In Ukrainian tradition, the idea of pryadane (dowry) was native to how families made meaning through memory. A young woman would begin to collect objects throughout her life, handwoven linens, embroidered cloths, ceramics, and the likes, housing them in a wooden chest that would eventually accompany her into her new home. These were not only relics of her past, but rather, signifiers of emotional and symbolic weight, to become heirlooms for the generations to come.
This ethos is a coalitive one shared between Natasha Kamenska and Maria Gavryliuk, whose brand Gunia Project began as an ethnographic partnership and exploration across their shared Ukrainian heritage. “What began as a personal interest in traditional craftsmanship quickly turned into something deeper, a search for authentic artisans, a dive into museum archives, and a growing connection to the cultural heritage of different regions.” Kamenska says.
One of their earliest creations, the gunia, was a traditional sheepskin coat fashioned and hailing from the Carpathian Mountains, which would become, with time and experience, the namesake to the collective between the two. Over time, the partnership extended past a shared passion, and in 2019, Gunia Projects became the label that it is today, synonymous as a fixture of tradition and contemporary design.
“One of our missions as a brand is not just to reflect cultural heritage, but to contribute to it — to create things that are meant to be passed on,” says Gavryliuk. “This ritual of preservation and gift-giving inspires much of what we do at Gunia. Many of our pieces from ceramics to accessories are bought as gifts to mark meaningful life events. People tell us they use our objects not only for their function, but as personal symbols, treasured pieces that live on as part of their own evolving legacy.”
“One of our missions as a brand is not just to reflect cultural heritage, but to contribute to it — to create things that are meant to be passed on,”
~ Maria Gavryliuk
Their store is a living archive to the every day—from a collection of ceramics, butter dishes and sugar bowls, to breezy summer knits hemmed with bespoke embroidery, and accessories, wicker baskets, headscarves, and balaclavas, that balance the symmetry of tradition and reinvention. The visual heritage of Gunia Projects is a restorative one that concerns itself with revival, forgotten techniques and narratives at threat of expiration.
To do so, the pair conduct field research far and wide. They visit museums and speak to artisans. They document everything in their line of vision—from embroidery motifs to ritual uses, and make deep annotations of each specific object they come across, identifying its origin, symbolism and technique. It’s how they’ve excavated the context of the rushnyk, (a traditional embroidered towel), a svyschyk (a traditional whistle toy, usually used as a musical instrument), and silhouettes of traditional shirts, all reintroduced into the mainline of Gunia Projects. And they remain committed to bringing that heritage into the hearth and home.
“When heritage exists only in museums, it can become distant... We see each product as a dialogue between past and present, memory and material, and we want to bring it back into people’s homes, to make it personal and emotionally resonant. Embroidered shirts, hand-painted plates, meaningful jewellery — they all carry stories, and when they’re part of everyday life, those stories keep living.”
~ Natasha Kamenska
Folklore is an extensive arm of their brand story, and often, the starting point of the creative process. Following the ethnographic research, the next step is translating the findings from the research into sketches and prototypes. Silhouettes, embroidery styles and decorative motifs are interwoven with a modern aesthetic. Once the designs are finalised, the work moves to production, which involves close collaboration with local artisans who specialise in various techniques, including the likes of ceramics, embroidery, woodworking, and gold detailing.
Sustainability is here, too. The label produces in small batches, working with a host of natural materials and a circular economy, with local makers at the fore. The stalwart difference to the label is that they never imitate. Instead, they interpret, working closely with artisans, reintroducing traditional techniques, and affording every item in their line as both an artwork and a functional extension of one’s home. Theirs is an aesthetic rooted in storytelling.
“We see each product as a dialogue between past and present, memory and material,” adds Gavryliuk. “At Gunia, we see preservation not as replication, but as continuity. We work hand in hand with artisans across Ukraine to keep these practices alive, not just by showcasing their work, but by integrating it into contemporary design.”It is, after all, one of the most at-risk elements of traditional culture—the techniques that are passed down not through books, but through practice and lived experience. As we race toward the digitisation of this current age, less and less of the upcoming generation are learning these crafts. Many techniques are at risk of total elimination. Perhaps, the mission behind Gunia Projects is to remind all that this does not have to be the case.
“When heritage exists only in museums, it can become distant,” Kamenska explains. “We see each product as a dialogue between past and present, memory and material, and we want to bring it back into people’s homes, to make it personal and emotionally resonant. Embroidered shirts, hand-painted plates, meaningful jewelry — they all carry stories, and when they’re part of everyday life, those stories keep living.”
Profile by Karen Leong
Photography provided by Gunia Projects
