It is impossible not to be moved by the events that take place around us and yet often as a single individual you feel helpless in your potential to change the course of these events. We at Malki consider this collection a love letter to the people of Ukraine.

The collection is inspired by a variety of Ukrainian folk art practices including embroidery, painting and ceramics as well as folktales, rituals and symbols that are inherent in Ukrainian culture. 

Folk art has the ability to express cultural identity by conveying shared community values. It is shaped by geographical and cultural influences that result in distinctively styled objects made for local needs and tastes. 

Such is the case in the magical works of Maria Primachenko, a self-taught folk artist known for her gouache and watercolour paintings of mythical creatures, flowers and scenes of life in the Ukrainian countryside. She is known to have been a thoughtful and considerate person who relentlessly advocated for peace. 

Symbols from her works as well from other folk art and traditions have been incorporated throughout the collection including the flowers and ribbons from a vinok flower crown, the detailed berries and blooms of a petrykivka painting, serpents from folktales and geometries from embroidery.