We were lucky to catch up with Olga Ivanidi recently and have shared our conversation below.

Olga, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Coming up with the idea is so exciting, but then comes the hard part – executing. Too often the media ignores the execution part and goes from idea to success, skipping over the nitty, gritty details of executing in the early days. We think that’s a disservice both to the entrepreneurs who built something amazing as well as the public who isn’t getting a realistic picture of what it takes to succeed. So, we’d really appreciate if you could open up about your execution story – how did you go from idea to execution?

The Fashion 4 Ukraine NYFW show started because something important was missing at NYFW in 2024. There was no real platform where Ukrainian designers and models could show what they’re capable of – and I wanted to change that. I also wanted this project to have a purpose, to support a Ukrainian charity I could truly stand behind. With my background in modeling, journalism, and business, it felt like everything I’d done in life suddenly came together and pointed me in this direction.

And now we’re getting ready for our fourth show in February 2026. I still can’t believe it. It’s been nothing overnight – just a lot of persistence and learning.

The hardest part in New York is always finding a space, but back in early 2024 I discovered Mriya Gallery in Tribeca – the only Ukrainian art gallery in the city. It couldn’t have been a better fit for our inaugural show to bring Ukrainian fashion and culture to life.

Choosing a cause was next. Someone recommended the Bird of Light Foundation, and when I learned they help children who were kidnapped by Russia return home, it hit me hard. All ticket proceeds from the first show went straight to them.

I also got lucky with my American producer (he’s a designer and model too) and he helped bring the first show together while also creating a Ukrainian-inspired collection for it. But finding designers overall was quite a challenge. In New York, everything works through recommendations. One model I had walked with connected me to Olena New York, a Ukrainian American luxury leather accessories and couture designer, and she became the first designer to join. Then more Ukrainian-American designers started coming in through word of mouth – KOHAY, Ira Lysa, Olya Mak, Sarasvaty.

For some, like designer Anna Yudavea, our show was a chance to start over after fleeing the war and losing her studio. We even had a collection made in Ukraine by designer KATERYNA, and shipped straight from Ukraine thanks to one of our sponsors, Zirka Beauty Salon. That’s really important to me: physically bringing Ukraine to NYC through the clothes.

Once the designers were confirmed, the next mission was models. I knew I wanted a strong, diverse, committed group, so I turned to my modeling connections. I reached out to people I had walked with over the years all over states – and the response honestly surprised me. Models traveled from New Orleans, Miami, multiple cities in Texas, and Chicago just to volunteer and be part of the show. Their support meant everything and really showed how far this project could reach.

I also want Ukrainian fashion to feel part of the larger fashion world, so we’ve always included at least one American or European designer each season. Even during the first show, one of the designers of Austrian descent I had modeled for joined in to support us.

A huge moment for the Ukrainian community was when Veselka, the legendary NYC restaurant, partnered with us. That was like a green light for a lot of people. Soon local businesses started reaching out too – a flower shop, another Ukrainian restaurant, SVETA, Ukrainian musicians and others who wanted to be part of the mission. Still, we had to be resourceful. For example, a local The Holy Trinity Ukrainian Orthodox Church lent us chairs for the night to make the show possible. I wasn’t just the Creative Director – I was also hosting the show with my producer and even jumped on the runway to model for two designers.

That first show in September 2024 ended up selling out. People were literally standing outside the gallery trying to get in. Fashion Business Channel came to interview us. We got our first Getty Images. But the best part was raising money for Bird of Light and helping support their work.

Right after the first show wrapped, we were already planning the next one for NYFW. Since it was happening around Valentine’s Day, the theme came naturally: Love and The City. The real inspiration, though, was a moment backstage when designer Mary Witch came up to me after our debut show, said she had to be part of the next season, and signed on right away. Her sensual corsets set the mood for everything we built after that.

From day one, I wanted Fashion 4 Ukraine to feel different from the usual runway lineup. I wanted people to actually connect with our designers and models. So we kept doing interviews, behind-the-scenes stories, and in-house promo shoots – things we started in Season 1that really made people care on social media.

For Season2, we went bigger. We filmed this dramatic, movie-style promo with two models in Mary Witch corset dresses stepping out of a red Cadillac on Wall Street—the same area where our second, larger venue was. Another designer had an Asian-inspired collection, so we created a whole cinematic Chinatown shoot right before Lunar New Year, turning three models into modern geishas. None of it would’ve happened without the amazing Ukrainian media team we pulled together.

I also wanted the show itself to feel immersive. Our floral partners turned the stage – plus a giant LED screen donated by a sponsor – into a garden overflowing with 600 red roses. And because I really wanted to elevate the guest experience, we added a cocktail hour with champagne and chocolate-covered strawberries. Guests could also shop at a pop up market to the tunes of American-Ukrainian jazz band. The whole night felt like stepping into our “Love and The City” world.

The Ukrainian designers delivered exactly the energy we hoped for – sensual, feminine, and even bold enough to include lingerie. And once again, we were completely sold out. The press attention came in fast, and having several Miss Ukraine titleholders in the audience definitely added extra buzz. Season Two felt like a celebration of our teamwork and Ukraine.
By the time we wrapped the season, something finally clicked – we had the right people in the right roles, and building momentum suddenly felt natural instead of uphill.

For our third season, in September 2025, we knew we wanted another strong theme. We chose “Falling for New York”, a love letter to Ukrainians who have embraced this city and made it their own. Each designer brought pieces that echoed New York, its unstoppable energy.

But one story defined the season. Among our designers was U’NEED, a brand shaped by the brutal reality of the war. On July 12th, 2025, a Russian missile destroyed their entire production facility in Lviv. Still, within two months, the team rebuilt their workflow, created an entirely new collection, and shipped it to New York in time for our show. Their debut at Fashion 4 Ukraine was a statement of survival, creativity, and the unbreakable spirit of Ukrainian makers.

This season, I also let myself experiment. We brought in a kidswear designer for the first time and added more male models – runway is all about pushing boundaries.

Another moment close to my heart was giving a stage to those rebuilding their lives in the U.S. One of them was HARNA by Oksana Sydorchak. She’d shown embroidered hats with Ukrainian poetry at our pop-up market in Season Two, and I immediately saw something special. For Season Three, I encouraged her to create her first ever full collection which blended Ukrainian poetry and modern design. It became one of the standout moments of the show.

I won’t lie: organizing a mission-driven show can get lonely. Sometimes it feels like Americans are tired of hearing about the war, tired of feeling helpless. But this season shifted something. Thanks to months of outreach and open conversations, many Americans truly joined our mission. That support meant everything. I even co-hosted the show with the incredible NYC photographer Marty Gottlieb – a collaboration that brought new energy to the stage.

And as always, Fashion 4 Ukraine remained a fashion show with purpose. Around twenty Ukrainian-owned businesses and partners contributed to our charity raffle during the event, supporting Misto Dobra (“City of Goodness”), an organization that cares for children and mothers in crisis. We raised $1,487 for their children’s hospice program.

All the noise we created also paid off: after Season 3, we were invited onto the CBS talk show The Donna Drake Show. For a project that began as a small idea and a lot of hope, that moment felt surreal. Also, during our third show, a representative from the NYC Mayor’s office stopped by and announced that I’d been nominated as a Fashion and Brand Ambassador for New York City. It was such an unexpected honor, and I can’t wait to use it to help boost the show and bring even more attention to what we’re creating.

If this journey has taught me anything, it’s that a strong idea paired with a meaningful cause can pull people together in powerful ways. And once you have the right team, trust them, delegate, and keep innovating and finding what makes you stand out. That’s how you grow, season after season.

Olga, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I’m the founder and creative director of Fashion 4 Ukraine, a New York Fashion Week platform dedicated to elevating Ukrainian designers and spotlighting the resilience, artistry, and cultural identity of my homeland.

The path to Fashion 4 Ukraine was anything but linear. I began modeling in Ukraine at 15, eventually earning the title of Miss Kherson. But at 20 life took a sharp turn and brought me to the United States, where I unexpectedly found myself in hospitality management. Today, I see how that chapter trained me to communicate, organize, and lead with clarity. Later, pursuing a Master’s in Journalism taught me how to collaborate with media and tell designers’ stories in a way that truly resonates.

I went back to modeling when I moved to New Orleans only at the age of 29. I worked with a Ukrainian fashion magazine at that point as a journalist. I walked in New Orleans Fashion Week in 2018, and soon found myself modeling in shows and events across the country. I soaked up everything happening around me – how designers think, the magic and the chaos of backstage. I didn’t realize it then, but those experiences and the incredible creatives I met along the way became the foundation for what would one day grow into Fashion 4 Ukraine.

Then came the war. Suddenly in New York I was meeting Ukrainian designers, models, photographers, and creatives who had relocated to the U.S. or were searching for visibility abroad. Yet at the biggest fashion stage in America, there was no stable platform dedicated to them. So I built one.

There are a few things that make Fashion 4 Ukraine different:

Storytelling at the Core
We don’t just present collections – we tell the stories behind them. From the beginning, it was important to me that audiences understood who our designers are and why they create. Our cinematic promo videos and interviews feel far more like short films than traditional fashion content.

A Platform for Emerging Voices
One of the most meaningful parts of my work is championing new talent. Fashion 4 Ukraine is a place where emerging designers can express themselves freely and find their creative identity in front of an international audience.

Fashion With Purpose
From the start, Fashion 4 Ukraine has been more than a runway platform but a mission-driven movement. Every season, we support Ukrainian charities, initiatives, and communities affected by the war.

How did you build your audience on social media?

I actually started our Instagram from scratch – the first followers were just my friends. As we prepared for the first show, I began collaborating with designers and models who appeared in our promo videos, and slowly the following started to grow. After the show, I made a point to collaborate and feature posts from all the participants and highlight their work, because it felt important to celebrate everyone involved.

One thing I’ve learned from other successful fashion shows is that their growth comes hand-in-hand with the community. You grow with your followers, not just to them. I also try to stay consistent with posting and focus on creating short, catchy promo videos in-house, which really helps keep people engaged and excited about what’s coming next.

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

I think what really helped build our reputation is that Fashion 4 Ukraine isn’t just about fashion. It’s a mission-driven show with a clear purpose. From the very beginning, we’ve been showcasing incredible Ukrainian talent while supporting a meaningful cause, like the Bird of Light Foundation or Misto Dobra. People respond to authenticity, and when your work has heart and a mission behind it, it resonates with both the community and the industry. That sense of purpose has been key to establishing trust and respect within our market.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.instagram.com/openyournola/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fashion4ukraine/?hl=en
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@FASHION4UKRAINE

Image Credits

Nikolai Akinin
Tetiana Asandi
Alex Dani
Joseph Fraia
Anna Karahodova
Acar Selcuk