Ukrainian woman presents national costume for Miss World 2023: what does "Forest Song" symbolize, created under fire in Kharkiv

Ukraine's representative at Miss World 2023, 19-year-old Sofiia Shamiia, has presented the national costume she will wear on the stage of the prestigious international pageant in India. The unique outfit is called The Forest Song. It was created based on the novel of the same name by Lesia Ukraiinka and the world-famous Ukrainian cartoon Mavka.

The national costume of Ukraine for Miss World was created by the Kharkiv-based brand MYVO under the direction of designer Anna Chyrva. Representatives of the Miss Ukraine Organizing Committee shared the costume and its meanings in detail on their official Instagram page.

It took 2 months to make the costume. It was created in the difficult conditions of the terrorist war under constant Russian shelling in Kharkiv.

"The workshop where the costume was born was repeatedly damaged. But despite the enemy's attempts to break us, our designers have once again proved that Ukrainians are invincible," the description reads.

The costume is a deep green dress with a huge golden fern flower on the back. The fabric imitates leaves and creates a "living" effect. Sofiia's head is also adorned with a lush wreath in yellow and gold colors.

The dress was reportedly embroidered by hand using layer-by-layer printed "leaves". Each leaf was made separately by Kharkiv craftswomen. The fern flower is based on the kirigami technique and is complicated with different textured materials to create a "glowing effect". The pearl of the image is the kinetic flowers, the technology for which was developed by our engineer specifically for the "Forest Song" image. They open and close (hide) with certain movements of the model.

"Mavka in The Forest Song embodies the immortal power of nature - the source of eternal life. The main character is the embodiment of beauty, the mystery of forest paths, enchanting mystery, and desired freedom. The earth blossoms and turns green under her every step. Golden life-giving flowers are wrapped around her arms like bracelets: they tell her everything the forest feels, bloom, and hide in the foliage. The heroine reflects the kindness, freedom-loving nature, and depth of the human soul of our people. She is an image of a harmonious combination of humans and nature, a symbol of caring for and protecting the environment," said Miss Ukraine representatives.

The Ukrainian delegation at the international competition decided to draw the world's attention to the environmental disaster in Ukraine with this costume. This is quite atypical, according to many Internet users, because such issues usually go unaddressed, so it is extremely important that they decided to reveal them.

"Today, Ukrainian nature is a silent victim of war. Burnt industrial facilities and forests, poisoned air and water resources, soil contaminated with mines and shells, massive deaths of animals and plants," commented Miss Ukraine on her page.

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