Olena Zelenska, first lady of Ukraine, touched down in the United States this past week for a historic visit. She met with President Joe Biden and first lady Dr. Jill Biden yesterday, July 19, and delivered a statement to Congress today regarding the war in Ukraine after Russia invaded the country back in February.
For the address, she wore a black suit dress with a sliver of white fabric that showed traditional Ukrainian embroidery by the Ukrainian label AMG. Over the course of her visit, Zelenska has embraced Ukrainian dress in a powerful display of pride.
Twice she wore clothes from the Ukrainian label Litkovskaya, by designer Lilia Litkovaskaya. When Zelenska touched down in the United States, she opted for an olive dress with a scarf that fastened around the neck. She accessorized with earrings and a pin from the jewelry label Guzema, in a collaboration with the label Gunia Project. The pin is inspired by a rushnyk, a piece of fabric that is embroidered with traditional Ukrainian symbols.
Something to note: During her arrival, Zelenska held pieces of wheat, one of Ukraine’s main exports and a national symbol for the country. This comes at a moment when the Russian invasion poses a significant threat to Ukraine’s wheat harvest.
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When Zelenska met with the Bidens, she chose a skirt suit of the palest yellow by Litkovskaya, along with a pair of heels in robin’s-egg blue. The look’s jacket was double-breasted with a square neckline, following Litkovskaya’s signature geometric silhouette. Zelenska continued wearing earrings by Guzema and Gunia Project, the same ones she wore to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s inauguration in 2019.
This isn’t the first time Olena Zelenska has shown homegrown pride through her clothing. She has long supported young and veteran designers from her country. Back in 2019 she wore a white skirt suit with slit sleeves by Artem Klimchuk to her husband’s inauguration.
Of course, wearing a Ukrainian designer is a powerful statement of solidarity now, and Zelenska is not the only political figure doing so. Back in March both Queen Letizia and the first lady of Latvia Andre Levite wore a traditional Ukrainian vyshyvanka—a blouse or dress with traditional Ukrainian embroidery. Hopefully, this support continues.
This post originally ran on Vogue.
