Kyiv Urbanites Adopt 4-Year War Style as Military-Inspired Fashion Spreads Beyond Soldiers
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · May 28
Kyiv Urbanites Adopt 4-Year War Style as Military-Inspired Fashion Spreads Beyond Soldiers
2 articles · Updated · The New York Times · May 28
Olive vests, camouflage pants and bags clipped with tourniquets now mark Kyiv streetwear, blurring the visual line between civilians and soldiers in the capital.
Most wearers are not in the military but I.T. workers, students and other urbanites who say the look signals solidarity and respect for troops rather than a passing trend.
Hundreds of thousands of soldiers rotating between the front and home over four years helped carry that aesthetic into daily life, with veterans described as the city’s new influencers.
Brands such as M-TAC and Riot Division have commercialized the style, placing army-inspired clothing in Kyiv retail alongside global luxury labels and underscoring how deeply war has reshaped civilian culture.
Is Kyiv's wartime fashion a tribute to soldiers or a commercialization of their sacrifice?
As military style becomes Kyiv's new uniform, why do so many citizens resist the call to enlist?
With soldiers hailed as a 'new elite,' what does this mean for Ukraine's post-war democratic future?