An Interview with the winner of The Norwich University of the Arts Catwalk: Stella Shykolenko
Stella Shykolenko is a Ukrainian fashion designer based in the UK. She translates abstract stories and feelings into garments, with experimental zero waste pattern making techniques.
What unexpected source influenced your final outcome?
“My personal experience of living in-between countries, family, friends and languages. In the course of last 4 years I got over 30 passport stamps. Formerly leaving my home country due to the full-scale invasion in 2022, I moved to the UK. As time passed, I came to the realisation that I didn’t quite belong in the place I live now, neither could I physically belong in my home country. So I went on exploring where I belong. My answer was MY HOME LIVES IN ME. As I was going back to the UK after the winter holidays from Kyiv. I thought to myself, I am in-between national. Not fully belonging to either of the places, nor neither of them at the same time.”
What’s the best piece of creative advice you’ve ever received?
“The unknown is an essential part of any creative process. Across my BA, one of my tutors has given me complex garment constructions, to figure out how to sew them. He would explain general steps and the rest was for me to figure out. So through these exercises I never had the full picture up until the finished product. This taught me to trust the unknown. Later I brought this into my design process and my life in general.”
How would you describe your creative voice in three words?
“Uniting, uplifting, evolving”
What kind of impact do you hope your work has beyond aesthetics?
“I believe that fashion is a universal language, like love. And I think that the first can express the second one. My goal is to celebrate each individual’s uniqueness, their stories and experiences. While finding commonalities between them, to unite people around their differences.”
Which designer, artist or creative would you most like to show your work to?
“Yohji Yamamoto, Martin Margiela and Rick Owen. All of them kept creating despite experiencing misunderstanding. They dedicated themselves to their craft and vision and built something bigger.”
What advice would you give to a student currently starting their final collection or portfolio?
“Be misunderstood. When I just started my path in fashion, I received a lot of disapproval from my tutors, friends or industry individuals. I want to say to everyone who is in the creative field, acknowledge others’ opinions, but never treat it as the ultimate one. When the public doesn’t immediately receive what you stand for and build, CONGRATULATIONS you actually created something new. Otherwise, if you’d be understood and cheered by everyone, you most likely produced something that already widely exists.”
What conversations do you hope your work starts?
“I want more people to learn from experiences of each other. I believe that it’s only by being curious and respectful towards others, that we can wholesomely evolve as a society. Learn more from various sources and noticing patterns and commonalities brings people together in a meaningful way. So through my work I hope people will ask more questions and connect with each other.”
So what’s next for you after graduating?
“I’m launching my own label BILA VORONA (-Ukrainian: WHITE CROW). It’s a metaphor we use in the same context as “A black sheep” would be used in English. To me it’s about celebrating each individual’s uniqueness, creating a dialogue and uniting people through the language of fashion.”
