What is unique about Ukrainian vyshyvanka: Ethnologist answers
Why Ukrainian embroidered shirts are unique (photo: Getty Images)
Embroidered clothing is not exclusively Ukrainian—similar items exist among many nations. However, in Ukraine, it has acquired a special significance, explains Ukrainian ethnologist and folklorist Volodymyr Shchybria.
What makes Ukrainian embroidered shirts unique
According to the expert, embroidered clothing exists on every continent of the world. In particular, all the countries surrounding Ukraine have embroidered shirts in their cultures, although they differ visually.
"The difference is hard to trace and explain. For instance, the kosovorotka cut isn't strictly Russian – it's also found in Ukraine and came from the East. Belarusians and Poles have it too," says Volodymyr.
In essence, Shchybria does not consider Ukrainian embroidered shirts unique based solely on their embroidery. In his opinion, their distinctiveness lies elsewhere.
"For us, embroidered clothing has become more than just clothing. It has become a marker of our identity, and today we often interpret it as a connection to Ukraine. This kind of phenomenon isn't observed in other countries. Even if it exists, it is isolated, whereas in our case, it's a mass phenomenon," the expert says.
He also points out that the uniqueness lies in its evolution. Under modern conditions, embroidered shirts are constantly changing, becoming more complex, with new design solutions emerging.
"We see a more dynamic mass process here than in other countries. However, in Europe, national clothing is also being taken to a new level, for example, Bavarians, who have a more conservative mentality, reproduce exact copies. More kitschy versions are created for various festivals and events," says the researcher.
The difference between 'embroidered shirt' and 'vyshyvanka'
Volodymyr Shchybria explains that there are several different concepts: folk clothing, traditional embroidered shirt, and vyshyvanka.
"We need to understand what exactly we're talking about and what we're presenting. If it's ancient traditional embroidery, there are certain canons and characteristics. But when we speak of the vyshyvanka, not the embroidered shirt, it's already a modern item that can be anything, embroidered with anything," the expert explains.
It is worth adding that the canons of creating a vyshyvanka had a clear structure and traditions characteristic of a particular locality. At the beginning of the 20th century, this tradition still lingered in some places.
"But by the mid-20th century, the phenomenon of the vyshyvanka emerged. It's a continuation of the old shirt, but an imitation," Volodymyr Shchybria emphasizes.
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