In the village in the Kherson region, Swedish carpets are made

 

 This story might never have been what we know it today if it weren't for the Swedes. If in August 1782 1,200 Swedes, who founded the settlement of Staroshvedske in Tavria, had not gone to the south of Ukraine, and if the Ukrainian Larysa Boden had not gone to conquer Sweden in the early 2000s. Were it not for these two, at first glance, unrelated historical facts, in 2018 there would be no factory in the village of Lyubimovka for the production of designer carpets, which are now sold in 29 countries.

The modern Swedish community lives in the Taurian village of Zmiivka, not far from Kakhovka. The village of Zmiivka, where about 100 people now live, arose on the site of the settlement of Staroshvedske. Descendants of the Scandinavians have preserved here the old religious rites of their ancestors. Among them are even those who still speak the Swedish language, which was spoken in Sweden only in the 18th century. Near Zmiivka is the village of Lyubimivka, where the factory of Larysa Boden and her husband, a modern Swede, now operates. And it all started twelve years ago:

    Twelve years ago, I didn't care if I made carpets, candles, or soap. The main thing is that the people in the village have a job all year round and I can sell the product.

Larissa says that they met with future partners in Sweden at a party. They told her about the amazing idea of ​​creating carpets, restoring the old weaving traditions of Scandinavia. Why do it in Ukraine.

Larissa and her husband went to meet experienced Swedish weavers. Seeing how the women worked, the couple persuaded them to sell them three machines and come to Ukraine for a few months. For seventy-year-old European women, the realities of the Ukrainian countryside in the Kherson region came as a kind of cultural shock, but the beginning of long intercultural cooperation was laid: women began to teach Ukrainian women their craft. Thus began the history of the factory, and today forty people work in the production in Lyubimovka, and orders for products come from around the world.

Carpets

Carpets at the Vandra Rugs factory are made of cotton because the wool is too stiff and often unsuitable for design manipulation. Although the factory owners have been trying to experiment with the materials for the past five years, they have bought three machines from Finland for 100% wool, but half of the carpets are still made of cotton.

Larissa usually buys natural cotton, and then employees, according to a special recipe, paint the product for each customer to order. In particular, the design and interior design company Svenskt Tenn, which is the official representative of the original fabrics and drawings of the Austrian-Swedish architect Josef Franko, regularly orders carpets for its interiors in Lyubimovka:

- The idea of ​​using fabric for carpets comes from the distant past. In the old days, our grandmothers used to make "ryadnushki" or "shingles". That is rugs from old clothes. To do this, they tore clothes and made tracks out of them.

It was Joseph Frank in the 20th century. began to use old technologies and remnants of fabrics to create a new modern design. In the 1930s, he created his own unique style, but in the 1950s and 1960s, the textile industry in Scandinavia declined as it became cheaper to use materials and labor from other countries. Larysa Boden talks about the real reasons for economic cooperation between wealthier countries and Ukraine:

- Today, even Turkish production has moved to Kakhovka, because in Turkey a seamstress receives an average of about 700 euros. That is, Ukraine still has a huge potential for growth. And all labor-intensive processes are always contained where there is, say, fairly cheap labor. Unfortunately. In addition, our workers are quite resilient: where they still have to work with the conditional Belgian production to get in touch on Friday, in Ukraine they will work day and night to finish the order by Monday morning.

Production and international cooperation

Machines in the production of exclusively handmade. The author of several know-how at the factory, Ukrainian engineer Oleksandr has developed a machine that stands out from other sizes. It is designed for carpets that are more than six meters long. These are usually ordered for the United States and the United Kingdom. According to the Ukrainian standard, looms are equipped with two or four pedals, while the factory in Lyubimovka uses complex machines - six or eight pedals, which allows you to perform a variety of weaving techniques. Then each worker first undergoes six months of training, and then another six months working in pairs with an experienced craftswoman.

Despite the fact that the factory currently operates eight machines, there may be no more than five carpets per week, as each product goes through several stages of coordination with the customer:

 

This story might never have been what we know it today if it weren't for the Swedes. If in August 1782 1,200 Swedes, who founded the settlement of Staroshvedske in Tavria, had not gone to the south of Ukraine, and if the Ukrainian Larysa Boden had not gone to conquer Sweden in the early 2000s. Were it not for these two, at first glance, unrelated historical facts, in 2018 there would be no factory in the village of Lyubimovka for the production of designer carpets, which are now sold in 29 countries.

The modern Swedish community lives in the Taurian village of Zmiivka, not far from Kakhovka. The village of Zmiivka, where about 100 people now live, arose on the site of the settlement of Staroshvedske. Descendants of the Scandinavians have preserved here the old religious rites of their ancestors. Among them are even those who still speak the Swedish language, which was spoken in Sweden only in the 18th century. Near Zmiivka is the village of Lyubimivka, where the factory of Larysa Boden and her husband, a modern Swede, now operates. And it all started twelve years ago:

    Twelve years ago, I didn't care if I made carpets, candles, or soap. The main thing is that the people in the village have a job all year round and I can sell the product.

Larissa says that they met with future partners in Sweden at a party. They told her about the amazing idea of ​​creating carpets, restoring the old weaving traditions of Scandinavia. Why do it in Ukraine.

Larissa and her husband went to meet experienced Swedish weavers. Seeing how the women worked, the couple persuaded them to sell them three machines and come to Ukraine for a few months. For seventy-year-old European women, the realities of the Ukrainian countryside in the Kherson region came as a kind of cultural shock, but the beginning of long intercultural cooperation was laid: women began to teach Ukrainian women their craft. Thus began the history of the factory, and today forty people work in the production in Lyubimovka, and orders for products come from around the world.

Carpets

Carpets at the Vandra Rugs factory are made of cotton because the wool is too stiff and often unsuitable for design manipulation. Although the factory owners have been trying to experiment with the materials for the past five years, they have bought three machines from Finland for 100% wool, but half of the carpets are still made of cotton.

Larissa usually buys natural cotton, and then employees, according to a special recipe, paint the product for each customer to order. In particular, the design and interior design company Svenskt Tenn, which is the official representative of the original fabrics and drawings of the Austrian-Swedish architect Josef Franko, regularly orders carpets for its interiors in Lyubimovka:

- The idea of ​​using fabric for carpets comes from the distant past. In the old days, our grandmothers used to make "ryadnushki" or "shingles". That is rugs from old clothes. To do this, they tore clothes and made tracks out of them.

It was Joseph Frank in the 20th century. began to use old technologies and remnants of fabrics to create a new modern design. In the 1930s, he created his own unique style, but in the 1950s and 1960s, the textile industry in Scandinavia declined as it became cheaper to use materials and labor from other countries. Larysa Boden talks about the real reasons for economic cooperation between wealthier countries and Ukraine:

- Today, even Turkish production has moved to Kakhovka, because in Turkey a seamstress receives an average of about 700 euros. That is, Ukraine still has a huge potential for growth. And all labor-intensive processes are always contained where there is, say, fairly cheap labor. Unfortunately. In addition, our workers are quite resilient: where they still have to work with the conditional Belgian production to get in touch on Friday, in Ukraine they will work day and night to finish the order by Monday morning.

Production and international cooperation

Machines in the production of exclusively handmade. The author of several know-how at the factory, Ukrainian engineer Oleksandr has developed a machine that stands out from other sizes. It is designed for carpets that are more than six meters long. These are usually ordered for the United States and the United Kingdom. According to the Ukrainian standard, looms are equipped with two or four pedals, while the factory in Lyubimovka uses complex machines - six or eight pedals, which allows you to perform a variety of weaving techniques. Then each worker first undergoes six months of training, and then another six months working in pairs with an experienced craftswoman.

Despite the fact that the factory currently operates eight machines, there may be no more than five carpets per week, as each product goes through several stages of coordination with the customer:

- The peculiarity of our business is that we are, in fact, a weaving studio. That is, we do not have stock - we do not produce carpets that someone will ever buy in a store. All the products were invented by someone, and the basis may have been some of our samples. Very often our clients come up with their own combinations and designs. Despite the fact that the product looks simple, for each kilim is someone's brilliant idea.

The factory cooperates with world architects and designers, in particular, Scandinavian. Three times a week, samples are mailed to customers in approximately 15-16 countries:

- In every third magazine "Better homes and gardens" we can always find a link to our carpet. We don't know our customers because we receive orders through distributors, but we can see the name of the architect.

Cultural exchange between Ukraine and Sweden on the territory of Tavria is ongoing. Twice a year, the factory in Lyubimovka is visited by tourists from Sweden - they are interested in objects of Swedish culture. Foreigners, first of all, go to Zmiivka, where a significant layer of the history of migrants has been preserved. In the city of Kakhovka, in addition, is the company "Chumak", which was also founded by Swedish entrepreneurs in 1993. Among the tourists there are both seniors and young Swedes. In addition, students from local schools come to see how carpets are made.

- We did a photo shoot because we needed new photos for Instagram, for partners. We have customers who, in principle, ask to send photos of the studio, weavers who made their carpet. During the day, a girl came to photograph the workers, production.