Ukrainian fashion maestro Viktor Anisimov embarked on a sartorial mission two decades ago: to introduce Volodymyr Zelensky, then a comedian, to the world of classic suits. Back then, Zelensky’s comedy troupe favored T-shirts and leather pants. Anisimov, known for his ability to blend comfort with elegance, successfully guided them toward a more polished look.
Fast forward to January, when First Lady Olena Zelenska’s office reached out to Anisimov, seeking a fresh style for her husband. Anisimov’s immediate thought? Suits. This was no small feat, as President Zelensky had famously vowed to forgo suits until the war with Russia concluded, opting instead for military attire to stand in solidarity with his troops. Anisimov understood Zelensky’s aversion to formal wear, noting that the president prioritizes comfort.
“He dressed for comfort,” Anisimov explained during an interview in his bustling workshop, surrounded by clothing racks. He believed, however, that with his unique approach, Zelensky might finally be persuaded.
An image captures President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kherson, Ukraine, in 2022, typically dressed in his military-style attire, underscoring the challenge Anisimov faced in shifting his public image.
Anisimov’s own path to fashion design was unexpected. The 61-year-old had initially planned a military career within the Soviet Union, graduating from a military institute in what is now St. Petersburg, Russia. After the Soviet collapse in 1991, he started a construction company in Donetsk, an industrial hub in Ukraine’s east now occupied by Russia.
His entry into fashion was purely accidental. In 1997, a beauty salon owner, impressed by his creative metalwork and intricate sketches, asked him to craft unique clothing hangers for a hairdressing contest. Anisimov’s elaborate metal hangers, adorned with black fabric resembling dresses, caught the eye of Iryna Danylevska, the founder of Ukrainian Fashion Week. She loved them.
Anisimov, pictured backstage before his show during Ukrainian Fashion Week in September, initially hesitated but ultimately designed his first collection for the event. It was a sensation: black, form-fitting dresses accented with structured silver metal pieces resembling avant-garde jewelry. The overwhelming success convinced him to trade blueprints for haute couture.
Iryna Danylevska lauded his unconventional rise, stating, “It’s very rare to find designers who, without a professional education, reach the level he has. Everything he does is very complex. There’s a deep philosophy in each of his pieces.”
The full-scale Russian invasion in February 2022 plunged Anisimov into a profound sadness. Fashion seemed trivial, and he channeled his skills into making clothes for local defense units instead. “The Soviet Union no longer existed, but I was still a Soviet officer,” he reflected. “I never thought this would happen. And when it did, it was such a shock that it killed the sense of beauty in me.”
However, as Ukrainians adapted to life amidst conflict, the importance of fashion re-emerged. Anisimov resumed sketching, even designing uniforms for the country’s national Paralympic team that competed in Paris last year.
His September collection for Ukrainian Fashion Week showcased utilitarian black outfits, including wide-legged pants, boxy jackets, and cropped turtlenecks, all designed to be unisex. Models sported these looks with socks and flip-flops, adding a playful, cheerful touch that his hairdresser, Igor Zyrianov, noted, despite admitting he preferred not to wear Anisimov’s expressive designs himself. Zyrianov described Anisimov as a deep thinker, prone to quoting classic literature, who “loves to talk. If you ask him something, he will tell you everything, even about his mother.”
Anisimov holds President Zelensky in high regard, describing him as “the coolest guy he had ever met and practically had no flaws, a master of sport in men’s all-around.” He observes that the public is less concerned with Zelensky’s attire and more with a definitive end to the war. “My mother always says, ‘Ask him when,’” he shared, noting he has never posed that question to the president.
A challenging moment arose after Zelensky’s much-criticized February meeting at the White House, where his military attire stood in stark contrast to President Trump’s formal suit. An image from this ‘disastrous’ meeting highlights the public scrutiny. This made Anisimov’s mission delicate; a sudden switch to suits could appear as if Zelensky bowed to American pressure.
Anisimov opted for a gradual approach, what he called “Operation Suitish.” Step 1: A black jacket with sharp, straight hems, echoing a military aesthetic. Zelensky wore this to his first post-debacle meeting with Trump at Pope Francis’s funeral in the Vatican in late April. Step 2: A new black blazer with softer, rounded corners, worn by Zelensky to the NATO summit in late June. Anisimov recalled the public’s intense curiosity, with people placing bets on whether Zelensky would finally don a suit.
For Step 3, Anisimov introduced a military-style formal jacket and matching pants in dark blue, featuring a yellow wheat stalk boutonniere—a subtle nod to Ukraine’s national colors. However, during a mid-August fitting, Zelensky rejected the blue, deeming it “too fashionable,” but accepted an identical black version.
An image shows President Zelensky in the black military-style suit, which he wore to meet Trump in August and later at the United Nations in September. Anisimov proudly displayed the rejected blue jacket, signed by Zelensky himself: “Glory to Ukraine,” dated Aug. 15, 2025.
Trump’s reaction to Zelensky’s black suit in the White House on August 18 was enthusiastic: “I cannot believe it. I love it. Look at you.” Seeing Zelensky wear the same suit to the UN General Assembly in September pleased Anisimov, yet he’s already dreaming of Step 4: “A classic suit,” he said, optimistically hoping it will happen soon.