The last time Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy wore a suit was early on Feb. 24, 2022, when he posted a video announcing martial law as Russia launched its full-scale invasion.
Since then, Zelenskyy has largely sported combat-style black, gray or khaki cargo pants, boots, sweatshirts and polos decorated with Ukrainian national symbols.
That leaves him strikingly underdressed compared to his peers. Yet that’s the point. “When world leaders see Zelenskyy in military style, it is a signal — ‘Ukraine is at war and I am part of this fight,’” Elvira Gasanova, designer of the Damirli brand that is one of Zelenskyy’s signature looks, told POLITICO.
“A persistent call to return to the suit is a de facto demand to return to the usual format of political dialogue, which means ‘enough of war, sit down at the negotiating table,’” Gasanova added. That was one of the triggers for last month’s catastrophic White House meeting.
That encounter was always destined to go sour thanks to U.S. President Donald Trump’s alignment with Russia’s Vladimir Putin, but clothing was something of a red flag to Trump, rarely seen without his baggy bespoke Brioni suit and long red tie unless he’s on the golf course.
Zelenskyy was wearing a polo shirt made by Gasanova when he got to the White House, prompting a snark fromTrump who greeted the Ukrainian leader with: “You’re all dressed up!”
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