Women Who Inspire — Lilia Litkovska
LITKOVSKA — the Ukrainian designer known for her sculptural silhouettes and raw elegance — reminds us that creativity can be an act of resilience. Her work bridges strength and sensitivity, tradition and rebellion, always returning to one essential question: what does it mean to be human in times of change?
I first met Lilia Litkovska in Paris, during Fashion Week. Amid the intensity of that moment, her quiet power and luminous presence stood out — grounded, thoughtful, unmistakably her own.
Some women create from instinct.
Others from tradition.
And some from something deeper — a quiet inner knowing.
For the first feature in Women Who Inspire, I wanted to begin with a woman whose work reflects resilience, sensitivity, and intention. Born into a family of tailors, Lilia represents the fourth generation working with fabric and form — where clothing becomes a language, not just a product.
Over time, and through profound change, her creative process has evolved into something deeply conscious. Creation becomes a way to stay present, connected, and true — even when circumstances are uncertain.
In this conversation, we speak about creation as a form of anchoring: about craft, nature, ritual, and feminine strength — and how creativity can remain honest, grounded, and alive.
This is a dialogue about creating with meaning.
About strength that includes softness.
And about women who shape the world quietly, from the inside out.
You’ve spoken about growing up in Kyiv surrounded by craft and creativity — what first inspired you to design?
I was born into a family of tailors — I’m the fourth generation working with fabric and form. From childhood, I watched how a simple piece of cloth could turn into a story. For me, that transformation was pure magic — an act of creation and emotion.
How has your creative process evolved with time, especially through the changes your country has faced?
My process has changed completely. It has become more conscious, more about meaning than merely aesthetics. Living and creating in wartime taught me that design can be a form of resistance — a cultural front line. Every stitch, every detail, carries intention.
My team and I work with a new kind of focus — one that’s flexible, resilient, and rooted in care. Today, creation is not just about clothes. It’s about energy, community, and survival.
How do you stay centered when the world feels uncertain or heavy?
I return to my roots — to creation itself, to the honesty of craft.
Nature also brings me back to balance — its rhythms remind me that everything changes, everything flows. And people — my family, my friends, my team — they are my anchors. When I see the courage and kindness around me, I feel hope again. It reminds me why we create — not just for fashion, but for meaning.
Do you have any rituals — morning, creative, or emotional — that help you return to yourself?
Yes, rituals are essential. I spend time with my family, or I sit in nature, meditating outdoors — without phones, without schedules, without expectations. Simply being present, feeling the air, the light, the textures around me. These quiet moments remind me what matters, grounding me and reconnecting me with the inner stillness where creativity truly begins.
Your pieces often feel like poetry in motion — where do you find inspiration now?
In nature — in textures, shadows, the way wind shapes things.
In Ukrainian culture — in the songs, symbols, and rituals that survived centuries.
In people — especially in stories of women who endure, rebuild, and love despite everything.
And in silence — because sometimes inspiration is not about adding more, but about listening.
Is there a message or emotion you hope women feel when they wear your designs?
I want women to feel their strength and weaknesses coexisting — not as opposites, but as harmony.
When a woman wears LITKOVSKA, I hope she feels protected, yet free. I want her to sense that she has the right to be powerful and tender, to lead and to feel.
Clothing, for me, is a dialogue between armor and emotion — between the outside world and the inner one.
What does feminine strength mean to you today?
Feminine is about authenticity. It’s the courage to stay open when it would be easier to close, to create when the world breaks, to care when it hurts. It’s resilience and empathy at once. It’s standing in your truth, even when it’s quiet, even when it trembles. For me, that is the real power of women — we turn pain into creation, chaos into meaning, fear into beauty.
If you could tell your younger self one thing, what would it be?
Don’t rush. Don’t try to fit into someone else’s expectations. Stay true to yourself. Trust your voice, even when it whispers. It’s the only thing that will never betray you. Because beauty, like truth, always takes time.
Speaking with Lilia reminded me that resilience is a living art — not something we force, but something we become.
Like breath, creation expands and contracts. There is beauty in both.
— Abi