San Francisco Frontiers - From trenches to catwalk: Ukraine's amputee soldiers hit the runway

Ukrainian veteran Yaroslav Sharkiy, who lost his leg fighting at the front, was preparing to take to the catwalk at Kyiv Fashion Week.

He is one of anywhere from 50,000 to 100,000 Ukrainian soldiers to have lost a limb fighting to fend off the Russian invasion, according to non-governmental organisations.

"I've got one leg in the Donbas, the other on the Fashion Week runway," joked the former combat medic, barely in his thirties.

"It's a bit unusual but I've learnt to switch between these realities."

Far from the explosions, he now battles a touch of stage fright and teasing from his former comrades.

On the catwalk, he sported the latest line of clothes created specifically by Ukrainian designer Igor Sidletskiy for people with prosthetic limbs.

With four other veterans, he slid his metal leg into a wide pair of black shorts.

Amputated below the knee, Sharkiy usually has to remove his trousers completely to adjust the device, which makes him feel "uneasy" in public.

"I can see that people around me are sometimes uncomfortable too," he told AFP.

But Sidletskiy's designs are loose and easy to put on.

"It's comfortable, while still being stylish," Sharkiy said confidently.

As the designer's voice cut the silence -- "Be ready in 10 minutes" -- he tuned his collar up and added some black sunglasses.

"Loud and clear," Sharkiy barked back in an army-style call-and-response.

- Destruction and creation -

In the forest of endless slender legs, Mykola Kovalyov's metal limbs moved briskly around the changing room.

The young man put on a flowy shirt, brushed his long black hair back and struck a few playful poses, laughing.

"I'm not an actor, I'm not a star, I'm not a dancer. But we're trying," he insisted.

The former soldier lost both his legs in a fight in the northeastern Sumy region -- four years after he enlisted to join the Ukrainian army right after Russia invaded.

Since then, the 22-year-old has felt lost.

"I still don't know who I am or what I want to do," he said.

He did not hesitate when the opportunity arose to present inclusive fashion on the catwalk.

"It's art -- something that can give us a resource, while war has taken that away from us," he said.

"Over there, we had to destroy. Here we create."

After some final adjustments, he frantically searched for his sunglasses -- nerves before his first-ever show.

Behind him, a murmur rose as the first guests took their seats.

Under dresses and trousers, a few prosthetic limbs could also be spotted in the audience.

Then laughter erupted, extravagant outfits were ready, there was a burst of flashes. The show had begun.

- 'With style' -

Before the usual parading, there was a solemn minute of silence commemorating the hundreds of thousands of Ukrainian soldiers killed since Russia invaded in 2022.

To a few piano notes, the first models then started to step forward.

Between the cascades of painstakingly curled hair, the shaven head of a broad-shouldered soldier stood out.

A wave of applause erupted as he took to the stage.

At the end of the runway he instinctively snapped his heels together -- a routine from the army parade training ground -- then pivoted and walked back.

Behind him, Kovalyov and Sharkiy strode forward confidently.

The white-and-beige fabrics contrasted with the chrome glean from their prosthetic limbs.

As the last model struck their pose, the hall rose in a thunder of applause.

Designer Sidletskiy, 27, rushed on stage, grinning from ear to ear.

Backstage, 30-year-old model Olga Dolga was struggling to hold back her tears.

The only civilian in the show, she lost her leg when Russia bombed a shop in her hometown of Dobropillya, heavily targeted by Moscow's troops.

"Now, more than ever, we need to highlight the issue of inclusivity, because so many boys and girls have lost limbs," she told AFP.

That same battle drives Sharkiy, who plans to launch his own clothing brand "so that amputees no longer have to wonder where to find comfortable trousers".

"But the main thing is style," he said. "Because for me, style is important."

R.Baker--SFF