I recently received an email from Kyiv-based fashion brand Katimo, sharing its latest collection (pictured). A brand debuting new-season clothing at this time of year is hardly news but this one was one of the first collections entirely designed and produced by a Ukrainian company since Russia invaded.There are industries more integral to Ukraine’s survival – but a nation is more than borders and buildings. Fashion and the small businesses that constitute the industry are important. For Katimo founder Katya Timoshenko, designing a new collection is all about keeping beauty alive with clothes that feel both sombre and hopeful: practical, loose shirts or lightweight dresses in soft pastel colours, referencing Ukraine’s spring gardens. “This collection is my way of telling the world about how strong our country is,” says Tamshenko. “No matter what, we continue to do what we do best: create beautiful clothes,” she says, explaining that she reopened her manufacturing facility in central Kyiv shortly after the Russian invasion. She’s not alone. Determined not to give up, many of Kyiv’s fashion designers moved to western Ukraine and continued working.