About AK

Two founders. One letter each.

AK Brand Development Studio is an independent creative and strategic practice in London, working with fashion and lifestyle brands from the initial idea to international presence.

Why AK

A is for Andrii Karakushan. K is for Kostiantyn Lieontiev. The studio carries our initials because the work is ours: we lead every project personally, and we bring to it what we learned building runway platforms, a fashion label and a magazine of our own.

London Fashion Day’s early seasons were credited to AK PR & Consulting Agency. Today the same team works as AK Brand Development Studio — strategy, identity, photo and film, shows, websites, PR and promotion under one roof — and organises London Fashion Day under our joint leadership.

What we believe

Production over presentations. A strategy is only as good as the show, the shoot and the site it produces.
Talent deserves a door. We built two platforms so that designers could be seen before they were famous.
Honest numbers. We tell clients what a season really costs, what worked and what didn’t.

We cannot decide who will become the next important name in fashion. What we can do is make sure that talent has an opportunity to be seen. Sometimes, all a young designer needs is someone willing to open the door.
Kostiantyn Lieontiev, founder of London Fashion Day

The founders

A is for Andrii. K is for Kostiantyn.

Andrii Karakushan

Co-founder — digital, identity and media

Andrii Karakushan is a creative entrepreneur specialising in brand development, digital presence and visual communication.

He has experience managing a multi-brand retail space for emerging designers, supporting young fashion brands through retail presentation and brand promotion.

He is the founder of the online magazine Cool’baba, a media platform focused on fashion, lifestyle and creative industries.

His expertise includes website development, brand identity, digital communication and building online ecosystems for businesses and creative projects.

Kostiantyn Lieontiev

Co-founder — fashion production and brand strategy

Kostiantyn Lieontiev is a fashion producer, brand strategist and media professional with extensive experience in brand development and creative industries.

Before focusing on international fashion projects, he spent nine years managing a regional branch of a major advertising holding, where he was responsible for business development, advertising campaigns and strategic client development.

He is the founder and producer of the international fashion platforms London Fashion Day and Odessa Fashion Day, created to support emerging designers and develop international creative communities. He is also the founder of the fashion brand KEKA, currently being developed for the international market.

Through his work he has collaborated with designers, brands and creative teams across London, Paris and Dubai.

The record

Sixteen years on the runway.

2010

Odessa Fashion Day

Kostiantyn Lieontiev starts Odessa Fashion Day: a runway for Ukrainian designers that grows to include a shopping space for local labels, master classes and free admission for guests.
2016

Ukrainian Fashion Week

OFD signs a memorandum of strategic partnership with Ukrainian Fashion Week. From 2020 it is also a partner of the national channel Fashion TV Ukraine.
2022

Ukrainian designers in London

The team presents Ukrainian designers at the International Women’s Forum in London — the show that inspired London Fashion Day. The same year: UWILL Paris Fashion Day.
2023

London Fashion Day begins

Season 1 on 22 April: six collections, four of them Ukrainian. Season 2 follows in October with eleven brands. Shows in Dubai and Vienna the same year.
2024

Seasons 3 and 4

Designers from Europe, Asia, Africa and the UK; more than 100 media outlets. Season 4 moves to St John’s Church, Hyde Park.
2025

Fifteen years of OFD

Odessa Fashion Day marks its 30th season. KEKA and Gorsset show at Fashion For Freedom during Milan Fashion Week. LFD Seasons 5 (HUMAN) and 6 (The Art of Being).
2026

Porchester Hall

LFD Season 7 at sunrise on Regent Street and in Hyde Park; OFD Season 32, ONE OF A KIND; Summer Weekend goes ahead after a night of attacks; Season 8 at Porchester Hall on 8 November.

Who we work alongside

Colleges, crews, platforms and press.

Education

London College of Contemporary Arts (LCCA)Fashion Academy ParisUshynsky UniversityLondon College of Contemporary Arts (LCCA)Fashion Academy ParisUshynsky University

Production

Show EmpireSession SquadBeauty BureauDinara OstrMariana ZabramnaNatalia TomashShow EmpireSession SquadBeauty BureauDinara OstrMariana ZabramnaNatalia Tomash

International

Odessa Fashion DayGeorgia Fashion WeekGlobal Fashion NetUkrainian Fashion WeekFashion TV UkraineOdessa Fashion DayGeorgia Fashion WeekGlobal Fashion NetUkrainian Fashion WeekFashion TV Ukraine

Media partners

FASHIONCHIC TVFAB UK MagazineGLAM Week MagazineLondon One MagazineFashion FrontierLondon Business JournalFOSTYLENCool’baba MagazineML Business MagazinePROMINENT MagazineFLICKER MagazineIKON MagazineARRANT MagazineMilan Weekly MagazineSURREAL MagazineFASHIONCHIC TVFAB UK MagazineGLAM Week MagazineLondon One MagazineFashion FrontierLondon Business JournalFOSTYLENCool’baba MagazineML Business MagazinePROMINENT MagazineFLICKER MagazineIKON MagazineARRANT MagazineMilan Weekly MagazineSURREAL Magazine

Work with the studio.

Send a brief — a few lines are enough. We read every one ourselves and reply with questions, a time to talk, or a proposal.

Start a project

Why AK

What we believe

A is for Andrii. K is for Kostiantyn.

Andrii Karakushan

Kostiantyn Lieontiev

Sixteen years on the runway.

Odessa Fashion Day

Ukrainian Fashion Week

Ukrainian designers in London

London Fashion Day begins

Seasons 3 and 4

Fifteen years of OFD

Porchester Hall

Colleges, crews, platforms and press.

Work with the studio.