On May 29, an event took place at the M17 Center for Contemporary Art in the capital, which pushed the concept of beauty far beyond purely aesthetic perception. The brand L’Oréal Paris held a large-scale show-manifesto “Because You’re Worth It!”, dedicated to female strength, resilience, and the development of women’s entrepreneurship in Ukraine.
Inspired by the legendary Le Défilé L’Oréal Paris show, which traditionally gathers top stars during Paris Fashion Week, the Ukrainian event became a powerful platform to showcase women who are transforming the country daily. Leaders in business, culture, medicine, education, science, and public service walked the runway, which, according to the organizers, is currently “passing through the heart of a country that does not give up.”
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“Tonight is a manifesto. A manifesto of female power, entrepreneurial spirit, and resilience. In a city of beauty and freedom. And true courage lives here today,” was declared from the stage during the event’s opening.
The evening was opened by singer Zlata Ognevich with the symbolic composition “One Day.” The main stars of the show were famous Ukrainian women: L’Oréal Paris ambassador Katya Silchenko, TV presenter Olena Frolyak, representing the Age Expert line, Tetiana Parfileva, Dasha Kvitkova, Kateryna Kuzmenko, Anna Zavertaylo, and Valeria Tatarchuk. Fifteen finalists of the fourth wave of the Program for Supporting Women Entrepreneurs of Ukraine and six invited heroines from various professions, whose daily contributions are critical to the country, were special guests on the runway.
To create the participants’ looks, the team exclusively engaged local fashion brands, demonstrating solidarity with the Ukrainian fashion industry. The heroines paraded in outfits from The Coat by Katya Silchenko, CHER’17, One by One, Morandi, Vensa, Nobrandstore, and A.M.G Brand. The agency SAME & Friends was responsible for the organization and execution of the concept, and La Famiglia Catering provided the gastronomic atmosphere of the evening.
The culmination of the evening was the announcement of the five winners of the L’Oréal Paris Program for Supporting Women Entrepreneurs of Ukraine, each of whom received a grant of 500,000 UAH to scale their businesses. Over the four years of the initiative, in partnership with the “Your Support” Charitable Foundation, the brand has received over 5,500 applications and allocated more than 21 million UAH in financial aid.
This year’s winners, who are changing the face of Ukrainian business, are:
- Marta Kondryn (Mycelia Tech) — a startup producing eco-packaging from mycelium;
- Liliia Smirnova (VYO Health) — a digital application for supporting women’s reproductive and hormonal health;
- Svitlana Yurchenko — children’s rehabilitation center “You Can”;
- Iryna Koval (BRAMMER) — development of evacuation means systems;
- Olena Ivanova — correctional center “KAZKA”.
“It was an incredible evening where we celebrated female solidarity and resilience,” emphasized Tetyana Boyar, Marketing Director of L’Oréal Paris. “The runway featured leaders who inspire us every day. But most importantly, our grant program continues to live and grow, and today we proudly announced the names of five more winners.”
The “Because You’re Worth It!” show once again proved that modern beauty is inseparable from inner strength, ambition, and the readiness to support each other on the path to great goals.