May 16, 2024 – Russia’s war in Ukraine

Women dressed in vyshyvankas cross a street in Kyiv, Ukraine, on Thursday.

On the third Thursday of every May, Ukrainians across the globe celebrate the vyshyvanka, a traditional embroidered shirt.

Yet the stitched panelling of a vyshyvanka extends beyond the garment itself. For many Ukrainians, each star or flower design is a symbolic expression of their right to self-determination.

“I think that vyshyvanka is a very vivid symbol that speaks for itself. Wearing vyshyvanka is very easy to show your identity, your position, your belonging to a certain group,” said Natalia Kamenska, co-founder of the Ukrainian brand Gunja Project. “It is a way of saying ‘We are Ukrainians.’”

Natalia Kamenska, co-founder of brand Gunja Project (shown above), says the traditional vyshyvanka shirt allows Ukrainians to express their identity.

Ukrainians mark Vyshyvanka Day by wearing the traditional dress. Kamenska, a designer, told CNN the shirt helps Ukrainian people form a sense of belonging in the face of colossal grief and uncertainty.

Kamenska described the war in Ukraine as “a tumultuous time” for her compatriots.

“With families being separated, people fleeing their homeland, people have a sense of constant anxiety from not knowing what will happen tomorrow,” she added. “For many people, vyshyvanka is a thing that reminds them of the importance of everything that is happening now.”

A man in a vyshyvanka walks through Kyiv on Thursday.