Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskky clarified multiple times that he would not wear a suit until the Russia-Ukraine war comes to an end. His sartorial choice became a major issue during his White House visit before it turned into a full-blown war of words resulting in an unexpected showdown — as he was asked why he was not wearing a suit. Illia Ponomarenko, a Ukrainian journalist has now told POLITICO that though Zelenskyy’s black outfit was seen as casual wear by most Americans, it was not. It was much like his olive-green combat outfit, part of a culture of people who are involved in the war.
Zelenskyy’s clothes send an anti-elitist message
lllia Ponomarenko said Zelenskyy’s clothes send a soft and anti-elitist message. “When he meets with prominent figures and power brokers, his clothes are basically asking, what are you about? Are you about the business of saving lives, or are you about fancy protocols? Even when he meets with kings, he dresses in a way that represents the average Ukrainian involved in this war effort. So it’s a message to say, ‘I’ve come to the corners of power as a representative of my humble people’,” he said.
Zelenskyy prefers clothes from M-TAC brand
The journalist said that Zeelenskyy prefers to wear clothes from Ukrainian brands like M-TAC which produces clothes that could also be considered casual. “But some of these clothes are also the things you’d wear in war zones. These are the same clothes you might wear with body armor and a military combat jacket. When I was working as a war reporter, I had a sweater that was pretty close to what Zelenskyy wore during that meeting,” he said adding that the black outfit was something that could have been easily worn by someone in the military.
Ukrainian trident most important
The most important part of Zelenskyy’s outfit that day was the Ukrainian trident which is one of the key national symbols. Ukrainian designer Elvira Gasanova earlier said the trident set him apart as he’s a wartime leader who does not need suits. Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Zelenskyy has not deviated from his olive and black T-shirts, sweatshirts that he teas with cargo trousers.
