Anastasiia Ulianytska

Anastasiia Ulianytska (WHY.NOT.ME) is a fashion designer and textile artist who has exhibited in London at The Holy Art Gallery and Boomer Gallery. She describes her fashionable wares through the following: “My practice is a rebellion born from silence and the necessity of survival. I transform textiles into an "Armour of Senses", portable sanctuaries designed for the modern nomad. My shift from canvas to cloth was catalyzed by my displacement from Ukraine; when you must fit your entire life into one small bag, art must become portable to survive”.

With a philosophy based on viewing fashion and costume design as a living artform, Anastasiia Ulianytska views the human body as a mobile platform which becomes accentuated by textile wares to be seen in action amongst the public. These garments are created not only with acrylic textile paints, but also with gold leaf, metallic leaves sewn into the fabric, using laboratory glass slides to create imprints, and sewing flowers / loose laces. Such experimental integrative approaches leaves a unique analogue impression onto the finished surface. In terms of the design, these fashionable wares appear like a cross between 1980s New Wave music and post-apocalyptic Synthwave aesthetics. Between the pop-art and sparkled compositions, colors, and stripes, such attributes are followed by loose threads and meant to be worn in layers…or in a revealing manner. The contrast between broken fibers and dark tones creates a futuristic and individualistic appeal, as if these were the costumes of urban wastelanders trekking through blight and decay. 

These attractive garments are thoroughly stylish and avant-garde in bridging aging design elements with new interpretations. The use of stripes, for example, are not new, however, Anastasiia Ulianytska crosshatches these components into exotic patterns which are applied minimalistically and in methods which conform and contour the shape of the costume. Particularly striking, her gold leaf and metal wares are amongst the most bold works. These particular outfits reveal a dichotomy between glamour and rustic qualities in their loosely applied, almost aged appearance. Followed by loose fiber threads and laces, the gold leaf / metallic pieces accentuate the Synthwave / New Wave aesthetics apparent in her portfolio through shine, thoughtful pattern placement, and strategic ergonomical minimal application. 

Figure V. 1 (pictured above) depicts a model wearing one of Anastasiia’s blowse-jackets. The rough, tribalistic, and primal application of the patterns with their neutral, metallic sheen compliments the models pink hair, sparkled boots, and aggressive black leather pants. She appears more like an anti-heroine exploring post-apocalyptic urban blight rather than a standard fashion model. The impressions Anastasiia’s wearable textile art are mutli-dimensional and full of counter-culture elements. 

Fashion and costume design has a bold new purpose with attitude thanks to the immense contributions of Anastasiia Ulianytska. Her nuanced yet seismic approach to the pattern designs, especially with the use of metallic wares and precious metals as well as intense cross-hatched linearity, creates a meaningful impact on bridging aesthetics from both the past and future. Whether intentional or not, the blend of New Wave, Synthwave, and post-apocalyptic traits in the garments leaves a final result of wares perfect as costumes for a low-budget but avant-garde cult-following arthouse film or even experimental devised theatre.