Many people say that you cannot perceive only black and white in life, but black and white are a source of many beautiful things. I am always fascinated by how the character of things changes when their main color changes: they look completely different and convey different meanings. At night bright stars shine at us, but they are also present during the day, though they are invisible even if the sky is clear.
This has inspired me to create the entire collection in black and white to remember that in dark times light is seen better. And we must be its source.
This is a story about difficult times and the ordeals that continue in the history of our nation and every Ukrainian family. Despite the severe fatigue and stress, we must find light and courage in ourselves. War has become our everyday life and we live and work against its background. Death and life intertwine and give each other a deeper sense.
The collection consists of 11 items. These are men’s shirts, women’s dresses, blouses, zapaskas (aprons), and collars. We suggest wearing zapaskas with dresses and blouses for a more modern stylish look. Each model is presented in two colors—black and white. Black and white are basic (traditional) colors. The pleat technique of fabric decoration, plissée, is applied in the collection
Plissée is folds that have the same width along the entire length. This technique of clothing decoration originates from Greece. Until recently pleated skirts were associated with school or grandmother’s closet, but now such models are enjoying a revival. Pleated items are comfortable, they do not restrict movement, accentuate the silhouette and are feminine. We rarely used the length of dresses in this collection, mostly we made it different, and dynamic.
7/8-length skirts, which accentuate the calves and suit most types of shoes, are the most popular now.
The ornaments in the collection are the original author’s one, consisting of the elements common in several regions: Poltava and Kyiv regions, Volhynia, and others. The technique of Hardanger embroidery, which is considered one of the most difficult, was widespread in Poltava region
In the stylization of white looks “namitkas” (wimples) were used—this is an ancient Ukrainian headdress, which was an important part of the wedding ceremony and served as a sign of a married woman.
A namitka had a protective significance.
I got acquainted with the traditional Ukrainian headdress “namitka” in the ethno-residence “Ladomyriia” in the winter of 2024. I was taught how to tie a namitka of serpanok—the finest threads. Artist Marta Pitchuk, who draws motankas (rag dolls) and often depicts namitkas in her paintings, offered to help me with the styling of the costumes for the show and shooting
A namitka had been one of the elements of Ukrainian traditional clothing for a long time—from the 15th century to the end of the 20th century. It was up to 5 meters long and about 50 centimeters wide. This headdress had many variations of its name, depending on the region—nametka, peremitka, namytets, serpanok, rantukh, sklendriachka. It was made mainly from linen, less often from cotton, hemp, or silk. There were up to thirty ways of tying it on the head. The most widespread way was when one end of a namitka passed under the chin, and the other one fell on the back.
Materials in the collection:
- costume fabric
- cotton lace
- cotton lining
We offer two options for taking care of pleated items.
- Machine wash on a delicate cycle at a temperature of about 30 degrees without spinning.
- Hand wash in slightly warm water without rubbing or wringing.
- Dry the items while they are lying and the water is draining, after partially drying them on the shoulders. In this case the pleated item will keep its shape for a long time.
The shooting of the collection took place on the territory of the Museum of Ethnography in the village of Krylos, which belongs to the ethnocultural region of Opillia.
