Ukrainian-based folk crafts label called the Gunia Project is becoming a well-known player in the interior items & accessories industry. The brand produces exceptional things based on traditional ethnic cultures. The Gunia Project collections are a unique combination of design thinking, deep ethnographic research and an artistic approach.
The Gunia Project designs artisanal pieces that perfectly fit the needs of everyday life that showcase the slightest details of traditional culture. They create exquisite collections of artisanal hot-brown glassware, ceramics with naive paintings, carpets as the brand celebrates traditional craftsmanship and contemporary life. The brand is also recognised for its fashionable accessories and jewellery: silk and wool headscarves and bandanas referencing the roots of the Ukrainian heritage, earrings and pendants with symbols reflecting the iconic amulets from Ukrainian history.
All of the items stand out from the inspiration of the deep-rooted interest in the sources of traditional Ukrainian ethnic culture, found in the process of ethnographic research. Behind this brand are two amazing female leaders; Natasha Kamenska and Maria Gavrilyuk. Both women are experienced in the fashion industry and demonstrate their artistic approach and a natural nod to aesthetics in their work with Gunia Project.
Broke Magazine sit down with both creators to talk about their backgrounds, how their friendship impacts their work and everything else Gunia Project related.
Tell me about your backstory, how was your upbringing and how did you navigate into the fashion/decor industry?
Natasha Kamenska: “We met more than 10 years ago while working in the fashion industry. I was a founder of the brand where Maria also worked. At some point, both of us were very tired of its pace, overproduction and cyclical work.”
Maria Gavryliuk: “At that time, Natasha left the fashion field and began to engage in volunteer initiatives with the Ivan Honchar Museum (ethnographic museum in Kyiv). I was also quite interested in this activity and felt there’s much behind it.”
Natasha Kamenska: “We founded GUNIA Project in 2017 as a hobby. It has since evolved into a fashion and design brand that puts Ukrainian craftsmanship on the map. Each collection is a unique combination of design thoughts, deep ethnographic research from different parts of Ukraine, symbolism and hidden meanings that reveal the culture of the country.”
Maria Gavryliuk: “The main goal for us was and remains to create things with a meaning behind them, not to produce for the sake of production.”
Your items truly are said to stand out due to the elements inspired by the deep-rooted interest in the sources of traditional Ukrainian ethnic culture. Can you elaborate on this, please?
Natasha Kamenska: “We love Ukrainian naive art a lot, its sincerity is heartwarming. These art pieces are created by non-professional artists, but each craftsman puts all his skill into the work. Sometimes the lack of skill can show, nonetheless, everything is made with sincere love and diligence. Unfortunately, there are fewer and fewer artists who continue the work of the family. Techniques are forgotten, stories are lost. GUNIA Project interprets the aesthetics of different historical epochs and takes care of the development of handicrafts.”
Maria Gavryliuk: “The brand operates in the form of capsules: it presents thematic collections of ceramics and glass for the Easter and Christmas holidays, as well as regular collections of jewellery, silk and wool scarves, candles, and home textiles. Each collection is a result of the in-depth ethnographic research that we conduct while travelling to different regions in Ukraine and discovering artists, techniques and inspiration for the visuals. What we do next — is try to capture our findings in the items from GUNIA project”.
How did your brand GUNIA Project come about? Where did the idea arise? How long did it take to create etc?
Maria Gavryliuk: “As we’ve mentioned before — it started as a hobby, sparked by the interest in Ukrainian culture. One of the first products of GUNIA Project was the traditional white shaggy fur coats worn by the Hutsul people in the Carpathian mountains “gunia”. GUNIA Project took its name after the coat. After a long period in the fashion industry, our creative duo formed during volunteer work with the Center of Folk Culture “Ivan Honchar Museum”.”
Natasha Kamenska: “We were inspired by the ambition to create a modern Ukrainian souvenir — the thing you would happily give to your foreign friends or bring from Ukraine as a memorable gift — that would both convey the history and the aesthetic of Ukraine. So, in 2017, we founded the GUNIA Project brand. Soon we will celebrate 5 years of existence of our brand, which interprets folk art in a design, develops skills, and creates modern household items that you want to hold in your hands — and we only plan to expand”
What are your three biggest rules when creating your designs?
Maria Gavrilyuk: “Before creating something, we always conduct an in-depth study of the topic. We are looking for inspiration in various fields of art, history, music, filmography and others. Our main rule is to have all possible knowledge and details before creating a collection. Behind each collection is a story. It is important for us that people understand what the items tell them about. GUNIA Project is a brand of meanings.”
Natasha Kamenska: “Perhaps our basic rule is always that we rely on our tastes and style. We never pursue fashion, that’s our speciality.”
You say the GUNIA project celebrates traditional craftsmanship and contemporary life. How so?
Natasha Kamenska: “GUNIA Project integrates recognizable elements of traditional culture into modern design objects and seeks new forms of Ukrainian style. We are researching crafts to find their application in the modern world of technology. The brand is inspired but does not mimic the examples of folk art. All elements handcrafted by Ukrainian artists are completely individual and cannot be repeated. Artisanalism has become the DNA of the brand.”
Maria Gavryliuk: “GUNIA Project introduces the rationality of folk culture into modern life. All products — festive clothes, ceramics, glass or jewellery — were created by hand, used for their intended purpose, and decorated the house. GUNIA Project items for everyday use are functional and decorative at the same time. The general idea is that we want to create applicable things — but can be also passed on for generations.
Our items can be a gift on holidays, they travel abroad as a reminder from Ukraine, their generous and sincere mood is appropriate for family gatherings and various events.”
We love your fashion accessories, especially the ‘Summer Hat’, why did you decide to combine fashion with home interior items?
Maria Gavryliuk: “Thank you! So happy to hear that. From the very beginning, we added the word project to our namin as we wanted to emphasize that we don’t limit ourselves. This is a big blueprint in which we realize our dreams, plans, goals. For us, GUNIA has always been a large-scale brand with different areas in which we experiment. This is a story about values and their embodiment in incredibly different forms. That is why at the moment we have different items combined in our collection and we don’t planthere arep — there are many more projects coming to be a part of GUNIA project.”
Summer Hat – White 
Summer Hat – White
What are your favourite items, and why?
Maria Gavrilyuk: “My favourite collection is always the latest. The process of development, preparation and launch always take so much time that expectation and excitement make the collection the most desirable. When I see the finished result, I admire it so much!”
Natasha Kamenska: “I agree with Maria. This is a complex process from the sketch and the idea, to the moment when you see the collection in real life. And so these positions become the most desirable. But I also have my favourite products from existing collections — wood candlesticks. They are the most important for me because they are the most difficult to make. Their creation is incredibly complicated and makes us think about every detail.
We plan to present another novelty from the brand soon. GUNIA Project is creating a sculpture. This is a new step for us, which is not easy, but we are looking forward to the implementation and hope to show you everything soon!
What are the next steps for the GUNIA Project, what should people look out for?
Maria Gavrilyuk: “The next step of the GUNIA project is scaling. We want to open the forgotten technologies of creating accessories and decor elements not only for modern Ukraine but also for other countries. We are convinced that it is inseparable for a person to expand the boundaries of knowledge and perception of art and history. We would love for GUNIA Project to leave a cosmopolitical imprint for people passionate about discovering and learning. We dream of our own space that will unite those who truly live for art. We plan to invite experts and artists of various fields and specializations who will give lectures, hold master classes, and inspire students to create their tone of voice.”
Natasha Kamenska: “Another dream of ours is to create a book about the secrets of naive art, inspired by the heritage of different peoples. We will be happy to join forces with artisans from around the world to create a guide to artistic expression in this style.”