One year ago British Council Ukraine launched Fashion DNA: Ukraine, a programme that aims to identify, support and celebrate emerging Ukrainian talents and to create links between them and the UK fashion industry.

Working in partnership with Ukrainian Fashion Week our first task was to identify rising talents in the Ukrainian fashion scene. One of the best places to look is to the Newcomer of the Year Award at the annual Best Fashion Awards so we set about creating a prize that would enable the winner and showcase their work at the International Fashion Showcase during London Fashion Week and, alongside a group of designers shortlisted for the award, to be mentored by UK industry experts.

In September 2015 Yana Chervinska was announced as the winner of the Newcomer of the Year Award kicking off a year of mentoring, creative collaborations, showcasing at the International Fashion Showcase and an even a catwalk show at On|Off, a leading off-schedule platform at London Fashion Week.

In an interview with Vogue Ukraine Yana described here whirlwind of a year ‘Looking back I can’t sum up all the important things that happened to me and my brand over the last year. Overall I think the brand became more commercially successful. It enjoys increased attention from international fashion press. I have numerous clients here in Ukraine as well as abroad. My clothes are being sold in shops. These are all very important achievements.’

Throughout the year Yana has been involved multiple projects and initiatives under the banner of Fashion DNA: Ukraine. She has collaborated with Foxall Studio to develop her branding resulting in a Fanzine launched at Ukrainian Fashion Week, was shortlisted for the Designer Award at the International Fashion Showcase 2016 and selected by On|Off to showcase on their London Fashion Week catwalk, developed a business and sales strategy as a result of a workshop led by Katie Jane Rose from The Bridge Co. and her work is currently occupying a window in XX? store in Kyiv following a creative collaboration with UK set designer Philip Cooper. All of this sums up the huge potential for creative and cultural collaboration between the UK and Ukraine and with many more talents like Yana this is only the beginning.