Ukraine, Pokuttya Folk Art / Lesia Pona, Embroidery

Pokuttya is a historical area, between upper Prut and Cheremosh rivers in west Ukraine, close to the Carpatian mountains. Now it is made up of the regions of Snyatyn, Gorodenka, Tlumach and Kolomiya; the latter is often called the ''capital ''of Pokuttya on account of its rich embroidery traditions and one of a kind Easter Egg Museum.

The Pokuttya textile collection, made by artisans who are members of Pokuttya Folk Art, founded by Lesia Pona, includes, among others: hand embroidered women's blouses, tunics , dresses, embroidered men's shirts and textile items for interior decoration, such as cushions in different sizes; table runners; tablecloths. All pieces are made with natural linen or cotton fabric from small local factories and decorated in traditional Ukrainian style with white and color cotton moulinee and silk. One of their lines is ‘authentic’ clothing, based on historic and museum samples.

An ancient folk art of Ukraine, intrinsic to the fabric of its history, is embroidery. Every ethno-cultural region has its own ornamental style, and so these regional styles were used to easily assess where a person came from. In Pokuttya region, as well as all over Ukraine, embroidery is still widely used to ornament traditional clothing. During religious or community festivals it is common to see people wearing vyshyvanka. 'White on white’ embroidered shirts and dresses are used for very special occasions like weddings, baptisms and first holy communions.

For more information on the history of Ukrainian Embroidery, the Ukrainian media company FILM.UA in Kyiv have created a series of short films about the specific features, visual look, and cultural heritage of Ukrainian embroidered blouses in different regions of Ukraine. 

You can further follow the story of Lesia Pona and the Pokuttya Folk Art Collection here.