A Conversation With Svetlana Cherneinko, Founder of Wü-Sah, a Designer Participating in the Upcoming Break Free NYFW Fashion Show

January 17, 2022

It’s just after sunrise in the PNW.  I am on my 3rd cup of coffee and halfway through a box of nicotine gum. It’s both the “new year” and the same exact f*ing year.   Nonetheless, this morning I get to interview another woman I admire, and I am beyond excited. Except my nicotine withdrawal has me on edge, and I feel lacking in my ability to feign charm.  

Getting Candid

When Svetlana calls from Montreal, I blurt, “Hi, I’m Kate, pardon the mouthful of gum, I’m trying to quit smoking.”  My brain, foggy and preoccupied, thinks this is the best and then the worst thing to say. She doesn’t seem to mind and we laugh. Luckily, she is someone you can get candid with quickly. After introductions, I cut to the chase. Let’s talk about mental health and addiction. Welcome to recovery speed dating with Kate.

Lightning round 

This February, Svetlana Cherneinko @therealsvetlana will debut her resort and swimwear collection at Break Free New York Fashion Week.  Svetlana is a mother of four, mental health and human rights advocate, TV spokeswoman, model, and now? Fashion designer. This powerhouse of a woman talks fast and has even more to say. She may be the only person on the planet who talks faster than me, and I love her instantly.

The overcoming 

Cherneinko’s work as a mental health advocate piqued my immediate interest. Typically, people don’t advocate for something unless they or someone they love has gone through it and overcome it.  I am always here to talk about overcoming. Suffering doesn’t impress me. Overcoming does. Surviving domestic abuse and the emotional fallout that radiated through her family found Chernienko contemplating suicide. “I struggled with complex PTSD, and I suffered in silence for many years,” she said.

As soon as she began to own her pain, healing began. As she put the pain of the past aside, her thoughts turned to how she could help others. As Cherneinko found her voice, it became loud and clear.

Advocating for change 

“All of the TV segments that I produce tackle the issue of de-stigmatizing mental health,” Chernenko said. “I want to create change.” She’s taking it to the runway. “When it comes to the modeling industry, there is very little talk of self-love or self-acceptance. It can be very damaging to your mental health. The constant comparison of the size and shape of one’s body.”  Chernienko conveyed to me that during her modeling career, she struggled with her “little dark secret”–  an addiction to diet pills. 

Making it in one piece 

To that end, Chernienko is focused on body positivity while designing her new collection. She emphasized the description “one-piece” when discussing her swimwear because she wants to showcase an alternative to the teeny bikini. Thank Gawd.  “Women are tired of having to walk around in a thong and a bra.”   The size range for the Wü-Sah line will extend from small to 4xl, which roughly equates to a size twenty-two.  “I want my line to be something that ANY BODY can wear.”  

“I have walked in NY fashion week as a model, and now I get to come back as a designer. My vision is coming full circle.  So, I started playing with different fabrics in my closet.”  She sighed happily. She began designing a line of eco-sustainable swim and resort wear. “There have been setbacks because of the pandemic.” “It has been tough to get fabrics and materials.” No one survives domestic violence, though, without becoming incredibly resourceful. 

We all need to take a collective Wü-Sah 

While creating her line, Cherneinko said, “ I needed to take a moment to breathe…to ground myself.”  She named her line ‘Wü-Sah,’ a phonetic expression to demonstrate dropping your body into a state of relaxation or calm. Wü-Sah has been integrated into various languages; however, all translations seem to point in one direction: Take a deep breath and chill, which is precisely what Cherneinko did. 

She realized a powerful calming source in her life was all around her. Thank you mother nature. Cherneinko leaned on the philosophy of biophilia to integrate the notion that taking care of the planet and the environment also aids in mental health recovery. Research indicates that biophilic design elements can lower stress and anxiety. Think owning a few houseplants or letting a little fresh air in. And then take a deep breath and think positive thoughts. (You don’t have to wear a bikini ever again)

Wü-Sah and Break Free 

It’s fitting and timely that this line will be introduced on the runway at the Break Free fashion event. A showcase of designers who advocate for mental health and addiction recovery. Chernienko said, “I want to make an impact around the world.” She is off to a great start.  Like most people recovering from struggle, she is grateful for how adversity has shaped her life. Overcoming is what makes us who we are. 

Wü-Sah and break free a little. It is undoubtedly the best of times and the worst of times. We could all use some awe and wonder. To witness a celebration of nature and music and art. Let’s lean in and watch Svetlana Chernienko put on a show. 

Grace & Glam,

Kate

WALK YOUR TALK: The Merging of Mental Health & Fashion, An Intimate Conversation With Alexandra Nyman of Soberocity, The Beauty & Brains Behind Break Free NYFW Fashion Show

WALK YOUR TALK with Kate Vitela is our section of the site that celebrates fashion and the role it plays in our recovery. Getting ready for life can be just as fun if not more fun, now that we’re sober…because drunk never looks good. 

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