How a Ukrainian designer helped Zelensky dress for Trump diplomacy

KYIV - When Ukrainian designer Viktor Anisimov showed Mr Volodymyr Zelensky a new black suit on Aug 15, it included a small detail. A back vent on the back inched it closer to a civilian suit, compared with the military outfits the President has favoured throughout the war in Ukraine.

“These are our hopes for peace,” Mr Anisimov told Reuters about the tweak. “We think that if we add something subtle to this image, something from civilian clothing to his uniform, then it will be like a lucky charm.”

On Aug 18, the lucky charm worked to set a warm tone for a White House meeting with US President Donald Trump.

Moments after Mr Zelensky arrived, Mr Trump complimented him on the suit.

Mr Zelensky’s dark military-style outfit was one of the things Mr Trump objected to during a disastrous Oval Office meeting in February, when the Ukrainian leader was given a public scolding.

Mr Anisimov, 61, from Ukraine’s northern region of Chernihiv, said he was watching videos of that interaction and felt the jabs. He perceived them as aimed at Ukrainian citizens, not just at Mr Zelensky.

“There was a slight sense of despair because they do not understand how we breathe, how we live,” he said.

A reporter at the White House, who had asked Mr Zelensky in February why he was not wearing a suit, also praised the Ukrainian leader on his attire on Aug 18, saying: “You look fabulous in that suit.”

Mr Anisimov said he was not watching for criticism or compliments this time but wanted to ensure the Ukrainian President looked dignified.

“They praise, they scold. If we win, and we will win, then whose suit it was doesn’t matter,” he said.

Since Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022, Mr Zelensky has worn military-type outfits, often with collarless shirts and heavy boots, to show solidarity with Ukraine’s troops.

“In this moment, internally, we all changed, everything changed, life changed. It was a point of no return,” he said in an interview with a Ukrainian media outlet a year later.

Urgent request

The black suit worn on Aug 18 was originally presented, along with an identical navy option, as an outfit idea for Ukraine’s Independence Day on Aug 24.

While the team was going back and forth on the back vent, Mr Anisimov took it back for alterations on Aug 15. Before he even got to making the adjustments on the sleeves, the phone rang with an urgent request from the administration on Aug 16 – the President needed the suit for his US trip.

It was not the first time that Mr Anisimov had been charged with changing the President’s style.

In the early 2000s, Mr Zelensky, then a comedian, and his team “Kvartal 95” sought to establish their identities on Ukrainian screens after getting their initial break in comedy competitions.

The process was gradual: Black T-shirts gave way to white shirts with ties, and then morphed into suits worn by the team during the shows.

Mr Anisimov said he had not heard from Mr Zelensky for over five years when a mutual acquaintance from the previous make-over contacted him in January. They floated the idea of creating a capsule collection for the President.

Mr Anisimov said he used the military uniform as an inspiration point to ensure versatility for all items in the capsule.

“I can’t say that we sewed (a suit) specifically for the Nato summit or for an important conversation with Trump and European leaders. The suit is just a suit,” Mr Anisimov said, adding that Mr Zelensky has about five similar-looking jackets with small tweaks.

Since then, the Ukrainian President has worn Mr Anisimov’s designs to the funeral of Pope Francis in April and a Nato summit in June – both occasions that helped to bring the US and Ukraine closer together after their public rift in February. REUTERS