Fashion Rules: As We Complete Our Final Cultural Trend in the Fast Lane, Our Last Stop Has Got to Be Ukraine!
Ukrainian clothing has actually crept its way into Western, and even global, trends with its flattering silhouettes, attention to detail, and rich, vibrant color palette [1]. The silhouette stays narrow, enhancing the features of the woman’s body. Embroidery, beading, and other adornments are draped across the clothing in this culture [1]. Traditional Ukrainian fashion, like many other cultures, focused on handmade clothing for both men and women. Girls traditionally wore shirts without any overlaying pieces, while married women customarily covered their heads with shawls and overcoats [1]. Girls and women both adorned their wardrobe with accessories including belts, jewels, ribbons, floral pieces, headdresses, beading, and ducats (coins that show a woman’s status) [1]. On the other hand, men took on a simpler aesthetic in their style; they wore linen shirts and simple cloth pants, but what made their clothing stand out from other cultures was the embroidery [1]. Colors range from reds to blues to greens to whites, and can be seen in beading, embroidered work, and fabrics.
As with any country, the specific clothing style depends on the geographical region. However, most had the common thread of embroidery around the hemlines [1]. Northern Ukraine fashion drew on hand techniques like weaving and embroidery in monochromatic or dual-tone colors, with a focus on red and black to symbolize courage and wisdom throughout generations. The combination of red and white represents purity and true happiness. Geometric, organic shapes were heavily used in areas like Polisia [1]. On the opposite side of the spectrum, southern Ukraine utilized vibrant hues of yellow, red, and green along with jeweled accessories. Patterns were representative of the nature around them, consisting of grape branches and Malva flowers [1]. Moving to the side, western Ukraine fashion was an embodiment of Hungarian and Polish history. Similar to the north, the fashion encompassed geometric patterns, weaving and embroidered techniques, appliqués, colored beading, metallic threads, and brighter colored threads for embroidered hems [1]. Eastern Ukraine took inspiration from ancient Slavic fashion. Tailored silhouettes, narrow sleeves, cuff adornments, vibrant colored embroidery, lace, ribbon, and fringe were a few of the design details here. They also wore velvet and brocade pieces for added flare [1]. Regardless of location, embroidery in Ukraine had, and has, an important meaning to it and is held in high regard. Every symbol used in the process had a specific intent and power to fulfill the destiny of the wearer [2]. It is believed that embroidery provides beauty, health, protection, and magical powers. Oak represents life and strength, while roses show love [2]. The use of bright colors promotes fidelity, poppies show youthfulness and protection from evil, and sunflowers represent the sunlight and labor [2]. The embroidery is made with bright thoughts and embraces the human soul sacredly [2]. Even currently, Ukrainian designers take this inspiration from traditional wear to represent their culture in their fashion pieces. The only difference is that many people do not know the meaning behind the threads [2].
Hearing the word Ukraine in today’s climate is usually followed by Russia, war, and so much more. Before we dive into how these political issues can affect the fashion industry, let us first look at Ukraine’s government and political system. Ukraine is a unitary republic with a semi-presidential system. The country is divided into provinces called oblasti and has a president as well as a prime minister to divide the power up [3]. As with any country, the way it is set up affects the way people live, work, and function daily. Fashion brands in these areas differ by province while still maintaining a commonality in design. Ukraine’s fashion industry is globally recognized, even though it is not in the top ten contributing countries to exporting/importing fashion [4]. Even the trends started in the country have poured into the U.S. without people ever truly knowing where they came from. What style am I referring to? Bohemian. Think of the ideal boho peasant top; it is white and red (Ukrainian colors for purity and happiness), embroidered geometric or floral designs are seen throughout (Ukraine’s favorite powerful threadwork), it is adorned with tassels and a slimming silhouette (another Ukrainian style choice), and usually is styled with braid crowns (like in the Valentino couture Spring 2015 runway show) [5]. Vita Kin has been praised for her ability to invoke the Ukrainian fashion style internationally as some of her designs have been spotted at Paris Fashion Week. She has combined a Ukrainian/bohemian embroidery style with a couture seventies aesthetic to create a modern look [5]! She has styled people in her versions of vyshyvankas (Ukrainian blouses) and zhupans (Ukrainian jackets) in muted tones and adorned with flowers/birds [5]. Kin’s pieces were originally for a specific clientele, but now are being demanded internationally, exceeding expectations! So, the next time you put on that embroidered peasant top, remember where it came from!
As we dive deeper into the political world of Ukraine, we must talk about the hippo in the room (I reference a hippo here as elephants are not deadly or predatorial, whereas a hippo can be quite vicious). Ukraine used to be called “Little Russia” but is desperately trying to strip itself of that nickname as the world watches a war happening right in front of us. A war that is destroying families, human life, cities, towns, production flow, natural resources, and so much more. None of this can or should be taken lightly. It is devastating. The people and the world itself today seem to be uncomfortably exploding from deep, contained issues that are finally surfacing. Much like the Hawaiian volcano that is currently erupting as you read this article, the world is doing just that. Countries are having to vote multiple times to elect proper officials- Prime Ministers and such. The royal family has a new King. China is harassing Taiwan. Iran is killing its own people and trying to hide it. Ukraine and Russia are at war. And the U.S.? Well, we have Kanye, oh excuse me “Ye,” offering Trump a VP role as he attempts a run at the presidency- once an honorable role and now a mere joke. This is our current world. About three years into a global pandemic and this is what the world has achieved. (Don’t even get me started on the environment, education, and healthcare systems). Apologies for the rambling, but it is hard to stay with a single thought when all of this is going on around us.
Corporate social responsibility (“CSR”). We are here to talk about the fashion industry and the implications the political climate of Ukraine has caused on it, so what does CSR have to do with this? All of these negative, terrifying, devastating events happening in the world have done something good; they have led to companies across the globe taking action. CSR is a business model that engages companies and brands to take accountability to the public eye. Brands across social media platforms are taking a stance- whether it be by posting a black square for BLM along with places to donate to, or using the “#mahsaamini” to show support for Iranian women, they are taking initiative. Fashion brands in Ukraine are fighting against Russian influence right now. They are trying to strengthen the country’s economy by staying in business. In October, 6 designers were able to show their pieces in Paris with the help of the USAID Competitive Economy Program [6]. As Ukraine struggles and the supply chain continues to crumble, fashion brands are having to export goods out of the country to survive [6]. Two of the six designers were also able to show at NYFW; their names are Ivan Frolov and Lilia Litkovska [6]. The President of Ukraine has even encouraged all companies to continue their business to support the local economy, and fashion brands are doing just that [6]. Vogue has even done coverage on the trending Ukrainian designer brands to keep an eye out for, with some using bright colored yellows to promote hope and happiness for the country [7]. So why and how is helping the economy going to fight off Russia, you may ask? Let’s look into how the Ukraine-Russia war has impacted the industry. (It is worth noting that Ukraine’s industry has not been the only one affected. Globally, the fashion industry has suffered huge losses as companies shut down business in Russia and Ukraine alike. Innocent people are being put out of work) [8]. Logistical costs have increased globally (fuel/travel/etc.), the European retail industry has suffered a decline (Ukraine and Russia provided 11% to retail industry there, raw materials increased in price, and fuel has increased), Turkey has seen a decline in textile orders (as Kyiv and Moscow had to cancel million dollars’ worth of orders), supply and production sectors are facing challenges (lacking resources has caused suppliers to not have the capacity to fulfill orders), increased demand for luxury goods (the wealthiest keep wanting more), rise of digital fashion (giving Ukrainian designers a new, doable opportunity), slow economic growth is altering customer demands (inflation on the rise has caused the general public to focus on essentials over clothing), and a slowdown in the athletic clothing market has occurred (Ukraine was a major supplier of sports attire but now lacks the resources to fulfill orders and customers are no longer trusting, so new locations are being looked at) [8]. These are the repercussion of the war.
With all of this in mind, one cannot help but try to imagine the future of the Ukrainian fashion industry. It’s losing the sportswear market, businesses are closing, designers are moving to digital AR, so where does that leave fashion? Resiliency. If the current climate has taught us anything, it is resiliency. Across the globe, we see Iranian women, children, and men fighting to be heard. Sixteen Iranians were put to death yesterday for protesting. Did that stop the movement? No. It enraged the people further. Resiliency. Russia had taken over major parts of Ukraine. Did that stop them? Nope. They took those areas back. Resiliency. The war is far from over, but, once it ends, how will the industry continue? Fashion brands are losing out on business, from raw material factories to clothing designers alike. They will pick themselves back up and continue their work, but how will these events truly impact the design process? The designers will take the broken pieces from this war and make something beautiful out of it. The best universal language is visual expression. Ukrainian fashion will continue to use embroidery from hundreds of years ago, but it will change the colors, shapes, and silhouettes to represent the climate of the current times. Instead of the classic white and red embroidered pieces, we may start to see blossoming hues that represent rebirth, hope, and resiliency (of course).
I hope you enjoyed this post. Stay resilient.
REFERENCES
[2] https://www.slavorum.org/traditional-ukrainian-clothing-this-is-what-ukrainians-used-to-wear/
[3] https://www.britannica.com/place/Ukraine/Cultural-life
[4] https://www.statista.com/outlook/cmo/apparel/ukraine#global-comparison
[5] https://www.vogue.com/article/ukrainian-traditional-costumes-in-fashion
[7] https://www.vogue.com/article/six-ukrainian-fashion-designers-to-know-and-support
[8]https://fashinza.com/textile/fashion-industry/impact-of-russian-ukraine-war-on-the-fashion-industry/