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Ancient Ukrainian Embroidery Finds a New Voice in Etnodim’s “Polyphony” Collection
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Ukrainian fashion brand Etnodim has introduced its new collection, “Polyphony,” exploring the connections between musical harmony, natural ecosystems, and traditional Ukrainian embroidery through contemporary clothing design.
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According to the press release, the collection draws on the concept of rhythm as a common element linking musical polyphony, patterns found in nature, and the geometric structures of Ukrainian embroidered ornaments. These influences are reflected in the garments’ silhouettes, textures, and decorative details.
For the first time, Etnodim has expanded its assortment to include a line of knitwear, featuring sweaters, scarves, and mittens inspired by traditional patterns from Ukraine’s Podillia region.
Alongside the new knitwear pieces, the collection includes women’s and men’s coats, jackets, vests, and a skirt. The garments are made using natural materials, including wool, cashmere, cotton, and silk.
The designs incorporate elements of Ukrainian decorative traditions, drawing inspiration from the precise geometry of traditional straw ornaments, known as solomiani khrestyky, as well as embroidery found on historical ritual towels and traditional Ukrainian outerwear.
Etnodim has reinterpreted these motifs through unconventional color combinations, cutwork techniques, and dimensional hand and machine embroidery, adapting familiar elements of Ukrainian visual culture into contemporary clothing.
“We invested a great deal of effort into developing these ornaments. We genuinely tried to move away from traditional references and avoid simply copying designs from archives. We wanted to create our own patterns and garments that, while undoubtedly inspired by the past, would be entirely our own,” Etnodim Head Designer Olga Filanchuk told UNITED24 Media.
The collection’s name refers to polyphony, a musical concept in which multiple independent voices coexist to create a unified composition. Etnodim applies this principle to fashion, bringing together cultural references, natural rhythms, and individual expression within a single collection.
For Filanchuk, the concept also reflects the importance of maintaining a connection with cultural heritage and the surrounding world, particularly during Russia’s ongoing war against Ukraine.
“But above all, they are about the present and the future, about what we feel and the world we live in. They are also about how important it is not to lose that connection during wartime, when your thoughts are often focused entirely on functioning and surviving,” she said, referring to the collection’s designs.
We do not approach embroidery simply as a decorative element of clothing. For us, it is a language of contemporary art and contemporary design. And, in fact, it is also a language of war. When someone puts on an embroidered shirt, they are already identifying themselves with a particular community. People who understand its significance recognize that the person wearing it is expressing a position, communicating something without words through their clothing.
Olga Filanchuk
Etnodim Head Designer
Ukrainian embroidery as a symbol of cultural identity
The origins of the Ukrainian vyshyvanka, a traditional embroidered shirt, date back to the Kyivan Rus era (9th–13th centuries), when clothing was decorated with geometric patterns influenced by Byzantine and East Slavic traditions. Over time, embroidery acquired deeper cultural and symbolic meanings, becoming an important expression of Ukrainian identity. During the 18th and 19th centuries, under foreign rule, the vyshyvanka helped preserve national traditions and cultural heritage despite political restrictions.
The tradition continued during the Soviet period, when expressions of Ukrainian national identity faced varying degrees of repression. Wearing a vyshyvanka could serve as a quiet demonstration of cultural belonging and resistance to assimilation.
During this period, numerous historical embroidered garments and textiles were lost or destroyed. Nevertheless, Ukrainian communities preserved embroidery techniques and continued passing them down through generations.
Ukrainian embroidery carries rich cultural symbolism through its colors, geometric patterns, and nature-inspired motifs. Red traditionally represents life and love, black symbolizes protection, and white is associated with purity. Geometric shapes can convey continuity, harmony, and spiritual beliefs, while floral and animal motifs reflect connections to nature and folklore. Roses often symbolize love, poppies represent remembrance, and birds are associated with peace, freedom, and renewal.
In recent years, interest in traditional Ukrainian embroidered clothing has grown both domestically and internationally, encouraging designers to explore new approaches to historical ornaments and techniques.
Filanchuk noted that international audiences often appreciate Ukrainian embroidered clothing initially for its visual appeal, before learning about the cultural and historical significance behind the designs.
Foreigners generally respond very positively to this kind of clothing, primarily because of its design. They find it aesthetically appealing. But they do not necessarily know the stories behind it or understand why the vyshyvanka, the traditional Ukrainian embroidered shirt, is so important to us. That is something we explain when we share its cultural context.
Olga Filanchuk
Etnodim Head Designer
According to the designer, the vyshyvanka has acquired particular significance for Ukrainians as a symbol of cultural identity and resistance. She added that sharing the stories behind individual garments can help international audiences develop a deeper understanding of Ukrainian culture.
“It might be a particular cut, a historical reference, an artist, or a rare traditional ornament. These details give the clothing a more personal identity, and I think international customers can appreciate that and share those stories with others,” she explained.
Instead of directly recreating traditional garments, Etnodim draws on regional ornaments and embroidery techniques, adapting them into modern designs that combine Ukrainian cultural heritage with contemporary artistic expression.
Reproducing historical embroidery is also extremely important, and there are people who dedicate themselves to that work. We are very grateful to them. But Etnodim has always been about creating something new, about contemporary embroidery and how traditions from the past can speak to us today within the context of our own time.
Olga Filanchuk
Etnodim Head Designer
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