When the Berlin Wall came tumbling down in 1989, the Iron Curtain was drawn back and what came to light were numerous ethnic groups that had been displaced throughout the Soviet Union and the Soviet Bloc for centuries.
Not only were East and West Germans reunited but also Germans that had been separated from their homeland for centuries were allowed to repatriate, ranging from the descendants of German WWII prisoners of war who had been sentenced to forced labor in the USSR to the Germans who settled Romania from the 12
th century onward.
I was pleasantly surprised to learn that my distributors who used to live in the German enclave of
Brasov, Romania, have since resettled in Germany. Germans, however, were not the only displaced people to return home.
In the early nineties when I was living and working in Sofia, Bulgaria, I met at a large convention a delegation of individuals that called themselves
besarabski bǎlgari—a Bulgarian minority inhabiting the
Bessarabia region of Ukraine.
Although the first Bulgarians had settled the area in the 6
th century, it was not until the Russian-Turkish Wars of the 18
th century that many Bulgarians migrated to
Bessarabia and formed entire villages. The descendants of these people have since lived under the successive governments of Tsarist Russia, Romania, the Soviet Union, and now Ukraine.
The fall of the Berlin Wall, however, has proved to be a two-edged sword. In addition to the variegated migrations homeward, the event has also set into motion new
Diasporas of Eastern Europeans and, in particular, Bulgarians.
In recent years, for example, many Bulgarians have moved to the metropolises of Ukraine, such as Odessa—and not only! Since the fall of the Berlin Wall, the Bulgarian
Diaspora has multiplied exponentially, the population decreasing from 9 million in 1989 to 7.6 million this year!
The positive side is that, throughout the centuries, Bulgaria has bestowed on the world many talented artists, musicians, sportsmen, scientists, and designers, one of whom is
Petar Petrov.
Born 1977 in the
Ukraine and educated in Fashion at the University of Applied Arts in Vienna,
Petar Petrov is a fast-rising star in the international menswear scene.
Intrigued by cultural differences and cultural force,
Petar launched his label in 2002, focusing on contrasts that mix casual sportswear with elegant tailoring.
Everyone should be appreciative of their own cultural heritage, and Bulgaria has much to be grateful about, like
Petar Petrov.
Photo 2009 a/w collection Copyright Catwalking 'One Time Only' Publication.
Slideshow 2009 a/w collection Copyright Catwalking 'One Time Only' Publication.Photo middle left by MaksKhomenko, Akerman castle in Bessarabia, Ukraine, Copyleft at Wikipedia.
My relationship with Ukraine has been brief but intense. My first encounter with Ukrainians was at a young age with émigrés, who had made their way westward during the days of the Soviet Union.
