The Great Far Away/Прекрасное далеко
BY
Darina
2024, installation

“Never again” is a phrase our grandparents, parents, and everyone around us repeated. A mantra seemingly woven into our DNA by the horrors of World War II.
Each year, we wished each other a peaceful sky above. However, almost two years ago, on a February morning, Russia launched a full-scale attack on Ukraine.

I grew up in the Czech Republic, but I am Russian, from St. Petersburg. I miss home dearly, but the pain is that it’s no longer there.

The street remains the same, the building stands, people walk, but on February 24, 2022, my home was stolen.
This project is about grief and loss, about my anger and hope. I can’t compare it to the experiences of Ukrainians, but my pain doesn’t fade, and I can’t stay silent.

This collection is not just a series of fashion looks but a narrative journey through grief and renewal. It aims to resonate on a deeply emotional level, offering a visual and tactile representation of the complex emotions tied to the experience of losing and finding one’s motherland.


This fashion collection explores the grief and ambivalent emotions tied to the motherland, reworking the loss through seven distinct looks. Each look represents a unique archetype, with extensive research backing their narratives.


The making of one of the garments took about 5 days of continuous embroidery, resulting in the loss of feeling in one of my hands.

The white look is a remade blanket purchased from a dollar store.

The crochet and lace fabrics have been gathered along friends and donated by second hand stores.

No items found.

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