(opinion article)

More and more often we are seeing people wearing vyshyvankas on the streets of Ukraine and Europe. Why is this happening? It’s not because of any holiday or special occasion, it’s much simpler than that: vyshyvanka is beautiful.

Of course, the traditional Ukrainian shirt is not an invention of recent years, as it was history that allowed it to become part of the cultural heritage. Of course, modern brands sell such patterns and ornaments on clothes that no one with at least a minimal sense of style can resist buying a national outfit, but again, this is not a new trend.

In order to recall one of the most exciting examples of wearing vyshyvanka, we suggest traveling overseas to the 60s of the twentieth century. At a time when our artists and poets had to struggle to simply write in their native language, ethnic shops with various attributes of Ukrainian culture were opening in major US cities. One of them was called ‘Surma’ and operated in the heart of New York City, in Manhattan. There, a migrant from Galicia, Myron Surmach, sold Ukrainian literature, records, food and, of course, vyshyvankas!

Do you remember the movement that emerged in the 1960s in America? Yes, now we prefer to talk about the hippies. Back then, it was a whole philosophy and way of life, but there were also those who simply liked the atmosphere and style of the new trend. How did they dress? There were many options, but many of them loved ethnic clothes, and that was when the star time of vyshyvanka came! This trend sent many Americans to Ukrainian ethnic shops, and even Jimi Hendrix, Robin Redford, Candice Bergen, Woody Allen and other stars of those times visited ‘Surma.’

But perhaps the most important guest of the store was the father of pop art, Andy Warhol, who had Ukrainian roots. Before going to one of New York’s social events, he bought a vyshyvanka to give it to Jim Morrison, the lead singer of ‘The Doors.’ Don’t you remember who he is? Remember the song “Riders on the storm”! You’ll recognize it from the first note.

Did the musician appreciate the gift from the legendary artist? Of course he did! He liked the embroidered shirt so much that we even saw him wearing it at a photo shoot with a famous photographer of the time, Guy Webster, who had worked with the leading bands of the time in his portfolio.

However, everything that has a beginning has an end: Morrison passed away too early, having put his name on the 27 Club, and the ‘Surma’ shop closed in 2016 due to high taxes. But how long will vyshyvanka live? The answer is simple: as long as we remember it. So, we invite you to your favourite stores to choose your own stylish embroidered shirt, continue the work of your ancestors, and tell the world about it, just as Andy Warhol once told Morrison.