Ukrainian Pop Star Tina Karol Celebrates Birthday With Message of Peace

THE ONE AND ONLY: Ukrainian-born pop star Tina Karol celebrated her birthday Wednesday with the debut of a collaborative collection.

A year in the making, the 20-piece assortment was inspired by styles of Ukrainians, who are trying to carry on with their day-to-day lives as normally as possible, despite the Russian invasion. The designer team envisioned styles that would indicate support of the National Armed Forces and everyone who is fighting for the country. With that in mind, ZSU, the term commonly used to refer to the Armed Forces of Ukraine, is imprinted on balaclavas, a denim maxiskirt and select other styles. Just speaking or writing ZSU is a nod of respect to the “noble men and brave women” defending the country in its national armed forces, according to a company spokesperson.

Part of the proceeds from the sales of Tina Karol x One by One collection will be donated to purchase thermal clothing for women serving in the ZSU. Karol said, “The main message of the campaign is that we Ukrainians are different. But during this difficult year, we have become one. We breathe in unison, we move toward our goals unitedly, and we create one story,”

To try to drum up some patriotism, the slogan for the collection is “Free to create one story.” The motif of an origami crane that is featured in the collection is meant to be a symbol of hope, faith, indomitability and peace. The idea to use an origami crane was an offshoot of Karol’s visit last year to the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum in Japan, where she saw small paper cranes that had been made by a victim of the nuclear bombing, a Japanese girl Sadako Sasaki. There, Karol learned of the Japanese legend that attests that a person who can fold 1,000 origami cranes can make their dream come true. Sadako, who suffered from leukemia, dreamed of healing, and folded 644 cranes before perishing, due to the disease. Her classmates then folded the remaining cranes in her honor. Karol decided on the graphic image of the crane because it unites the symbolism of the capsule under its wings.

The Ukrainian stylist Zhenya Prymachenko and the Fashion Office team were responsible for the creative idea and production of the campaign. Mykhailo Fedorak photographed the collection in Kyiv this month, despite continuous power outages, sirens and threats of Russian strikes. The range features such styles as a $44 turtleneck, a $52 knitted dress, $59 denim maxiskirt, an $83 midi-length knitted dress and a $100 cardigan. Images of Karol modeling them can be seen on One by One’s e-commerce site. Shoppers can also buy them in select stores in major Ukrainian cities like Kyiv, Lviv, Chernivtsi, Kharkiv, Vinnytsia and Kropyvnytskyi.

To keep her 1.8 million Instagram fans up to speed about her latest business venture, Karol posted images of herself sporting a few of the designs. Having appeared as a coach on “The Voice” and a presenter on “Dancing With the Stars,” Karol has a wide audience. She also has served as a brand ambassador to the green beauty specialist Garnier and the watch and jewelry store Ukrzoloto, as well as more digital companies like Huawei and Rakuten. Others know the artist through the namesake foundation she established in 2014 that aims to help child oncology departments of city and regional hospitals in Ukraine.