Runway

Weaving Heritage Into an Act of Defiance

Khrystyna Rachytska's "Ground / Resistance" collection reimagines centuries-old Ukrainian embroidery and folk silhouettes as a vivid, handcrafted act of cultural memory and resistance amid the ongoing war.

By Alfonso de Hoyos-Acosta

Updated 05:45 am EDT, Sep 13, 2026

Published 02:53 am EDT, Sep 13, 2026

Photo Courtesy: Ukrainian Fashion Week
Runway Photographer: Volodymyr Bosak
Backstage Photographer: Serhiy Khandusenko
Special Thanks: Yelyzaveta Ushcheka

Runway

Weaving Heritage Into an Act of Defiance

By Alfonso de Hoyos-Acosta

Updated 05:45 am EDT, September 13, 2026

Published 02:53 am EDT, September 13, 2026

Photo Courtesy: Ukrainian Fashion Week
Runway Photographer: Volodymyr Bosak
Backstage Photographer: Serhiy Khandusenko
Special Thanks: Yelyzaveta Ushcheka

Updated 05:45 am EDT, September 13, 2026

Published 02:53 am EDT, September 13, 2026

Photo Courtesy: Ukrainian Fashion Week
Runway Photographer: Volodymyr Bosak
Backstage Photographer: Serhiy Khandusenko
Special Thanks: Yelyzaveta Ushcheka

Khrystyna Rachytska is the founder and designer behind the eponymous brand established in 2016. The brand creates high‑craftsmanship embroidered shirts, dresses, and accessories inspired by Ukrainian folk costume. Her work draws on ethnographic research, historical techniques, and cultural heritage preservation. Which, frankly, is fabulous. The idea of honoring your cultural heritage may seem Victorian to the mounds of attention-deficit posers out here in the land of fashion, but it should be encouraged and celebrated.

Khrystyna is part of the new wave of Ukrainian designers bringing national dress into contemporary fashion through museum‑grade craftsmanship and meticulous production, with some pieces taking up to 9 months to complete.

Khrystyna studied art and fashion at the Zolochiv Art School, Lviv State College of Light Industry, and the Lviv National Academy of Arts, respectively. The brand is based in Lviv, a historic, gorgeous mitteleuropäisch Ukrainian city known for its architecture, cafés, culture, and intellectual atmosphere. The city is not on the frontline, but it is under threat from Russian long‑range missile and drone strikes, which have intensified in 2026. Western Ukraine remains relatively safer than the east and south. Still, no part of Ukraine is fully safe from aerial attacks, which adds to our admiration for Khrystyna and her commitment to fashion.

A Bridge to Heritage

The brand draws inspiration from Ukrainian ancestral artistry, transforming traditional motifs into beautiful fashion. She has stated, “For me, traditional Ukrainian attire is more than clothing; it’s a source of endless creativity, a bridge to my heritage, and a way to preserve the memory of generations. Embroidery carries the stories of my ancestors, their struggles, and their hopes, making it my mission to pass this legacy forward.”

Khrystyna typically only uses natural fabrics such as linen, cotton, hemp, wool, velvet, leather, and silk. Handmade lace, velvet ribbons, and metal embellishments are also used to enhance the garments’ looks and functionality.

Her latest collection, “Ground / Resistance,” grew out of the brand’s research into traditional shirts from the Ukrainian regions of Opillia, Pokuttia, and Bessarabia. Their historic silhouettes and construction became the baseline for the collection’s proportions, structure, and purpose. Khrystyna Rachytska turns cultural memory into an act of resistance and draws strength from what has been endured.

Embroidery as Memory, Reinterpreted for Today

Khrystyna has some lovely but bittersweet thoughts when reflecting on this collection. She says that when a familiar world is being destroyed, one searches for what remains and, more importantly, what will continue. For the brand, the constants that they celebrate are memory, land, language, family, and culture. To avoid forgetting what has been lost, the brand emphasizes embroidery throughout the collection. The embroidery presented in this collection is made by hand following a centuries-old tradition. What makes the collection and this brand exciting is that the embroidery and other cultural elements are reinterpreted in a contemporary way.

In “Ground / Resistance,” the brand deliberately turns to vivid colors such as bright yellow, pink, violet, blue, and green. The brand uses brightly colored embroidery that shimmers against the matte surfaces of the linen, wool, and hemp fabrics. Cyclamen, a vivid pink‑magenta hue inspired by the petals of the cyclamen flower, runs through the collection as a recurring accent, appearing both in the embroidery and in the fabrics of skirts and dresses.

Accessories extend the same visual language through pattern, color, and proportion. Ribbons, tassels, and cotillion-inspired details are constructed from beads, bugle beads, and glass.

Dedicated to the Women Who Resist

Khrystyna Rachytska dedicated “Ground / Resistance” to like-minded women living in Ukraine and abroad. All women who are connected by a shared love for their land and whose work and everyday actions become forms of resistance. Together, they weave a wreath of unity while safeguarding the traditions and values passed down through generations.

One absolutely gorgeous outfit was a blouse, long skirt, and light overcoat combination. The palette in this case was a varied collection of violet hues, ranging from heather purple to darker amethyst. The blouse featured vibrant embroidery in traditional Ukrainian patterns, in other hues of violet with a spark of cyclamen. The long skirt had volume but still fit close, so it flowed while staying elegant. The light overcoat was in a heather purple fabric bordered in black. The combination was modern and exquisite.

Another stunning look featured a modern, gorgeously structured black coat bordered in cyclamen, layered over a meticulously crafted black blouse and skirt. The coat was the standout feature in this outfit. In our opinion, it was an exaggerated cocoon coat with a rounded, sculptural silhouette and a curved hem that resembled a half‑circle. It was short, voluminous, and had a stunning cowl neck. The blouse was not fully shown, but intriguing hints of a corset emerged, along with a loose fit. The handkerchief skirt had a hem that fell into soft points and flowed beautifully down the runway.

Khrystyna Rachytska creates more than just fashion. She weaves history, culture, and identity into every piece, ensuring that Ukrainian heritage lives on in a modern world. Khrystyna has already presented collections abroad, such as in Türkiye, at diplomatic and charity events. She is positioning her brand as a cultural ambassador of Ukrainian identity, and we at Avessa admire her work and deeply wish her continued success.

The Collection

Alfonso de Hoyos-Acosta

Chief Creative Writing Officer

Recovering from an obsession with Italian-designed menswear, Alfonso decided to take a deeper look into women’s fashion to see how our relationship among clothing, society, and business has changed. Educated as an economist with an MBA, he travels between Chicago, Miami, and Mexico on a search to see what happens next to fashion.

Tags: Ukrainian Fashion Week, Ukrainian Fashion Week SS27

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