I dedicate this to Her – MOTHER, to all mothers

«My mother embroidered a shirt for me,
As if she stitched my fate with every cross.
So I would never seek the easy pathways,
So I would always greet the world with warmth.

‘Follow this, my daughter,’ she would tell me,
‘Life’s truths are simple, clear, and wise:
Betray not the land that raised and nurtured you,
And never leave a soul in time of need.’

And my mother’s shirt — so white, so white,
My mother’s shirt — so dear to my heart.
My mother’s shirt still warms and comforts me,
I hold it close against my little heart.»

‒ Natalia May

On the eve of World Vyshyvanka (Embroidery) Day, which is celebrated every year on the third Thursday of May, embroidery and embroidered ethnic motifs in the decor of things are a most important topic for Ukrainian women and the preservation of traditions in the Ukrainian diaspora in general. In the wonderful spring-summer period, clothes decorated with embroidery harmonize with particular ease any wardrobe, both festive and everyday. Over the past few years, the «Zelenco» brand and its owner, Mrs. Halyna Havrylyuk-Hostetler, who designs women's clothing with elements of embroidery and ethnic motifs, have become well-known among the Ukrainian community of Northern California and Chicago. Mrs. Halyna actively promotes embroidery among the local diaspora thanks to her design creations. So, the newspaper's editorial office asked the designer about the history of the brand and the features of her creative activity.

Mrs. Halyna, please tell us how your passion for embroidery began and how it evolved into a business product called «Zelenco», and what the brand name means?

As it is known, in Bukovina (I come from that picturesque corner, namely from Vashkivtsi, Vyzhnytskyi district, Chernivtsi region. Our neighbors were the family of Heorhiy Haras ‒ now an Honored Master of Folk Art of Ukraine) and in different parts of Ukraine, women have long embroidered in the evenings, especially on long winter nights.

So I remember how my late mother, having visited the Haras family, would borrow a new design for a pillow or towel and all the neighbors would gather in our house and embroider while singing, taking Haras' design as a basis and adding their own embroidery elements. That's how I began to learn cross stitch by cross stitch to embroider life and destiny. Who knew that those gold and silver threads would lead me across the ocean to my dream ‒ a personal business, where I, together with folk embroidery, would create practical, comfortable and elegantly modern clothes from «Zelenco». My late mother, Maria, had a personal influence on me as an embroiderer. She instilled in me a love for embroidered shirts, a desire to create something beautiful and enjoy what was created, and also to share and distribute that newly created pattern or a newly sewn shirt. While studying in high school, I completed machine embroidery courses. Even then, I had jobs in Poland, Romania, and Germany. Then I studied at the Medical Stomatological Institute in Poltava. I worked in a city dental clinic, but embroidery never gave me peace. At that time, works were made for private collections in Austria. Already here, in America, I improved my knowledge more professionally, mastering the skill of machine embroidery using modern technologies.

At first, they simply provided embroidery services as «Halyna's Embroidery», and then, thanks to my mother, who inspired me to create a women's clothing brand with embroidery elements, «Zelenco» is now. The company is named after my mother. I remember when my mother visited America for the first time, she brought me a recreated shirt from the 40s-50s as a gift, her personal shirt. She embroidered the same one for me as she had when she was young. She said that the embroidery process took a full 6 months, day after day. The desire to share knowledge about embroidery, instill a love for it, show that a woman is elegant and attractive in modern dresses with embroidery, promote Ukrainian embroidery and its distribution was the impetus for opening «Zelenco». I want to teach all women that you can look attractive, confident and charming in a dress or skirt. Unfortunately, work clothes dominate here even among women and young people. We create comfortable, high-quality clothing for everyday wear.

Our work can be seen in Australia, Italy, France.

How is your embroidery creation process and what embroidery motifs do you mostly use in the decoration of clothes?

It is difficult to decide on the creation of ornaments, patterns, there is no definite answer. There can be folk patterns, I often review them, maybe it is the dress that we are working on, the customer's wish, some event or just a desire to create.

Most often it is Bukovina and Hutsul patterns, they are the most dear to me, imprinted and nurtured with my mother's milk.

Often Trypillya patterns, designs for costumes of central Ukraine, Volyn. A lot of embroidery in white on white. Traditional for the Poltava region.

Recently we fulfilled an individual order, where the wife ordered a shirt for her husband with the wishes to include the embroidered names of the whole family in an individually created design. And how nice it is when all the dresses for the bride and groom, and all the friends and groomsmen at Ukrainian weddings are ordered from us. We remember and are grateful to everyone.

What inspires you in the process of working on the design of things and clothes?

The most important thing for me is what a person feels when wearing my works. I weave into each cross love for one's neighbor, for one's family, for one's homeland, happiness, joy, sublime feelings and sincerity, kindness, prayer for health and well-being. 

What elements of folk clothing did you use, or draw as ideas for work in your collections?

Our collection «Symphony of Love» was created to participate in the international show «Rumi Awards». We debuted in the modern ethno category. We were nominated in 5 other categories and won «Best fashion Show/Presentation».

Modern Bukovina costume ‒ used «horbotka» (wrap skirt) ‒ as a folk pattern, but modern, modern short vest resembles «tsurkanka» ‒ a word of folk origin, from "short sleeveless fur coat ". And, of course, a shirt, slightly modified in the set. 
Volyn costume ‒ with a traditional, slightly modified, skirt and modern shirt. The traditional shirt was taken as a basis. We also modernized the traditional «kyptaryk» (short vest). 

In almost all costumes, a modified «bayur» or «krayka» (belt) is used. In ancient times, women were girded with them ‒ we used them as decorative belts for the ensemble. 

Headwear and «gerdanas» (necklaces) are of great importance in modern folk costumes from «Zelenco». The main craftswoman for making headwear is Svitlana Kryshtafovych. Nastasya Marusyk-Zhmendak, a folk craftswoman of Ukraine in Chicago for beadwork, also collaborates with us. They exclusively fulfill our orders under contract for «Zelenco». 

Another area of «Zelenco» work is the unification of Ukrainian masters on a contract basis in America and around the world for a common cause ‒ the elevation of everything Ukrainian, the creation of modern masterpieces in clothing and accessories. 

We closely cooperate with «Ukrainian People Magazine», the «Internationa American-Ukrainian Fashion Show» in Chicago and the Ukrainian diaspora in Canada. There are joint projects. 

Do you admire or sympathize with any of the Ukrainian clothing designers, because many designers turn to folk traditions in designing and modeling clothes?

Of course, I follow the development of the clothing industry in Ukraine.

At the first Ukrainian Festival in Sacramento, I met Lyuba Chernyakova. In Chicago, at the show last year, with Oksana Polonets. Nice.

Who forms the «Zelenco» team and what category of consumers is the brand’s products aimed at?

«Zelenco» is still a family business. But friends help in every way: with a kind word, help, advice, inspiration, distribution of goods. Many thanks to Nadia Filimonova and Nadia Zatvarska for their loyal support and boundless desire to help…

We are grateful to Mrs. Halyna Marenin, Romana Hrytsiv, Nelya Panchuk, Lyudmila Kuleshova, the Zaitsev family, Victoria Bondareva, models and everyone who has joined or will join our events. We remember, we love! A low bow to the Ukrainian National Womens League Of America and the communities in Santa Clara, San Francisco and Sacramento. The products are designed for the mass consumer in general. We can please everyone.

We cooperate with individual customers, and seamstresses, small manufacturers in California and enterprises in China.

What advantages do you notice and what difficulties do you have to overcome in the American market, being a business owner?

I am an open and very positive person. And I have chosen a path in life where there are no problems. Only solutions. Everything gets better with time. One wish: I would like more sales, support and investments, which is what we are working on now. We are improving, expanding the range of products for the most demanding customer.

Also, taking this opportunity, I would like to thank everyone who buys, orders from us, supports us or helps us in every way to advance in the American market. We are grateful to everyone from the bottom of our hearts. And there are many of them. I will not list them, but we remember and appreciate everyone who is with us.

What is the philosophy of your brand, or what message are you trying to convey to your customers?

Our tagline or slogan is «Naturally You, Naturally Beautiful».

Each outfit, dress or blouse, created and made for a woman, tries to emphasize the natural beauty that each woman carries individually: charming eyes, a sweet smile, a wide forehead, curls, a slender gait, as well as determination and poise, harmony of love, goodwill, devotion.

Could you share with the readers of the newspaper the announcement of your nearest designer collections or projects?

Our next collection is aimed at the younger generation, regardless of location and residence, status or other factors.

I will say one thing: the possibility of combining outfits with each other is inherent in the created collection.

The first bag with embroidery from «Zelenco» will also appear.

Sofiya Ohorodnyk, as a voluntary brand diplomat, put a lot of effort into creating the future collection in 2018. We are sincerely grateful to her for this! Let everything else remain a secret for the fans of our brand. I will say one thing, it will be a grandiose collection. And we keep our word!

There will be publications. The nearest: June-July, follow the news in social media.

Yes, we are participating in an American project from June to October. The official presentation will take place soon. Unfortunately, I cannot share the information officially yet. But we are very happy that we were lucky enough to be in that project.

We sincerely thank Ms. Halyna Havrylyuk-Hostetler for the frank conversation. We also express our gratitude for her active, persistent work as a designer with an unsurpassed bouquet of Ukrainian aesthetic and stylistic preferences, layers of tradition combined with the desire for novelty and improvement.