you had to adapt to these tragic circumstances?
To be honest, if someone warned us about the challenges we would face, we wouldn’t be able to predict if we could make it. But we proved to everyone and to ourselves that there’s nothing impossible for our team. It’s been a range of various enormous difficulties, like an absence of reliable air connections that result in logistical nightmares to the ever-present fear of missile attacks. We endured one of the harshest winters in our memory, marked by severe electricity shortages, and it’s likely that the coming winter will present a similar experience.
But it is very important for us to maintain our production here in Kyiv, to establish and grow our company in this city, and to contribute as much as possible to our country.
You launched FROLOV in 2015. What do you think the key to your longevity is in an industry where many designers fail to maintain a presence after a couple of seasons?
Remembering our DNA, staying true to ourselves and having the messages we want to convey. Our mission was clear from the very start: we wanted to use fashion as a platform for addressing provocative and sensitive topics, a bit just as clothes manufacture for its own sake.
Your clothes have been worn by music icons such as Beyoncé and Gwen Stefani. You’ve also dressed Ukrainian First Lady Olena Zelenska. How did the collaboration with Beyoncé come about and how important was that recognition to Ukrainian culture and resilience?
Every time a celebrity wears our pieces, it becomes a huge “dreams come true” moment for our team and even our country. Unfortunately, a big amount of such successes happened during the Russian full-scale invasion of Ukraine and right now the one and only dream we have been a full victory of our country in this war.
Still, we see it as an amazing supportive act and an opportunity to show Ukrainian culture and fashion to the world. And back at home any good news and reasons to be proud of our brands are extremely important, so it’s always a tremendous moral support for the nation. After each such occasion I ensure what a wonderful team I have, how hardworking and well-coordinated they are. For us, it’s such a pride, and it would never happen without their tremendous input and work.
Are there any other public figures that you would love to see wearing FROLOV?
Kylie Minogue just released her album Tension wearing our couture dress for the vinyl cover, it is something just magical! Yes, and some big releases are coming, but I can’t reveal any secrets yet!
How do you want the women who wear your clothes to feel about themselves and the world around them when they put on one of your creations?
First, I don’t want to just say it’s women who wear FROLOV, there’s been people of all genders wearing our pieces! I just want everyone to discover their own sexuality in our clothes and its own main aim, to help people do it with passion and an open heart.
Couture craftsmanship is at the core of the FROLOV aesthetic. What level of detail goes into creating a piece, and how long is the process from idea to completed garment?
This really depends on whether it’s collection preparation, which takes lots of months of research, creating sketches, production, each stage of which is at least a couple of months. Or it can be different with custom pieces, for some we could create a bespoke piece in a couple of weeks, starting with a sketch and up to having a ready-made piece delivered to our client.
Can you tell us about your charity FROLOVHEART and how that has helped the lives of people in your country?
FROLOVHEART is a separate charity project that resembles a limited collection of sweatshirts, with unique hand-embroidered hearts on each of them. All proceeds from it are donated to various partnering charities (for example, some were donated to a Kyiv charity fund to help children who have lost their parents, and later to build temporary homes for people who lost them because of Russian army). It’s an ongoing project, and we have already raised more than 3m of UAH and continue working on it, as social responsibility is an integral part of our brand. It’s been very successful, and we are very happy to find our own way of helping our country and not losing the core of our brand at the same time.
How rewarding has it been to bring your collection to London Fashion Week, and how would you like that platform to both elevate FROLOV and keep the plight of Ukraine in the public eye?
We were deeply honored to present our first solo show and be on the official schedule of London Fashion Week this season. This recognition holds particular significance for us as Ukrainians, given the ongoing challenges we face amidst the war Russia has started against us. We view ourselves as cultural warriors, determined to keep the conversation about Ukraine alive on every possible frontline.
The British Fashion Council and London Fashion Week has generously embraced our vision, allowing us to utilize this platform to showcase our pieces to a global audience. It was a massive opportunity for us to persistently convey our unwavering commitment to our core mission, regardless of the circumstances we hope we fulfilled fully!
Someone once said that fashion is the most important of life’s least important things. For Ivan Frolov and his fellow designers living and working in Ukraine, the war undeniably puts fashions fripperies into perspective. It’s an important reminder for those of us privileged to live in environments where the business of fashion and all its machinations can often be afforded an importance that making clothes doesn’t really deserve.
However, the importance of fashion to a nation’s view of itself, its well-being and its citizens’ mood can also be underestimated. While what they’re wearing will no doubt be the last thing on the minds of those fighting on the frontline or facing impending attack the role that Ivan and his fellow designers are playing in continuing their craft sends a business-as-usual message that adds to the communal resilience and pride being displayed by the citizens of Ukraine.
Outside of these tragic circumstances, the latest offering from FROLOV stands on its own as a delicious demonstration of couture craftsmanship. One where high impact glamour marries with perfectly proportioned structural silhouettes to gift us a collection underpinned by an authentic empathy. One that’s seen garments made in Kyiv worn by Kylie and a host of other celebrities while the brand continues to garner an ever-growing number of dedicated followers.
With “MOLODA” Ivan Frolov shows us that fashion can still function in the most difficult of times and shine as a possibly unexpected beacon of hope for a country facing an uncertain future.
Huge thanks to Ivan for taking the time to speak to me and to Georgie and all at Purple PR for their help.
You can connect with the brand here https://frolov.fr/ and here https://www.instagram.com/frolovheart/
All images credit courtesy of Ivan Frolov