EXCLUSIVE: Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s Designer Speaks Out on Ukrainian President’s New Style and Suit for Recent WH Visit #21

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s sharp new look during his recent visit to the White House on August 18, 2025, has been revealed as the work of longtime designer and friend Viktor Anisimov.

Anisimov shared how their renewed collaboration began and why black became the central element of the president’s wartime wardrobe with AmoMama. The designer said his connection to Zelenskyy stretched back to the early 2000s, when the Kvartal 95 comedy team relocated from Moscow to Kyiv after years of performing in “KVN.”

Back then, and before he became a politician, Zelenskyy was the artistic director and a leading actor of Kvartal 95. “KVN” was a show that featured student teams competing by giving humorous answers to questions from the jury and audience, while also performing comic sketches, with the jury evaluating their performances.

Around 2003–2004, the group realized they needed to move away from their signature black leather stage pants into something more polished. Recognizing the shift, they reached out to Anisimov — then one of the few designers in that space.

That was when he met with Lena Kravets and Ira Pikalova before being introduced to Zelenskyy at the team’s office on Horkoho Street. Kravets was a member of Kvartal95 Studio, while Pikalova was an executive producer for the studio.

Anisimov explained that years later, Zelenskyy returned to him as both an “older friend” and a trusted fashion adviser. “If you don’t understand something, you ask,” he told Amomama exclusively, recalling how the president’s team had once again turned to him to help refine Zelenskyy’s image.

The new direction was clear: black suits, cut with military precision and a touch of fashion polish. “The task was very simple: black color—it satisfied everyone. Military style. And a touch of fashion, because a designer means fashion. Just a little. It had to fit well, with proper proportions, and look polished,” he said.

Black, Anisimov emphasized, was both his personal favorite and a symbolic choice for the president:

“I wanted to change it, and even the President, at the first presentation, said that if not khaki—he already had khaki for Cabinet of Ministers, NSDC, and military meetings, that’s like a semi-military uniform—then for other occasions we needed something else. And he said: if not khaki—what bothers your eye, as you gathered here and told me—then black.”

Most of the collection used Ukrainian fabrics, except for one Japanese blend — 80 percent cotton, 15 percent nettle fiber, and 5 percent linen —crafted into a suit worn at the Pope’s funeral, a NATO summit, and the Washington visit.

“This Japanese fabric is like canvas for painting, but thinner. Dense, textured, very nice to the touch, and beautiful to work with,” Anisimov added.

Fittings were not needed, as Zelenskyy and Anisimov share nearly identical sizes. “I could try clothes on myself. He’s just a bit shorter—by about a centimeter, maybe one and a half,” Anisimov added in his interview with Amomama, noting only minor adjustments were required.

The designer explained that Zelenskyy’s new suit had been worn for the first time at that meeting with the President on Friday for two reasons.

The first was to deliver a batch of T-shirts and other everyday clothing, which tend to wear out and look better after a few washes, so duplicates were always made.

The second reason, he continued, was connected to the upcoming Independence Day on the 24th. He recalled that in discussions with Olena Zelenska, Ukraine’s first lady, and a stylist on the President’s team.

After discussions, two versions of the suit were made: one in black and another in blue, with a proposed wheat boutonnière to reflect the national flag.

Zelenskyy tried on both, joking that the blue made him appear “a bit too fashionable.” He signed it with “Glory to Ukraine,” his autograph, and the date, while opting for the black version, which was later rushed to Washington after an urgent call from his team.

Asked whether the outfit was chosen with Donald Trump in mind, Anisimov dismissed the notion:

“He definitely wasn’t concerned about that in February. Volodymyr Oleksandrovych needed to convey to Trump directly—what surrounds us, what we want, how things should be fair. Whether he wore one suit or another didn’t matter. He reacts quickly. He realized—why create extra problems unnecessarily? He just changed clothes [sic].”

He continued, “He still remained in his own style. If he did worry about it at all, it was at the very bottom of his priorities—maybe the hundredth, maybe the thousandth thing on his mind. If the suit fits you, if you feel confident in it, if you look good—then at the very least, it gives you a good mood. And a good mood makes big things happen [sic].”

While Anisimov underscored the practicality and symbolism behind the president’s wardrobe, Zelenskyy’s appearance at the White House in the sharply tailored suit carried an even deeper layer of meaning, interpreted by another fashion expert as a deliberate diplomatic signal.

According to designer Elena Gasanova, who also spoke to Amomama, the choice of a formal suit was intended to show that even in wartime, Ukraine upholds its dignity and stands as an equal among world leaders.

The look was crafted to project resilience while also signaling openness to diplomacy on the global stage.

The designer also told Amomama that for the First Lady, the suit carried both personal and public meaning. As a wife, it reflected her husband’s strength and support during a critical moment.

Zelenskyy’s ongoing collaboration with designer Gasanova is evident in the way his public image is carefully styled to balance wartime leadership with diplomacy.

Her creative direction has played a role in shaping the visual identity he presents on the international stage. Meanwhile, she had predicted that Zelenskyy would set aside his familiar casual style for the Washington summit.

Zelenskyy’s suit in Washington was more than fabric and tailoring — it was a deliberate image shaped by those closest to him. With Anisimov’s precision, Gasanova’s symbolism, and the First Lady’s influence, it became a statement of strength and resilience. On the world stage, his style underscored that even in war, presentation can be a tool of diplomacy.