Etnodim
Vyshyvanka
Europe, Ukraine
2024, Design November 2023
Cotton; embroidered
Donated to Museum by Etnodim in December 2024
These intricately embroidered blouses, known as Vyshyvanka in Ukraine, are usually created by women and are deeply rooted in Ukrainian culture. Since the 19th century, they have held significant importance as symbols of Ukrainian nationalism and patriotism. The diverse patterns of the Vyshyvanka are believed to provide protection, warding off evil spirits and preventing them from entering the body. Embroidery motifs vary by region and can convey personal information about the wearer, such as their marital status.
Since Russia’s invasion, modern designers have symbolically incorporated elements of Ukraine’s defense into Vyshyvanka patterns.
The brand ETNODIM highlights the natural border between Russia and Ukraine in the Luhansk region through the symbolism of apricots. In this area, the end of the apricot orchards marks Ukraine’s national boundary, which was violated during Russia’s attack.
The evolution of embroidery patterns demonstrates how the concept of protection adapts to political changes. Symbols evolve to reflect new contexts and find expression through clothing. There are different attitudes among Ukrainians towards designs with military motifs such as weapons, as their symbolism can polarize and evoke differing perspectives on nationalism, war, and defense.
Ricarda Rivoir
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Commentary by the designer Anna Fesenko of the Vyshyvanka “Abrykosy”:
“As soon as we began searching for ways to best represent a vyshyvanka that would beautifully showcase Eastern Ukraine, associations with something industrial and heavy immediately came to mind.
The first sketch reflected this idea — it was designed in black and white tones, appearing rather cold and stark. However, we later decided that we wanted to create a brighter, more vibrant design and move away from this stereotype. Instead, we aimed to present the eastern part of Ukraine as something warm and welcoming, evoking a sense of home.
The main elements of the shirt’s design were inspired by apricots – trees that grow abundantly in Eastern Ukraine and are described in Lyubov Yakymchuk’s book from 2015. We spoke with Lyuba to better reveal this ingenious metaphor:
“Donbas in the minds of people both in Ukraine and abroad is associated with something negative, with industry, machines and the war that started there. Even before the full-scale invasion, I had to defend the place where I was born, namely Luhansk Region, and explain certain obvious things, for example, why it is Ukraine. It annoyed me terribly, and solutions were always born out of annoyance. It had to be some kind of positive image and at the same time true as apricots. There are a lot of apricot trees in the east of Ukraine: entire plantations of trees that turn green in the spring and turn yellow in the summer, stretching to the border with russia. It is where apricots do not grow that Russia begins. The Ukrainian East is deep, talented and original. Full of hard struggle for his life and prosperity. We want our East to bloom like apricots.“
We also incorporated roses, which many people consider the main symbol of Donetsk. Among the roses, we placed a flower with petals resembling a compass needle pointing eastward. And, of course, we included a stylized ornament inspired by the terricons (typical mining waste heaps) – an unmistakable symbol of Eastern Ukraine. By bringing all these elements together into a single composition, I achieved the warmth I wanted to convey.
After the vyshyvanka release, I was pleasantly surprised by the feedback from people. Many shared that the design truly resonated with them and reminded them of home.”
The design company Etnodim donated the vyshyvanka to the museum in december 2024. Tur Yushchenko translated the text from Ukrainian.