HELD on the second day of New York fashion week, the Bevza show served as a reminder of the shifting design advances of New York’s designers. SS24 has marked a widespread refocusing of impetus, in which New York and what New Yorkers wear has become the nucleus of influence, reinvigorating the purpose of commercialism and simultaneously addressing the distance between the shows and what is sold on shop floors as a consequence.
It’s been a refreshing switch up, after what seems like numerous seasons of New York striving to tap into the cultural zeitgeist of edgier design notions, with only a handful succeeding.
Svitlana Bevza, on the other hand, has perpetually created clothes that adhere to the wearable notion that many are now striving towards “I always try to create pieces that are good investments, which are timeless”, she told me post show.
It is for this reason that the Bevza show has become encased in eager anticipation each season, becoming recognisable for the resurgence of a wardrobe that feels personable, adaptable to the agency of the wearer.
The Bevza brand doesn’t aspire to be anything it is not and builds upon terrestrial experiences to formulate a design process. For SS24, Svitalana Bevza dedicated the collection to the passionate younger generation determined to contribute to a peaceful future, looking in particular to her own upbringing in Ukraine and how she now can represent the country on an international scale.
The visual inspiration behind the show, in continuation to previous collections, was white, but for SS24 we saw brighter colours gradually seep into the seams of the pieces, in which floral motifs and golden Marigolds framed the otherwise neutral palette.
“In Ukraine, Chornobryvets [Marigolds] symbolise optimism and revival. Wherever you plant it, it will sprout,” Svitlana said. “Marigolds are my grandfather’s favorite flowers. In honor of his memory, for 20 years on my balcony in Kyiv I used to replant the seeds he gave me. I was forced to leave my home in Kyiv, but I kept his memory with me. I want these flowers to sprout everywhere, [to] give a new life to our National values.”
This care for the revival of her home country reverberates further into the collection, in which beaded jewellery and clothing is made using traditional Ukranian craftsmanship and spikelets are used on the hardware of bags, a new accessory addition to the Bevza brand, to symbolise fertility and rebirth.
And upon watching the silky fabrics, loose proportions, and skin baring details grace the runway as 32 degree heat sweltered outside, and New Yorkers and visitors alike swooned at the airiness to it all.
As a consequence, there is a feeling of celebration to the collection, a steadfast determination to be optimistic through such turbulent times. The carrot orange punctuations are enough to make anyone smile, with Bevza telling me, “for us, it’s a colour of passion, passion for life.”
Developing upon her penchant for headwear, for SS24, Bevza accessorised her looks with flat caps, which she took a liking to when visiting London and have since fascinated her – “why do only men wear them?” she asks.
“I’d really love girls to be wearing caps next summer,” she said, “in a classy way. It would look lovely in light cotton, worn with a dress”.
And so they did. Styled with white vest mini dresses – the IT item for next summer, beaded tops, and silk dresses with geometric cuts across the décolletage, and its transitional nature was truly realised. By next summer, New Yorkers will have switched their shades for Bevza’s flat caps, just you watch.
by Lily Rimmer