Nineteen-year-old student Anastasiia Stelmakh from the Kyiv National University of Technologies and Design dedicates her work to Samchykivka painting, an almost forgotten Ukrainian folk art style. This powerful ornamentation, once used to decorate houses with bright colors, trees of life, birds, and flowers, was nearly eradicated in the 1930s during the “Executed Renaissance.”
Anastasiia Stelmakh sees her design as an act of cultural resistance, a living symbol of memory, hope, and the indestructible Ukrainian identity. The work reinterprets the traditional visual language of Samchykivka: bold shapes, symbolic floral motifs, and vibrant colors transform historical ornamentation into a contemporary fashion aesthetic.
She combines 3D printing technology with a self-developed bioplastic made from gelatin, glycerin, water, and natural pigments derived from food waste such as beetroot and carrots. In doing so, Anastasiia Stelmakh unites tradition with ecological innovation. The corset skirt with train merges textile craftsmanship with digital precision. The 3D-printed outlines of the ornaments form small chambers filled with colored bioplastic. Once dried, they create a soft, relief-like surface reminiscent of painted house walls that moves in harmony with the fabric.
“This dress is more than fashion, it is a living talisman. Samchykivka is the unconquerable soul of Ukraine, forged from beauty, memory, and defiance,” says Anastasiia Stelmakh.
Her work stands for resilience and renewal. At a time when Ukrainian culture is once again fighting for its survival, Anastasiia Stelmakh transforms this ancient ornamentation into a modern symbol of national rebirth, combining folk art, sustainability, and technology into a new poetic form of fashion.
