Ukrainian designer Dariia Bila introduced her brand MY THEATRE by Dariia Bila to the Parisian audience for the first time during Paris Fashion Week. On 6th March, she delivered a show that redefined the traditional runway format.
Staged as an immersive performance where fashion meets theatre and live music, the presentation combined a retrospective of five archive collections with the unveiling of the designer’s newest line, Collection №6. Bila’s Paris Fashion Week debut was a class act, featuring beautifully tailored coats and elegant dresses, with whimsical references to art and theatre. The entire collection was breathtaking, and testament to the talent of Bila as not only an acclaimed theatre designer, but also an innovative and elegant fashion innovator.
Drawing on Bila’s 17-year career in theatre, the event transformed the catwalk into a living stage where garments became characters and storytelling unfolded through craftsmanship, sound and movement. Ukrainian artists are some of the best in the world, and the Paris show shone a spotlight on talent in fashion, art, music and theatre. Bila’s first Paris Fashion Week show is definitely not her last, and Culturalee can’t wait to see what exquisite art in fashion and theatre she comes up with next.
This show is about emotion and the search for identity. It is a retrospective of MY THEATRE — a journey through collections, performances, doubts, and joys that have shaped the brand. Every detail matters, echoing the most subtle human emotions. The finale presents a new collection dedicated to hope — because even in the darkest night, dawn always comes.”
Dariia Bila
The evening opened with a live orchestral performance featuring excerpts from Modelle by Hans Zender. Actress Larisa Rusnak (Ivan Franko National Academic Drama Theatre) appeared in a short theatrical scene, blurring the line between performer and spectator.The audience then witnessed a retrospective of MY THEATRE’s past collections, tracing the evolution of the brand. A highlight of the evening was a musical performance by Onuka, whose soundscape amplified the immersive atmosphere of the show.
As always, craftsmanship remained central to the brand: hand-crafted buttons, intricate embroidery, silk, velvet, brocade, and wool — each look representing dozens of hours of artisanal labor. The evening culminated with the unveiling of the new Collection №6.
Collection №6 continues the core philosophy of MY THEATRE: conscious garment creation emphasizing craftsmanship, texture, and emotional depth. The collection draws inspiration from the opera The Tales of Hoffmann, for which Dariia Bila previously designed stage costumes. Exploring love, illusion, and the inner world of a woman, the opera became the conceptual foundation of the collection.
he palette begins with shades of grey — initially unsettling but ultimately forming the backdrop from which a new heroine emerges. At the heart of Collection №6 lies a sense of anticipation: the delicate moment between doubt and certainty, searching and equilibrium. The MY THEATRE heroine listens to herself, allowing transformation through the process rather than rushing toward it.
Photographs © Nick Naida – runway & Roger Vekstein – backstage
