Wearable Resistance: Why We're Launching Our Ukrainian Poetry Collection
At Palimpsest — Wearable Literature, we believe that words on clothing should carry weight, history, and purpose. Today, we are proud to introduce a special limited run of Ukrainian Poetry Art T-Shirts. For every shirt sold, NZ$5 will be donated to support urgent humanitarian and rebuilding efforts in Ukraine.
Why Ukrainian Poetry? (A Note From the Founder)
I am not Ukrainian. But you don't need to be Ukrainian to recognise a deliberate attempt to destroy an entire culture — or to care enough to act.
Vladimir Putin and the Russian state have made their ambitions clear: to wipe Ukraine off the map, erase its history, and eliminate its distinct culture. When a regime tries to silence a people's stories, sharing those stories becomes a direct act of solidarity.
By creating and wearing Ukrainian poetry art, we help ensure that Ukrainian culture remains visible, vibrant, and impossible to erase. Wearing these designs spreads awareness, honours a centuries-old tradition of artistic defiance, and makes a tangible difference on the ground.
The War on Books: Why Literature Is Under Attack
Over the past four years of full-scale war, the assault on Ukraine has extended far beyond the battlefield into library archives, publishing houses, and printing presses.
- May 2024 — The Kharkiv Printing House Attack: A targeted Russian missile strike devastated the Factor-Druk printing facility in Kharkiv, one of the largest printing presses in Europe. Seven workers lost their lives, and over 50,000 books were destroyed. (Read the report on Literary Hub or the International Publishers Association appeal.)
- Mass destruction of warehouses and textbooks: Russian strikes destroyed logistics hubs in Kyiv, wiping out over 250,000 books at the Knyholav warehouse and hundreds of thousands of newly printed school textbooks at the Konvi printing plant. (Read details on The Kyiv Independent and The New Voice of Ukraine.)
- Libraries and archives targeted: The Ministry of Culture reports that over 200 libraries have been destroyed and hundreds more damaged across the country.
When books are treated as a threat, printing them — and wearing them — becomes an act of defiance.
Centuries of Poetry as Resistance
This war on Ukrainian culture is not new. For centuries, Ukrainian poets stood on the frontlines of resistance against imperial and Soviet suppression, keeping the language and spirit of the nation alive.
- Taras Shevchenko (1814–1861): Exiled by the Russian Empire for writing poetry in Ukrainian, Shevchenko's verses laid the bedrock for modern Ukrainian national identity.
- The Executed Renaissance (1930s): An entire generation of Ukrainian poets, playwrights and intellectuals was imprisoned or executed under Stalinist purges in an effort to silence Ukrainian literature.
- Modern poet-soldiers: Today, contemporary writers, poets and translators continue this legacy — many leaving their pens to defend their homeland on the frontlines, or using their work to document the war for future generations.
The Collection
Five poems, printed in the language they were written in, each with an original English translation made for these shirts.
- Zapovit (Testament) — Taras Shevchenko, 1845. The most famous poem in the Ukrainian language. The flag becomes the landscape he asked to be buried in.
- Contra spem spero! — Lesya Ukrainka, 1890. Written at nineteen: "I will sow flowers on the frost."
- Why Do You Come to Me in Dreams? — Ivan Franko, 1896. From Withered Leaves — eyes deep as the cold floor of a well.
- Zhuravli (The Cranes) — Bohdan Lepky, 1910. кру! кру! кру! — the song the diaspora carries.
- Chary Nochi (Enchantment of the Night) — Oleksandr Oles, 1904. "Kiss her — youth will not come again."
Where Your $5 Goes
To ensure your support has a direct impact, we are splitting donations between two organisations:
- Kiwi K.A.R.E (Kiwi Aid and Refugee Evacuation): A registered New Zealand charitable organisation delivering humanitarian and medical aid into Ukraine's red zones — ambulances, medical equipment, and evacuations of patients and families.
- UNITED24: Ukraine's official fundraising platform. Our donations go specifically to their Medical Aid stream (ambulances, hospital equipment, medicine) and Rebuilding Ukraine (restoring homes, schools and essential infrastructure).
Donation receipts will be posted here as they are made.
Join the Conversation
We would love to hear your thoughts as we roll out this collection. I am no expert in Ukrainian culture and am glad to receive advice — particularly on the Ukrainian text itself.
- Which Ukrainian poets, artists or lines would you like to see in future print runs?
- How do you think wearable art can help keep targeted cultures and histories alive?
Explore the collection, wear the poetry, and help us support Ukraine.