Five months after arriving in the French capital, it was only upon seeing the Eiffel Tower for the first time that Olha Sakhno fully realized she was in Paris. This was the city she'd dreamed of her whole life as an aspiring fashion designer in Ukraine.
But her path to the City of Lights was dark.
When war came to her hometown of Pokrovsk in Ukraine's eastern Donetsk region -- now on the front lines of the country's battle against invading Russian forces -- the 43-year-old didn't dare evacuate at first. Diagnosed with cerebral palsy at a young age, Sakhno has spent most of her life in a wheelchair and has needed the help and support of relatives and specialists in learning to eat, sit, and talk.
Sakhno and her father waited a month in Pokrovsk after the fighting began. She had heard that other countries were accepting Ukrainian refugees, but it seemed too risky -- until it became clear that the biggest danger was not deciding.
"My dad and I were sitting in our apartment when there were two explosions. One was in the cafe next door, and the second was on the ninth floor of our building. We hit the floor, and I lay there thinking, ‘If I stay here, I will either die or become even more crippled from stress and fright," Sakhno recalls.
She posted requests for evacuation on social networks, and while the subsequent journey -- more than a solid day of traveling on a bus -- was difficult and painful, the people she met who helped her along the way were beacons of hope. Complete strangers helped with the logistics and the financing of her trip, and looked out for her along the way.
Olha Sakhno in Paris
"I traveled for 30 hours on a bus without air, and people bought me groceries," she says. "The driver offered to make stops so that I could get out and walk, to get some relief from sitting."
But she refused, saying that while her "health cannot withstand such a road," she had insisted, "No stops. We are going forward and only forward."
Her arrival in Paris was bittersweet.
"I always wanted to come here to show my collections, to glorify Ukraine," she says. "But I never thought that I would come here as a poor refugee."
'Afraid Of Everything'
Sakhno had decided during her teenage years to become a fashion designer. She took tailoring and sewing classes and went to university. She was constantly sketching, designing models, making patterns, and sewing clothes. She presented a collection featuring roses and black lace in Italy and retro dresses at Donetsk Fashion Days. She took part in several small festivals in Ukraine, but she lacked the funds to create larger collections for international catwalks.
Sakhno at work on her designs
In Paris, she began to stich together a new life. Upon arrival, she registered at the refugee reception center, and after waiting five hours was offered a space at a free shelter.
"They brought me to the hotel, registered me, made sure I could heat up food in the microwave, gave me a room -- and I started to live. I started living from scratch," Sakhno says. "I found a woman who brought me extra food, because food [at the hotel] was only served twice a day with a long break, and I was hungry."
Life in the new city quickly felt overwhelming.
"I was afraid of everything. For some time, they didn't let me out of the hotel without an escort so that I wouldn't get lost," she says.
Sakhno receives an ovation at a fashion show.
Sakhno spent five months at the hotel. The Ukrainian refugees were them resettled at a monastery near Paris, and she lives there still. The Ukrainians who lived with her at the hotel, as well as volunteers, helped Sakhno to adapt.
Sakhno speaks French at a conversational level, so language was not an issue. One of the women gave Sakhno a tour of Paris and showed her the sights, including the Eiffel Tower.
"Only then did I realize I was in Paris," she says.
Sakhno poses with the Eiffel Tower in the background.
Little by little, she learned to navigate her way to the shopping center in her wheelchair and use payment cards in stores. Each month, she receives 210 euros in social assistance. Her French insurance covers the cost of her medicines and paid for a necessary surgery, although she says there can be long waits for specialists.
'Paris Heals And Inspires Me'
Sakhno is now working on a new collection.
"There will be silk dresses with golden embroidery in the Ukrainian style, so that they can be worn in everyday life," she explains. "The second part is the style of old Hollywood, a bit of the modern era with monochromatic pastel colors and fabrics."
Sakhno and designs from her latest collection.
She has already completed two dresses, and the rest are either at the drawing board or on the cutting-room floor -- which is where she does her work at the moment -- but it takes a toll.
"I'm cutting on the floor right now. I have a room in the basement with a carpet. I spread a white sheet and cut. But after that," she says, "I feel very bad. My knees atrophy and then I can barely sit in a chair."
Sakhno at work
Sakhno is currently raising money for an overlock machine -- designed to stitch patterns into fabric -- and a special cutting table that can be made to her specifications back in Ukraine. She has three sewing machines: one given by a volunteer, a second paid for with donations, and a third gifted by her father from Ukraine.
She plans to present her work at the beginning of next year and aims to negotiate a show with the Federation of Haute Couture and Fashion -- an influential organization that unites Paris fashion houses, protects copyrights, and organizes fashion shows.
Her vision for the Ukrainian dress is grand and specific: She wants it to be photographed at the Ritz Hotel, where Coco Chanel and other famous personalities have strutted its halls.
The latest collection features silk dresses with golden embroidery in the Ukrainian style.
"I know the photo sessions there are very expensive," Sakhno says. "But maybe they'll make an exception for us and provide us with a room for at least half an hour.
"Paris heals and inspires me," she adds. "I came here for this: There may never be a second chance. I am ready to do many things myself. I just need material and organizational support. Not every person with my diagnosis would dare to do what I do."
Back in Ukraine, Sakhno had thought about one day creating a fashion house for people with disabilities. She had even sought funding at the time to realize her idea, but the timing wasn't right.
She hopes that this could one day happen in Paris. Sakhno says she hopes to show the world that fashion can be without borders and obstacles.
"If a person can be adapted to work, if he or she can come by bus, why should they sit at home? Every person needs to work. People with disabilities are able to work. I couldn't prove that in Ukraine. I will prove it here."