In the previous large collection, in cooperation with the Gonchar Museum, we developed embroidered shirts, representing regions that have traditional embroidery
motifs. White on white - in Poltava region. Variety of colors - in Vinnytsia region. The depth of color is in Zakarpattia.
However, there are areas without characteristic and recognizable embroidery, mostly in the South-Eastern territories of Ukraine. We want to research, preserve and disseminate the stories, traditions and characteristic features that originated and exist only there.
This was the impetus for the creation of the “Own Shirt” collection.
In the “Own Shirt” project, we introduce people to the history of their region by revealing the meanings of the collection, as if accompanying them home in a difficult and dangerous time.
By choosing these regions, we want to leave a modern legacy for future generations. To make sure that important meanings continue to live on and that history cannot be rewritten.
Each of the ETNODIM designers conducted their own research work on a particular region and found exactly what resonated with them the most and inspired them to develop designs.
In the process of research, we were united by the theme of southeastern architecture: home decoration, modern architectural solutions, and monumental art on buildings.
Ethnographic region of Southern Bessarabia
Maria Pavlyuchenko
DESIGNER
Maria Pavlyuchenko
Designer
“My research region was Southern Bessarabia, which is also known as Bujak (Turkish for ‘corner’). This is a territory of wide flat steppes and warm, generous sun. I searched for beauty in nature - in local plants and flowers, with their variety of shapes and bright colors.
Additionally, I studied the photographs from expeditions to this region by the creative team of the Old Khata project. Day by day, I delved into ethnographic records, looking for old photographs that showed how women of this region used to dress.”
“We discussed our parents' house, childhood memories, warm moments of life that shape us as individuals. We wanted to design clothes that would make every woman feel comfortable and cozy - in her own shirt.”.
The ethnographic region of Lower Dnipro
Part of Mykolaiv region (Novyi Buh, Yuzhnoukrainsk)
Part of Dnipropetrovsk region (Kryvyi Rih, Kamianske, Pavlohrad, Zhovti Vody)
Part of Zaporizhzhia region (Gulyaypole, Balabine, Vilnyansk)
Part of Donetsk region (Maryinka, Bakhmut, Avdiivka, Volnovakha)
Part of Luhansk region (Alchevsk)
Yulia Yefimchuk
Designer
Yulia Yefimchuk
DESIGNER
“The source of inspiration for the products was an architectural monument of the late 19th and early 20th centuries - the Barsky Palace in the city of Kropyvnytskyi.
The Barsky Palace is one of the oldest buildings in central Ukraine. The house inspires with its light colors and delicate decor. At one point, I wanted to create clothes that reflect the aesthetics of the building and the region, which inspires long summer evenings, hot summers and wide fields.”
The Black Sea ethnographic region
Part of Odesa region (Chornomorsk, Yuzhne)
Part of Mykolaiv region (Voznesensk)
ANNA FESENKO
DESIGNER
ANNA FESENKO
DESIGNER
“The object of my research was the Black Sea region, which I revealed through the prism of Polina Rayko's work. She is a bright representative of naïve art and an outstanding figure for me personally. Therefore, the news that her house in the town of Oleshky was flooded as a result of the explosion of the Kakhovka hydroelectric power station was very painful for me. The artist's house, which was a real work of art, was heavily damaged.”
BLACK SEA REGION SHIRT
GO TO THE PRODUCT →“With my work, I want to emphasize that it is impossible to destroy the culture of a people as long as it continues to be comprehended and takes on new forms.”
POLINA SHIRT
GO TO THE PRODUCT →“With my work, I want to emphasize that it is impossible to destroy the culture of a people as long as it continues to be comprehended and takes on new forms.”
The ethnographic region of Pryazovia
Part of Zaporizhzhia region (Berdiansk, Melitopol, Genichesk)
Part of Kherson region (Nova Kakhovka)
LILIA KASYANCHUK
DESIGNER
LILIA KASYANCHUK
DESIGNER
“I, like most Ukrainians, was shocked by the explosion of the Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant. Flooded settlements and an environmental disaster. I started to learn more about the losses and destruction. I was impressed by the history of urban planning in Nova Kakhovka and the special monumental decorations initiated by Oleksandr Dovzhenko. Dovzhenko had an idea to counterbalance the great loss of Ukrainian heritage due to the flooding of a large meadow, to create a gorgeous Ukrainian city and to put in as many Ukrainian codes as possible. That's why the city's buildings were decorated with stone embroideries, unique ornaments that began to adorn local buildings.”
“The stone embroideries of Nova Kakhovka have become one of the symbols of Ukrainian heritage: occupied, destroyed, and revived. I wanted to create clothes that would remind us of these reliefs and the city's decoration.”
“Many of the panels are dominated by floral elements, which can be traced back to folk embroidery and Ukrainian Art Nouveau art. This is where the name 'stone embroidery' came from.”
“The Azov region is generous with monumental art. Once I was fascinated by mosaics and noticed that many of the works are in Mariupol. And then I had a dream to visit the city and see those mosaic panels with my own eyes. Now Mariupol is occupied, and most of the panels have been damaged by shelling. This is a sad and tragic topic: about the lost home of hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians, and for me personally, it is also about a dream that did not come true.”
“The mosaics of Mariupol were created at a time when there were restrictions on the expression of creative thought: art had to meet the requirements of socialist realism. But even under such conditions, the artists managed to show a distinctly Ukrainian face and the spirit of freedom. When we chose the theme of regions, I wanted to recreate the memory of these mosaic works. Among them, Alla Horska's paintings occupied a special place: “The Tree of Life and the Boryviter”.
We would like each piece from this collection to become a chain to the future, a story about us today to those who will be tomorrow.
So that “Own Shirt” becomes not only a part of the wardrobe but also, perhaps, a family heirloom/relic/value.
