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Step by step, Ukrainian designer Nataliya Yarysh brings her values to the world through her own business - a personal brand of vyshyvanky (Ukrainian national embroidered shirts). For her, Ukrainian culture, ancestral memory and national identity are not just fleeting trends but a philosophy of life that she has realised through her work.
Memories of a warm childhood
Nataliya Yarysh, the founder of the Svarga brand, hails from the Volyn region. Today, she runs her successful business in Lviv, but she still fondly remembers her childhood, which greatly influenced her personal development and is now reflected in her life’s work.
- I was lucky. I grew up in a large family in a Ukrainian village in the Polissia region, far removed from the folklore clichés nurtured by Soviet propaganda. I lived mostly in Volodymyr-Volynskyi (now the city of Volodymyr. - Auhtor), but I often visited my grandmother throughout the year, spending the entire summer at her place during school holidays.
Grandmother’s chest filled with linen clothing has permanently occupied a spot in her memory:
- I remember my grandmother’s house, her pantry and the enormous chests filled with linen clothes. I, a little girl, would quietly, as it was forbidden, go through the clothes while recalling my grandmother’s words: this - for your dowry, this - for burial, and this one - for special occasions.
I still remember that distinct smell - a combination of wood, powders and old linen
Her house was filled with embroidery everywhere. Patterns adorned pillows, tablecloths, napkins and towels that hung near the icons. My grandmother’s loving hands always sought to beautify the home and create a sense of harmony.
Every experience is a small step forward
Nataliya’s journey to starting her own business was a long one. Due to financial hardships, she had to take on various jobs, working with her family in the sugar beet fields, then at a sugar factory laboratory, and later at the employment office in Volodymyr.
Her introduction to the fashion industry came through another job - at the Volodymyr sewing factory «Luga». Here, her team, under her leadership, created their own casual clothing brand and opened a store in Volodymyr. There were business trips all over Ukraine - Kyiv, Odesa, Kharkiv, Donetsk, Luhansk, Vinnytsia - with constant meetings, negotiations and exhibitions. They even established partnerships with the United States and Germany.
Even though she already had an apartment in her hometown, a company car and a good salary, Nataliya felt an irresistible pull toward Lviv:
- One day, I was invited to the «Astron» clothing factory in Lviv. I agreed immediately and set off to Lviv with just a small bag. I bought a shop space, rented a rundown apartment and started a new life. Practically from scratch.
But «Astron» quickly turned into just another routine. However, the experience she gained there was invaluable:
- Once I mastered everything and understood the processes, I felt a lack of new impressions and opportunities for growth and expansion. When water stagnates, it becomes stale and murky - you need constant movement, change, fresh experiences. Even now, I can not stay in one place for too long. I will spend a week or two in the office, then I am back on the road. That said, I deeply value my work at both «Luga» and «Astron» factories. They taught me about the light industry, helped me understand the market, and allowed me to build business contacts, relationships, and perhaps even a reputation.
Her first independent business was founded together with her husband - a company called «Flex» that focused on home textiles. Starting from scratch was incredibly difficult, and to not just work to pay taxes but also generate profit, they had to find new ways to grow.
- There came a point when I realised that VAT would «eat up» our money, and I had to do something or I would not be able to pay our suppliers. So, I asked a colleague for a Japanese embroidery machine, priced at 60 thousand dollars, on an instalment plan. When we finally got that machine, it saved our future profits. I am endlessly grateful to the people who trusted me and were willing to meet me halfway, - recalls the entrepreneur.
When her marriage fell apart, they had to close that business. But instead of giving up, Nataliya decided it was time to take matters into her own hands and start making embroidered clothing.
The blank canvas on which the business was «embroidered»
Choosing a name for the brand took time, but after a few months, Nataliya Yarysh decided that the brand would be called Svarga.
- People told me the name was too difficult, suggesting I choose something else. But I trusted my instincts. If I liked it, then it was right. We chose a pattern that symbolises the strength of ancestry, the connection to the past, to traditions and values. I get chills when I physically feel the power of our logo, understanding that only this path, rooted in the past, was the right one and led directly to this realisation. I believe people have a written path, and everyone has their purpose. But there is always a choice. You can abandon your own path for someone else’s, and it is easy to do so. There are so many of those who forget their roots that it’s overwhelming.
The much more difficult choice is to stay on your path and not betray yourself
Today, Svarga brand's embroidered clothing is available on all major marketplaces, but initially, the company had to conquer the market:
- The way we grew is similar to embroidery itself. You start with a blank canvas, where nothing exists yet. You take thread and needle, and stitch by stitch, sometimes in very small steps, you move forward - building the team, developing marketing, acquiring equipment, setting up production, managing warehouses, operations, creating collections, finding partners. In our work, there are hundreds of details that require my constant attention as the leader. Especially when we need to be frugal, as we have to earn the money for our growth ourselves. Perhaps, with investors, things would have moved faster, but I feel we needed this gradual path.
After all, a large tree grows slowly. It roots itself and becomes stronger. We earned money, invested it into production. Earned again, reinvested in development
Now, Nataliya has six machines and her own stores. She explains that over time, they have become a unique phenomenon in modern Ukraine - not just a project or a business, but a part of Ukrainian culture.
Crisis as a catalyst for action
Eventually, they managed to establish wholesale sales, but of course, nothing is ever smooth. The business struggled to survive during COVID-19. Sales plummeted, but the company endured. It seemed like the business had adapted to the new circumstances when war suddenly struck.
- After February 24th, our production stalled a bit. No one knew which direction to move in, and we took a short break. About two weeks after the full-scale invasion began, Nataliya Yarysh signed a contract with a volunteer organisation, and we started producing sleeping bags for the military. This lasted for about two to three months, - says Yuliya Vasylchuk, the brand’s head of marketing.
Additionally, they worked with other manufacturers to produce plate carriers. The company also made military patches, responded to other military needs, and actively participated in charity auctions where their embroidered clothing was sold, with the profits going to support the military.
Once production began to recover, the question arose of which direction to move in next. Many of the ideas they had planned to implement were no longer relevant, adds Yuliya Vasylchuk:
- We decided to recreate the traditional vyshyvanky from the regions of Ukraine most affected by the war. At that time, these were the eastern regions. The Yavoriv military base also suffered heavily, which came as a huge shock to us. That’s when we created the Yavoriv-style vyshyvanka.
In this way, we chose to resist the aggressor. We wanted to show that we are stronger, that we are reviving - not just our economy, but our culture and traditions
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This is how the idea of the «Embroidered Ukraine» collection was born. It will feature designs from all 24 regions of Ukraine. The collection will be unveiled this May. This has been a new experience for us because we had to research and find the unique patterns of each region:
- This collection was created through trial and error. For example, we initially searched for random images online, checked if they matched the region we were focusing on, and then began reproducing the patterns for production. Later, we found out that some of these designs were copyrighted. To avoid violating any copyright laws, we started reaching out to the original designers. For instance, we pay royalties to the Honchar Museum for the embroidery pattern used in the «Kyivshchyna» shirt. Interestingly, this is the only museum in Ukraine that holds licensing rights for its exhibits, so we signed a contract with them.
Ancestral memory and interest in Ukrainian heritage
Today, there is a growing interest in vyshyvanky. Many people who were forced to leave their homes often mention that, among the few items they packed, they always included their vyshyvanka.
- We often see this pattern in our stores: customers tend to gravitate first toward the vyshyvanky of their own region. It seems that ancestral memory or some other subconscious process is at play here. Our salespeople have noticed this many times: when a person from Lviv comes in, the first thing they look for is the Lviv-style vyshyvanka. They might end up buying a different shirt, but that initial pull toward their native region is always there, - company employees say.
The war has been an immense challenge for businesses. For those in the clothing industry, so much depends on fabric and accessories suppliers. The uncertainty was compounded by fuel shortages, disrupted logistics and power outages. We had to think about things like generators to keep production running. Finding new fabric suppliers also became a necessity.
At the same time, global interest in Ukraine and all things Ukrainian increased, as our country was being discussed worldwide, says Yuliya Vasylchuk, the head of marketing at Svarga:
- We realised we needed to tap into this wave because our brand's primary mission is for every Ukrainian to own a vyshyvanka. It does not necessarily have to be from Svarga, but everyone should feel the value of our national clothing.
We want to show people that this is our culture, our legacy and that we must cherish it and pass it on to the next generations
We began actively researching traditional patterns and developing original designs. Of course, not everything went smoothly, and we made mistakes along the way, but we learned from them and kept moving forward.
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In Autumn 2022 Svarga presented the vyshyvanky of Franko’s family:
- We also started thinking about collaborations to not only support our own work but also others. For example, we noticed that museums were suffering too, as Ukrainians had stopped visiting them. So, we partnered with the Franko House Museum, and they allowed us to use their open archives. We recreated the embroidered shirt from Ivan Franko’s family. Later, we became interested in Hutsul tiles and created a Christmas collection featuring patterns inspired by this cultural heritage.
Another area of focus has been creative collaborations. One example is the matching «Borsch» vyshyvanky, created in partnership with chef and Ukrainian cuisine researcher Yevhen Klopotenko. Today, it is one of Svarga’s most popular embroidery designs. Nataliya Yarysh, the brand’s owner, met Yevhen while waiting in line at the border during one of her trips abroad. They started talking, and as Nataliya often says, «Similar attracts similar». They agreed to create something interesting together because both Yevhen in the kitchen and Nataliya in embroidery share the same message: Ukrainian culture is extraordinary and diverse, and the world needs to know more about it.
Later, Svarga introduced the «Dovbush» collection - a series of vyshyvanky inspired by the film directed by Oles Sanin.
Currently, the brand is focused on developing within Ukraine, but many of its vyshyvanky are being purchased by customers abroad. This includes both those who emigrated from Ukraine long ago and those who left after February 2022.
- Today, our customers have changed significantly. In the past, the vyshyvanka was seen as festive clothing - something worn once a year for a special occasion and then left hanging in the closet. Our philosophy, however, is about high-quality everyday wear. These are clothes designed for daily use because they are comfortable, beautiful and distinctly ours. Now, more and more people are embracing this idea, consciously wearing vyshyvanky and buying them for all occasions, - explains Yulia Vasylchuk.
In the fall of 2023, Svarga opened its second store - this time in the capital city. But the company is not stopping there. Plans are already in place to open another store in Kyiv, as well as in Odesa, Dnipro and Ivano-Frankivsk.
Support Sestry
Even a small contribution to real journalism helps strengthen democracy. Join us, and together we will tell the world the inspiring stories of people fighting for freedom!
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