With the help of fashion designers, vyshyvanka – traditional Ukrainian embroidered blouses and dresses – have made it from folk clothing to fashion trend. No wonder that some Ukrainian designers offer high-end vyshyvankas for picky clients with money.
Vita Kin
Vita Kin, a 44-year-old designer and former fashion photographer from Kyiv, has been promoting vyshyvanka in the world of high fashion.
Her embroidered A-line dresses and blouses with wide sleeves were worn by some of the world’s most famous fashionistas, including Anna Dello Russo, Miroslava Duma, Alexa Chung, and Leandra Medine.
First Lady Maryna Poroshenko appeared in a vyshyvanka by Kin on the cover of Elle Ukraine magazine, and American actress Hayden Panettiere wore one for her Ukrainian fiancé and boxing champion Wladimir Klitschko.
Anna Dello Russo, a creative consultant for Vogue Japan, wears vyshyvanka by Vita Kin.
Kin sells her vyshyvankas in Kyiv at Asthik store and internationally through Instagram. The average prices are Hr 27,000 for a blouse, Hr 31,000 for a dress, and Hr 13,000 – 27,000 for kids’ clothing.
Her vyshyvankas are usually made for order. Kin takes full payment in advance and promises to finish a garment in 21 days. According to Ashtik store, Kin’s items have machine embroidery of high quality.
“It’s bohemian eccentricity in a very luxe implementation,” Kin said in an interview to the Vogue website in April.
American actress Hayden Panettiere congatulates her fiancee Wladimir
Klitschko at Valentines Day in vyshyvanka by Vita Kin at her Twitter
page.
To order Vyshyvanka by Vita Kin write to her Instagram page
or visit Asthik store on 7A Lesi Ukrainky Blvd. in Kyiv. To pre order call
Asthik store +380 44 374-0497 or mail.
Worldwide shipping is available, except of Russia.
Yuliya Magdych
In May 2014 Yuliya Magdych, a 29-year-old designer and fashion blogger from Kyiv, has launched a line of embroidered blouses, dresses, skirts, caftans and overalls.
Most of her vyshyvankas are embroidered by hand. It takes a team of 25 people up to a month to produce one item, depending on the complexity of the ornaments. The fabrics are bought from Italy, France and Korea.
An embroidered vyshyvanka dress by Yuliya Magdych.
The inspiration comes from old vyshyvankas and rushnyks (embroidered towels). The motifs feature symbols from ancient Slavic mythology, like the bird of happiness Alkonost or maternity goddess Mokosh.
“Vyshyvanka is our DNA code. It means that the ancestors have programmed something for us in these symbols,” she says.
It takes from Hr 11,000 to Hr 55,000 to buy an embroidered dress, blouse, or skirt by Magdych.
To buy Yuliya Magdych vyshyvankas visit online store S4astie
or www.yuliyamagdych.com.
Otaman
Ivan Slobodianyk founded ethnic clothing atelier Otaman together with designer Lili Bratus in 2012. They were inspired by the clothing cut from the Cossack age, but designed it with Italian silk batiste.
Today the brand makes shirts, wedding dresses, fur hats, traditional coats, and vyshyvankas with handmade and machine embroidery.
The brand pays special attention to symbols. When producing a custom embroidered wedding dress, the designers ask for the customer’s idea of a perfect family life, and reflect them in symbols – two birds, or a flower resembling a womb.
Otaman has a store in the center of Kyiv, where the readymade clothes can be tried on, and an order placed.
Otaman’s vyshyvanka with machine embroidery is Hr 3,800 on average. A zhupan coat is the most expensive item, selling for Hr 15,000 – 23,000. Embroidered wedding dresses go for Hr 6,000-8,000.
To order or buy Otaman clothing visit its store on 21A Mykhailivska St. or online store.
