Ukrainian Tradition Reimagined—Worn By Icons, Loved Worldwide

GUNIA takes it a step further, producing limited-edition clothing, jewelry, and homeware deeply rooted in traditional Ukrainian culture.While many luxury brands emphasize craftsmanship, Ukrainian label

Founded in Kyiv in 2018 by Maria Gavrilyuk and Natalia Kamenska, GUNIA Project draws on extensive ethnographic research and folk traditions to revive and reinterpret artisanal techniques dating back to the 17th through 19th centuries. The brand has successfully brought nearly a dozen historical crafts back to life, including guta glassmaking, traditional mountain wool production, and complex embroidery methods.

GUNIA’s collections are as functional as they are artful—designed for modern living but steeped in cultural heritage. Each beautifully handcrafted, thoughtfully designed piece reflects the brand’s mission to preserve and modernize disappearing crafts through exceptional design and a deep respect for Ukraine’s artisanal history.

The idea for GUNIA was born from the founders’ shared disillusionment with the fast fashion industry. After meeting over a decade ago, Kamenska left her career in fashion and began volunteering at Kyiv’s Ivan Honchar Museum, an institution dedicated to Ukrainian ethnography. Immersed in historical artifacts and traditional garments, she found new creative purpose, which ultimately led to the creation of GUNIA alongside Gavrilyuk.

Gavrilyuk and Kamemska explained to me the roots of their brand’s name GUNIA: “We founded the GUNIA Project as a hobby, a pilot project to create a modern interpretation of the traditional Hutsul fur coat, known as the ‘gunia’. Using natural sheep’s wool and weaving the fabric by hand on traditional looms in the Carpathian Mountains, the coat was a labor of love. This project gave birth to the Gunia Project, and the first joint collection from both designers was a series of beautiful scarves. Our main goal has always been, and continues to be, creating pieces with meaning—not just producing for the sake of production.”

The entrepreneurial young designers Gavrilyuk and Kamemska set out to revive forgotten Ukrainian artisanal techniques and creates timeless, handcrafted pieces that blend design innovation with deep ethnographic research. In their quest to create a foreword thinking, innovative fashion and homeware brand that brings Ukrainian cultural traditions into the 21stCentury, they travelled to remote Ukrainian villages, and worked hand-in-hand with local artisans who are often the last bearers of ancestral skills, to bring lost knowledge back to life.

GUNIA has become something of a cultural ambassador of Ukraine and the unique contemporary designs which maintain respect for traditional Ukrainian craftsmanship have attracted the attention of an eclectic mix of dignitaries and celebrities, from the late Pope Francis and First Lady of Ukraine to Lily Collins and Kylie Jenner.

I asked Gavrilyuk and Kamemska why they think the brand has such a broad appeal? “We believe the appeal lies in the balance we’ve found between cultural depth and bold, contemporary design. While our work is rooted in Ukrainian traditions, symbols, and artisanal techniques, what we ultimately create is a modern, visually powerful design product.GUNIA pieces speak to current aesthetics—they’re creative, refined, and highly curated. The fact that celebrities and cultural figures from such diverse backgrounds choose our work shows that the themes we touch—heritage, identity, craftsmanship—are not only relevant, but desirable globally.

These moments happen not because we chase celebrity, but because the product itself stands out. It’s proof that design based on deep cultural meaning can be internationally competitive—not despite its roots, but because of them. That’s the power of storytelling combined with contemporary creativity.”

GUNIA is an eclectic brand encompassing fashion, jewellery and homeware. I ask the duo what their starting point was for the brand categories, and how they preserve traditional Ukrainian artisanal skills through the products.

“For us, the starting point was never a product category—it was a cultural vision. GUNIA is not a fashion brand in the traditional sense. It is a platform for preserving and reinterpreting Ukrainian heritage through contemporary design.

We work with artisans who specialize in ancient crafts—embroidery, glassblowing, weaving—and reinterpret those techniques across many forms: garments, ceramics, jewelry, textiles. Our collections reflect the diversity of Ukrainian material culture, so we allow the craft itself to dictate the form, whether it becomes a coat, a goblet, or an earring.

By embracing this multidisciplinary approach, we can tell fuller stories—about rituals, beliefs, identity – and show how craft can be a living, modern language.

Through GUNIA the duo have revived ancient artisanal Ukrainian techniques including guta glassmaking, wool-making and embroidery. So how many artisans do they work with and how do they discover them?

“We currently work with over 40 artisans across Ukraine. Working with artisans is one of the most complex, rewarding, and meaningful parts of our work. It’s not always easy—but it’s always inspiring. We search for masters all over Ukraine, from remote mountain villages to family-run studios. For some, this is an artistic practice rooted in tradition. For others, it’s a craft passed down through generations. Some are full-time professionals; others engage in it as part of daily rural life. We find them through every possible channel—recommendations from ethnographers, word of mouth, field expeditions, even community notice boards. We met Nataliya Kishchuk, a traditional weaver of Hutsul coats (the original “gunia”), during an expedition. Others came to us through cultural researchers and friends. Every encounter is its own journey.”

While GUNIA’s collections revive and sustaining Ukrainian crafts and creativity, they also have a contemporary sensibility. What inspirations, cultural phenomena and art movements inspired them and contributed to the DNA of GUNIA?

“We are passionate admirers of Ukrainian folk art, painting, symbolism, and craft traditions. We deeply respect the visual language of our culture—its motifs, its materials, and its spiritual foundations. At the same time, we both come from a background in contemporary design and fashion, so we understand the relevance of time and the importance of aesthetic clarity. We never wanted to create nostalgic or folkloric reproductions—we wanted to create modern design objects with meaning. Our process is about translating traditional technologies into contemporary forms. We draw inspiration from history and ritual, but also from what is happening now—from art, from politics, from the emotional pulse of our generation.Everything we create stands at the intersection of old and new: a modern object shaped by the breath of tradition, and a cultural story reimagined for today.”

Whilst the Ukrainian people endure stress and hardship due to the ongoing war, it seems vital that Ukrainian brands such as GUNIA continue to promote Ukrainian culture and provide an international platform for Ukrainian artistry and creativity. Do Gavrilyuk and Kamemska feel that celebrating and preserving creative and folkloric elements of Ukrainian culture is important, especially during a particularly difficult time of conflict for their country?

“Absolutely. In times of war, culture becomes both a refuge and a form of resistance. For us, creating beauty is not just a creative act—it’s a political one. Every embroidered shirt, every handwoven textile, every blown-glass object is a testament to Ukraine’s enduring identity and spirit.

Through GUNIA, we aim to remind the world that Ukraine is not only a place of tragedy or conflict—it is a place of deep beauty, resilience, and creativity. Preserving and sharing our cultural heritage on the global stage is our way of contributing to that narrative. It is also our way of protecting knowledge. Many of the artisans we work with are still creating while air raid sirens go off. To honor their work is to honor the soul of the country.”

Find out more about the GUNIA collection here.