Designer comments on whether Zelenskyy will wear suit to Trump meeting – photo
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will not be wearing a conventional suit and tie when he meets with US President Donald Trump on Monday, one of his designers has said.
Source: Politico, a Brussels-based politics and policy news organisation, as reported by European Pravda
Details: Zelenskyy, who has been wearing army-toned sweatshirts, polo shirts and military-style clothing in public since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, has previously been criticised by some Republican Trump supporters for not dressing in a way that befits the status of a meeting with the US president.
"This time the President [Zelenskyy] will be in a suit, but the style still remains in a military key with the same symbolism: he is the head of state, which is at war," said Elvira Gasanova, a Ukrainian businesswoman and designer of the Damirli brand that produces one of Zelenskyy’s signature looks.
"At the same time, it is important to emphasise that it is Volodymyr Zelenskyy who personally decides what to wear," she added.
"The president is now in a state where every detail matters – his appearance, mood, emotions. Therefore, as the leader of Ukraine, he chooses the image that best suits his role and moment," Gasanova noted.
Zelenskyy was wearing a black shirt and a black jacket as he met European leaders outside the Ukrainian Embassy in Washington on Monday.
Zelenskyy chose to wear a T-shirt for his meeting with Keith Kellogg, Trump’s Special Envoy for Ukraine, earlier in the day.
Background:
- Axios has reported that the White House has even asked Ukrainian officials whether Zelenskyy will wear a suit to his meeting with Trump in the Oval Office.
- His attire was an issue during their last Oval Office encounter, which ended in a diplomatic fiasco.
- Zelenskyy has not worn a suit since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Former Polish president Andrzej Duda once said he hoped that Zelenskyy would arrive at a summit wearing a suit, as that would mean the war in Ukraine was over.
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