On 14 May, on the eve of Vyshyvanka Day, a lecture on Ukrainian Embroidered Shirt – Past and Present was held at the Lviv Polytechnic Assembly Hall by Leonid Martynchyk, a historian, ethnographer, TV presenter, influencer and fashion expert.
During the lecture, Mr Martynchyk described the typological features of embroidered shirts from different historical and ethnographic regions of Ukraine. He also outlined the tragic pages of the Soviet era – famines, repressions and forced deportations of Ukrainians from ethnic territories. The ethnographer analysed the peculiarities of embroidered shirts of Boikivshchyna, Hutsulshchyna, Bukovyna, Budzhak, Podillia, Slobozhanshchyna, Sivershchyna, Northern Black Sea region and other regions. Based on the historian’s account, we can conclude that there is an exceptional diversity of regional traditions, uniqueness of ornamental motifs, and an inextricable link between embroidery and the history, culture and spirituality of the Ukrainian people.
Leonid Martynchyk also drew attention to the processes of simplification and distortion of Ukrainian culture, which were particularly intensified during the Soviet period. It was about the vulgarisation, unification and standardisation of national clothing which led to the loss of regional identity. The Soviet government tried to create a «uniform» for Ukrainians, but these templates and simplifications are unacceptable in the context of building national identity.
According to Leonid Martynchyk, for centuries, the embroidered shirt has been not just an element of the Ukrainian wardrobe, but a symbol of dignity and national identity. Today, wearing an embroidered shirt takes on a special significance as a worldview choice, an identity marker, and a way of defining cultural boundaries. In this regard, it is extremely important not only to wear an embroidered shirt, but also to explore and cherish your native culture, find yourself in it, assert your identity and bring the truth about it to the world.
