Kyiv Design Week Went Ahead Amid Strikes, Founders Report

Ukrainian Design and Innovation Week ran in Kyiv from 5 to 11 October despite Russian strikes that cut electricity and water in the capital during the event itself.

Founders Anatolii and Kateryna Roskovshenko, who spoke to Dezeen, did not pretend the conditions were manageable. "The reality of operating in Ukraine remains extremely challenging," they said.

Ukraine has faced Russian bombardment for over four years, and recent months have grown deadlier for civilians, according to Amnesty International. The design sector has not been spared.

"Air raid alerts, power outages, disrupted logistics, rising costs, and damage to production facilities directly affect everyday operations," said the husband-and-wife duo. "Several major Ukrainian furniture manufacturers have had their production facilities and warehouses hit by Russian strikes, causing significant damage and disrupting their work."

Businesses adjust schedules at short notice, reconsider investments and hunt for alternative production routes. Some have scaled back. Others suspended projects temporarily.

What survived the programme cuts?

The flagship Design Hall exhibition gathered 200 Ukrainian brands spanning interiors, furniture, decor, lighting and product design. Thousands of visitors came.

The week, which joined World Design Weeks in 2023, adapted for safety. "Several planned events had to be cancelled for security reasons, while some furniture brands were unable to participate following earlier attacks on their facilities," said the Roskovshenkos. "We adapted Design Hall to take place entirely indoors, with changes to the original programme."

Their verdict: "Yet the commitment of the design community remains strong."

Hundreds of designers, manufacturers and creative professionals exchanged ideas and built new connections, according to the founders. New Ukrainian brands keep launching, even as existing businesses struggle.

"Despite the challenges of working during the war, Ukraine's design industry continues to evolve," they said. "Collaboration has become an essential part of how the industry operates."

This was the seventh season. The founders say brands now show sharper identities, new niches and products reflecting their own creative vision.

The founders' six picks

The Roskovshenkos highlighted brands that continue producing through the war:

• Juniper — Carpathian craftsmanship with sheep's wool and wood. With KredoBank, it made four wall panels inspired by Ukrainian landscapes.
• Kint x Gushka — Kyiv furniture brand Kint paired with wool textile maker Gushka, first in 2024. The limited-edition armchairs come in two handcrafted finishes: Stranded, with layered wool strands, and Brushed, hand-combed with a smooth-weaving technique.
• KosKa — founder Kateryna Kostevych handcrafts objects from recycled paper-based biomass. Featured pieces: Trypillian Bull, drawn from ancient ceramic figurines, and two lamps, Hat and Bright Eye.
• Tiini — lighting, furniture and accessories that pair traditional crafts with material-and-light experimentation.
• Venko — founded 2014 in Radyvyliv, specialising in three-dimensional wooden wall panels and decorative pieces.
• Yalanzhi Objects — founded 2019 by Yuliia and Yevhen Melnychenko, treating light as an artistic medium. Many pieces use Zemletsvit, the brand's signature biocomposite with earthy tones and tactile surfaces.

The founders see the pattern clearly. A fair that keeps its exhibitors, its visitors and its nerve after seven wartime seasons is not just an event. It is the industry's proof of life.