Ukraininan vyshyvankas by Park Avenue
TREASURE OF UKRAINE
Our Ukraine is rich in traditions, culture, and history... Yet our greatest treasure is our people. Ukrainians — talented, brave, and strong in spirit. For centuries, invaders have been trying to obliterate our culture, language, and art, but fearless Ukrainians continued to create underground theaters, write poems in the melodious Ukrainian language, and embroider shirts even when exiled. They had a deep understanding of the importance of passing on their traditions to the future generations, so they often concealed their creations.
Because of the courage and indomitable spirit of previous generations, we are free to learn our culture, promote it around the world, and feel our own identity as a proud nation.
A very important element of our culture is vyshyvanka. It is also called the code of the nation. Our talented seamstresses have been creating these special garments decorated with hand embroidery for centuries. Most of the embroidered motifs have their meanings, and every region of Ukraine has its characteristic patterns.
VYSHIVANKA DAY
In 2006, students of Chernivtsi National University introduced the Vyshyvanka Day. At first, the most immediate community took part in this event, but with the passing years the celebration became international — it is supported by Ukrainians, notably the Ukrainian diaspora, as well as by friends of Ukraine worldwide. Anyone who wears a vyshyvanka can join the holiday, which takes place on the third Thursday of May. The key idea is to promote the Ukrainian culture. Although the only paraphernalia of the celebration is wearing a vyshyvanka shirt on a weekday, young people and cultural figures hold concerts, participate in a festive procession and fairs to boost support for the wonderful initiative even more.
EMBROIDERED SHIRTS BY PARK AVENUE
A collection of embroidered shirts by Park Avenue is a cultural treasure of Ukraine, at the same time promoting the unique heritage of our nation. We offer to wear embroidered shirts not only as an element of a festive outfit, but also as part of your casual image, naturally complementing it with trendy clothing and accessories from the world's couturiers. Unique patterns, interpreted for the luxurious Park Avenue vyshyvankas, hold creativity, history, craftsmanship and love.
A major part of the collection is based on an original embroidery design, transformed from the patterns of the Volyn wedding shirt of the XIX century. Hand embroidery with a distinct ornament is presented with different colors on each vyshyvanka. Branches with small flowers transform into large full-grown flowers. They continue with the fruit of apple trees. This pattern represents the life journey of a young girl, who becomes a woman and later gives birth to children, continuing the family line.
This unique embroidery is complemented with lace inserts on the cuffs, sleeves and shirt-front — gentle cotton weave perfectly matches the refined and rich multicolored patterns. The loose fit of the shirts with a slight accent on the waist achieved with pleating under the cuffs combines a comfortable silhouette with feminine details. The pleating on the back adds an even more elegant finish to the garment.
The Park Avenue collection also features a vyshyvanka with a pattern interpreted from an embroidered shirt from the early XIX century from the Ternopil region. Red embroidery patterns in the shape of hearts and stars, complemented by shiny golden thread, show the richness of imagination and materials, used by our Ukrainian artisans over a century ago! Red embroidered patterns are complemented by multicolored flecks and embroidery to match the color of the shirt.
It is our rich history, language, culture, music, dance, traditional costume, including the vyshyvanka, that preserve our identity and heritage. This is our cultural code — our strength, the key to victory!
Film “HERITAGE OF THE NATION”
You are invited to watch a documentary film on vyshyvankas, which was created in 2016 by Oleksandr Tkachuk and Lesia Voroniuk. The “Heritage of the Nation” features two lines. The first shows unique embroidered motifs, shirt styles, patterns characteristic of different regions of Ukraine. The second line is the stories of people, telling what role the embroidery played in their lives and how it changed them.
