Unexpectedly, I began to do my favourite thing for myself
At the age of 16 I came to Kyiv from the town of Konotop, Sumy region, to study tourism and hotel business. I loved the hotel business and never thought I would end up in fashion design. However, I grew up with needles, spools of thread and sewing machines, as my parents worked in the clothing industry all their lives and ran their own studio.
In 2021, I came to a point in my life where I started to think about what I really wanted to do. In the meantime, my mother had started to renovate her workshop and I helped her, became interested in making clothes and joined the business.
At that time, it was more of a hobby than a profession. I decided to create a small capsule of things (not yet embroidered) that I would like to wear myself, as my tastes and preferences are quite specific and not for everyone. Selling a small number of capsules allowed me to get feedback from customers and to move towards making models that would be in demand.
Embroidered clothing is a tradition that must be preserved
The ethnic motifs on my products did not appear immediately. In December 2021 I had a dream about an embroidered shirt with an embroidered voluminous sleeve and a belt. I woke up and wrote down the idea.
The embroidered ornaments were to appear after 24 February 2022. When I left Kyiv after the large-scale Russian invasion and lived temporarily in Chernivtsi, I came up with the idea of creating a modern embroidered shirt that could be worn on the day of our victory. And to sell it for charity.
I took the roll of fabric I had bought in western Ukraine to my parents in the Sumy region, where we sewed a few models, sold them and transferred the proceeds to the needs of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
After the successful implementation of my plan, I saw that people needed modern embroidered clothes, so I decided to continue. I realised that I could find my own niche and fulfil myself in this business.
I had noticed that before the invasion, embroidered shirts had a classic look. I wanted to modernise them and make them something women could wear every day, not just on special occasions. For me, Vyshyvanka has a variable component – a modern cut – and a fixed component – embroidery. And my job is to combine them successfully. I want to work on making my products unique. It’s nice that now, two years later, the market situation has changed: modern fabrics and modern cuts have been added. At the time, this was not enough, and I felt that my talent could change this situation. I am glad that I am a part of the changes in Ukrainians’ tastes.
It is precious to me when a person wants to wear embroidery. It is a form of self-expression. Time goes by, we create new traditions. So I think it’s normal to wear an embroidered shirt with jeans or a short embroidered dress.
I buy 90% Ukrainian fabrics for sewing because I support Ukrainian producers. My goal is to promote and support Ukrainian products, because it is difficult for us now and we need to support our own.
I often wear clothes that I made myself. First of all, it’s a test to see how my customers will feel in it. I can wear an embroidered dress for a special occasion, but in everyday life I wear a ruffled shirt. Last summer I wore it almost every day. My mother also wears our embroidered shirts. She wore one to a christening and has lots of clothes for every day.
What was the beginning of the full scale invasion like for me?
We prepared for the full-scale invasion of Ukraine by Russia: we stocked up on food and water, but we still hoped that we would not need it and that there would be no attack. But on 24 February 2022, I woke up in Kyiv at 5 am to explosions. My boyfriend called me, said the war had started and offered to take me and my then-boyfriend to Chernivtsi. The five of us travelled in a small car with a lot of bags. We spent almost two months in that city, where our friends and acquaintances helped and supported us.
When the Russian troops began to withdraw and the situation in the capital calmed down, I wanted to go home.
I returned to Kyiv and later visited my parents in Konotop, which had already been de-occupied by then.
Borrowed trainers and a dress for a wedding in a foreign city in the middle of the war
I had been seeing my future husband, Dmytro Shapoval, for a long time. We went to Chernivtsi together. After arriving on 25 February, my friends and I decided to take a walk around the city: we needed to clear our heads of stress.
As we walked through the centre, my friend from Chernivtsi gave us a mini-tour:
“Here is the town hall, here is the Sejm and here is the registry office.
At that moment, Dmytro looked at me and said:
“Shall we get married?
Let’s do it,’ I replied.
And on the 4th of March, we became a family through the Marriage in a Day service.
Even now, preparing for the wedding seems unreal. When we left Kyiv, we only took the most necessary things with us. But unexpectedly, some friends gave me a wedding dress, others gave me trainers to match. I even had a veil. It was found in a day, even though all the shops in the city were closed. The jeweller we found agreed to melt the silver into wedding rings and did it in half a day because, again, the jewellery shops were closed. So, the only personal thing about my wedding outfit was my tights (smiles). My boyfriend is a photographer. He managed to bring a camera with him from Kyiv, and he took pictures of us. So we had a wedding photoshoot.
Dmitriy and I were optimistic. I knew that I loved this man. So our wedding was something that should happen in our lives, not an act that happened spontaneously.
A few days after the wedding, my husband went to the military registration office, then to the training centre, and from there — to the front. He was killed in July 2022. So what I was doing took on a new meaning for me. For me, it is now about remembering Dmytro.
When people buy my items, they will find a card in the package saying that this item is dedicated to my beloved husband, who gave his life for Ukraine.
Embroidered items help raise money for the army
In addition to the first embroidered shirts, the proceeds of which went entirely to the army, I held a raffle on Instagram for two of my products: a dress and a shirt for a donation of 100 hryvnia. In this way, I participated in the fundraising for a car that my friend was organising for her father’s unit. I saw that she was struggling to raise the necessary amount, so I suggested that we organise a raffle.
Several of my friends and subscribers took my example of the effectiveness of raffles and raised the money needed for the Army.
To support the defence forces, I regularly donate my own money to trusted fundraisers. We have also donated fabric for sewing military uniforms and repaired military clothing free of charge.
Despite the fact that there are daily reports of attacks on the Sumy region, my parents remain in Konotop. I also stay in Ukraine and promote Ukrainian things. We remain optimistic and convinced that everything will be fine.
Link to the Instagram page of Yana’s brand “Bielskaya.ua”:
https://www.instagram.com/bielskaya.ua
Translator: Ivan Chepaykin
