Nemiroff Steps Onto The Catwalk With Ksenia Schnaider, Turning Vodka Into A Runway Statement
Kseniaschnaider show during London Fashion Week February 2026 at The Stables on February 19, 2026 in London, England. (Photo courtesy of Ksenia Schnaider)
By PAGE Editor
At this season’s London Fashion Week, Ukrainian co-ed label Ksenia Schnaider did what it has always done best: take the familiar and tilt it just enough to change how we see it. For AW26, that instinct materialized in the form of a custom bottle-holder bag created in collaboration with Ukrainian vodka house Nemiroff—a piece that quite literally platformed national spirit on the global stage.
The accessory, designed to visibly carry a bottle of Nemiroff, appeared on the runway as a tongue-in-cheek yet deliberate gesture. What is typically concealed inside a tote became the focal point. On model Sophia Hadjipanteli, the bag read as both playful and pointed—a wink to fashion’s ongoing obsession with object-as-status-symbol, but also a commentary on visibility, pride and provenance.
Kseniaschnaider show during London Fashion Week February 2026 at The Stables on February 19, 2026 in London, England. (Photo courtesy of Ksenia Schnaider)
Ksenia Schnaider has built its reputation on upcycling, deconstruction and reframing the everyday. Denim is rarely just denim; it is memory, irony and reinvention stitched together. The Nemiroff collaboration extends that vocabulary. The bottle holder wasn’t simply product placement—it was elevation. An item “in transit,” lifted off the ground and treated as artefact.
That language of elevation resonates beyond fashion.
Founded in 1872 and distilled on the same historic site in Nemyriv, Nemiroff has grown into Ukraine’s number one vodka exporter, now present across five continents. Crafted from Ukrainian soft grain and mineral-rich spring water, the spirit is known for its smooth yet peppery character—distinct without apology. In London, that character found a new medium.
“We don’t believe in standing quietly on the sidelines,” said Yuriy Sorochynskiy, CEO of Nemiroff. “Partnering with Ksenia Schnaider at London Fashion Week is a statement of who we are and what our ambition is.”
It is easy to read the collaboration as novelty: a bottle bag engineered for headlines. But within the broader cultural context, it carries sharper weight. Ukrainian creative industries—from fashion to spirits—have become increasingly visible on international platforms, not as footnotes to geopolitics, but as independent forces of design and commerce. This runway moment suggested a shift from resilience narratives to authorship.
For Ksenia Schnaider, the platform bag underscores a core design philosophy: transforming the ordinary into something reconsidered. “What better way to showcase a brand we have so much respect for than to place it on this pedestal,” Schnaider noted, framing the bottle not as accessory but as emblem.
Ange Jose attend the Kseniaschnaider show during London Fashion Week February 2026 at The Stables on February 19, 2026 in London, England. (Photo courtesy of Ksenia Schnaider)
The move also reflects fashion’s expanding relationship with lifestyle branding. Luxury houses have long flirted with hospitality, spirits and experiential retail. What makes this collaboration distinct is its candor. The bottle was not abstracted into a logo or motif—it was present, unmistakable and proud of its origin.
Retail accessibility adds another layer. Nemiroff is available across the UK through major retailers including Waitrose, Sainsbury’s and Amazon, bridging runway spectacle with everyday consumer touchpoints. The message: cultural pride need not be niche to be meaningful.
On a week where spectacle competes for attention, this small but provocative accessory stood out precisely because it was so literal. A bottle, held in plain sight. An object of celebration repositioned as identity marker.
Bold spirit, after all, doesn’t stay backstage. It steps into the light—sometimes in the crook of a model’s arm, reframed as fashion, and carrying with it the story of where it comes from.
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