L'Officiel Baltic sits down with Dariia Bila &mdash; one of Ukraine's most celebrated costume designers and the visionary behind MY THEATRE &mdash; for an exclusive conversation on transforming theatrical craft into a language of contemporary fashion, and creating beauty as an act of resilience.

For over 17 years, Dariia Bila created costumes and set designs for some of Ukraine&rsquo;s most important productions &mdash; from Cabaret&nbsp;and&nbsp;La Traviata&nbsp;to&nbsp;Paquita&nbsp;and&nbsp;Swan Lake&nbsp;&mdash; working alongside the country&rsquo;s leading directors. This stage experience became the foundation of her brand: a fusion of theatre, art, and fashion that turns clothing into statement pieces with depth and emotion.&nbsp;In September, MY THEATRE celebrated its&nbsp;runway debut at UFW SS26&nbsp;&mdash; a milestone that marked the brand&rsquo;s first anniversary and underscored the resilience of Ukrainian designers creating beauty despite the ongoing war.&nbsp;All collections are entirely handmade from natural fabrics, with a distinctive aesthetic of restraint and timeless chic. Each garment feels as if it were created inside a theatre workshop &mdash; elegant, meticulous, and filled with atmosphere.

Dariia, let&rsquo;s start from the very beginning &mdash; what drew you to theatre? Were there moments in your childhood or adolescence that shaped your taste and inspired you as a future costume designer?
Dariia: I grew up in a creative family. My father was a constant source of inspiration&mdash;he was an architect, and I was deeply influenced by everything surrounding him: his studio, his drawings, his friends, the way he thought and created. That world shaped my sensitivity and imagination.
Later, I enrolled in the Theatre College in Dnipro, just as they were launching their very first scenography program. From the very first class, I knew it was for me. Theatre brought together everything I loved: painting, sculpture, fabric, light, movement, and symbolism. It was a space where I could work with both material and emotion&mdash;where meaning could be shaped through craft. I instantly felt it was my language.
 Your journey in theatre spans over 17 years, working on opera, ballet, and musicals. Which key projects or mentors helped you become the artist you are today?
Dariia: Over the past 17 years, I&rsquo;ve worked on a wide range of theatrical productions&mdash;and each of them has influenced me in its own way. But there are certain defining moments that were especially formative. One of them was my very first production, The Night Before Christmas, which I designed when I was just 17 years old. That was the beginning of my artistic journey in theatre. It was also the moment I first truly felt like a stage designer.

You are currently working on a new play with the prominent Ukrainian director Ivan Uryvskyi. What can you share about this project, the creative process, and how each costume came to life? How do ideas transform into such visual beauty on stage?
Dariia: Yes, I am currently working with Ivan Uryvskyi on the opera The Tales of Hoffmann by Jacques Offenbach. The creative process with Ivan is incredibly engaging and filled with true artistic freedom. We continue to shape the characters even during rehearsals&mdash;adding nuances, traits, and specific details to each image.
This approach makes the work both fascinating and demanding. I remain in constant contact with the rehearsal process&mdash;observing the dynamics, changes, and trying to feel the rhythm of the production. It&rsquo;s a great responsibility, especially in opera, where there are so many performers, scenes, and costumes. The selection of fabrics, construction of garments, and choice of textures all require precision, patience, and deep immersion in the material.
 Ukrainian theatre is experiencing a true renaissance &mdash; theatres are full, tickets are hard to get, and audiences attend despite the war and constant sirens. How does it feel to be part of this revival, and what does this support from viewers mean to you?
Dariia: Right now, art plays an incredibly important role in the emotional lives of people in Ukraine. In times of war, we all need support, the space to express ourselves, and the ability to emotionally shift or reframe our experience. Theatre, as a live and immediate art form, offers exactly that kind of space. It&rsquo;s not something you can pause&mdash;it breathes beside you, unfolds in real time. And that is where its unique power lies, especially in such difficult periods. Of course, this shift also brings a greater sense of responsibility for my work. I find myself creating more, working faster, and with an extraordinary inner drive. Audiences today feel everything&mdash;they pick up on every meaning, every detail, every nuance. That kind of sensitivity is both incredibly inspiring and deeply humbling.

Is there a particular production or costume that has stayed with you deeply &mdash; a project you are especially proud of and that left a lasting impression on your heart?
Dariia: In my creative life, there have been several productions that were particularly significant. One of them was Carmina Burana &mdash; my second production. It was during this work that I first truly realized that a scenographer is not just someone who dresses actors or arranges props, but someone who imagines and creates entire worlds on stage.
Another meaningful project was The Cradle of Life by the brilliant composer Yevhen Stankovych. That was when I reimagined the traditional Ukrainian costume &mdash; not through direct citations or embroidery patterns, but through form, silhouette, and alternative materials like silk applications and metal elements. And of course, Cabaret, directed by Olena Koliadenko, was the production that brought me back to theatre after a break. I believe it marked a new chapter in my life.
Theatre work is incredibly demanding and energy-consuming. How do you recharge and recover after exhibitions or performances? What helps you maintain your creativity and balance?
Dariia: Oh, yes &mdash; theatre absorbs a lot of energy. But it also gives back so much. Especially when I feel that a project turns out powerful, and I know all the effort was worth it.
There have been many different theatre projects in my life, and not all of them were easy. But now, fortunately, the ones I&rsquo;m involved in are truly special &mdash; and they inspire me deeply. As for recovery &mdash; sleep helps, and I try to slow down a little. A few days of rest, and I already want to dive into a new project.

Fashion Brand MY THEATRE by Dariia Bila

How did the idea of creating your own brand, MY THEATRE, come about? Was there a moment when you realized you wanted to translate theatrical inspiration into clothing for real life?
Dariia: The idea of creating my brand came about very organically &mdash; from a deep and constant desire to create. After nearly two decades in theatre, I felt a growing need to take that world beyond the stage. I became curious: what if I brought the same poetic, expressive language of theatre into real life? While working on the production of Cabaret, I realized I needed my own atelier &mdash; a space that would help me execute costumes at the level I envisioned. That became the first step toward creating a brand. Then one morning, I simply walked into the office and said to my team: &ldquo;We&rsquo;re going to start a brand!&rdquo; And that&rsquo;s how MY THEATRE was born &mdash; not as a business plan, but as a natural continuation of my theatrical way of thinking.

It&rsquo;s clear that your collections &mdash; with all the embroidery, handwork, and delicate craftsmanship &mdash; are not meant for the mass market. They feel more like wearable art than everyday clothing. How did you find your audience, and who do you imagine wearing MY THEATRE pieces?
Dariia: It&rsquo;s true &mdash; MY THEATRE was never meant to be for everyone. And that was never the goal.
We create things that take time, attention, and soul. Each piece involves hours of handwork &mdash; embroidery, beading, appliqu&eacute;, hand-stitching &mdash; with a focus on natural fabrics and delicate techniques. These are not just clothes, they are stories in material form. Some people immediately understand this language, and that&rsquo;s how we found our audience &mdash; or maybe they found us.
I imagine our pieces worn by people who value expression over trend. People who aren&rsquo;t afraid to wear something poetic. Often these are artists, curators, architects, writers &mdash; individuals who live thoughtfully and intuitively. Many of our clients say the pieces give them a sense of transformation, almost like stepping into a role. That&rsquo;s the essence of MY THEATRE &mdash; it&rsquo;s not just fashion, it&rsquo;s a space where the person becomes the main character.

Can you tell us more about your collections? Where do you find inspiration, and how does your theatre work influence the visual language of MY THEATRE?
Dariia: Of course, all of my theatre work influences MY THEATRE collections&mdash;deeply and directly.
In fact, the brand was born out of a creative need to say more than a single performance allows. It became a continuation of my artistic language&mdash;a way to give life to ideas and emotions that couldn&rsquo;t fully exist within the boundaries of the stage. Costume in theatre and clothing in a brand are two entirely different worlds. In theatre, everything must be durable: costumes are made to endure rehearsals, movement, quick changes, repeated wear, and years of performances. They are tools in service of the production. But with the brand, I allow myself something else entirely: I work exclusively with natural fabrics, incorporate intricate handwork, embroidery, appliqu&eacute;, enamel buttons, and fine detailing that simply wouldn&rsquo;t be possible on stage. Here, I create garments not for the theatre&mdash;but for life.

UKRAINIAN FASHION WEEK

MY THEATRE made its debut at Ukrainian Fashion Week with great success. How was this performance created? Why did you choose the Black Tie concept, and what message or feeling did you want to convey to the audience?
Dariia: Thank you. For me, this was an important milestone for the brand. Although we&rsquo;re only one year old, at the show we presented our fifth collection. I wanted to show our entire journey from the first collection &mdash; to reveal where we&rsquo;re heading and what My Theatre by Dariia Bila is about. The Black Tie collection was conceived specifically to mark the brand&rsquo;s anniversary.
I like to follow my instincts &mdash; to trust them. And our entire team was deeply involved in the show; they believed in my ideas and helped bring everything to life. The opening of the show was like raising a curtain before a performance, with the operatic diva playing the leading role. I&rsquo;m currently working a lot with opera and in theatres &mdash; and the brand is my own theatre through the world of fashion.

What emotions and reactions did you hope to evoke in viewers during the show? Which moments of the presentation were most memorable for you personally?
Dariia: I wanted the audience to be fully immersed &mdash; in the music, in the imagery, in the details. My goal was to present our pieces not as clothing or accessories, not as seasonal or &ldquo;fashionable&rdquo; items, but as timeless images beyond trends. The music, the space, the models &mdash; everything was in harmony.The most memorable moment for me was the preparation on the day of the show. I felt something extraordinary &mdash; it was pure creativity flowing through me. Creation and emotion at their peak. The voice, the dulcimer, the very first walks of the models&hellip; Hairstyles, makeup &mdash; everything was being created right in front of my eyes, all at once, from every side. And I felt like a child &mdash; completely, joyfully happy.

How do you envision the development of MY THEATRE over the next year? Are there new collections, projects, or experiments you are particularly excited about?
Dariia: I have a deep need for growth. I can&rsquo;t imagine a moment when I would stop &mdash; because I feel truly happy when there are ideas and plans, when we&rsquo;re moving toward our dreams and turning them into reality. Of course, new collections are ahead. We have bold steps planned for the future.

Dariia Bila: From 17 Years in Theatre to Fashion Collections Inspired by the Stage

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