Embroidered garments are one of the most distinctive elements of Ukraine’s clothing heritage. They stand out not only for their design and decorative qualities, but above all as precious symbolic bearers of historical memory and identity. Their patterns, techniques and colours reflect decades of tradition and, at the same time, convey family stories and regional characteristics.

The exhibition presents Ukraine’s clothing heritage from the late 19th and 20th centuries through two collections. The collection of the Klymentiy Sheptytsky Museum of Folk Architecture and Rural Life in Lviv offers a historical overview of the transformation of traditional clothing into national costumes, which for decades served as symbols of national identity.

The collection of the private collector Nataliia Kholod, who has been collecting Ukrainian clothing for 18 years, intertwines historical motifs of clothing heritage with contemporary aesthetics and demonstrates the timelessness of embroidery even in today’s world. The common thread linking the collections is the vyshyvanka – the Ukrainian embroidered shirt that is a symbol of Ukrainian identity across the globe.

The exhibition was organized at the initiative of the Embassy of Ukraine in the Republic of Slovenia.