Ukraine has been participating in the Invictus Games since 2017, increasing the number of participants every year. The current international sporting event will feature 35 veterans and active military personnel — the largest Ukrainian team in history.
The Ukrainian uniform was designed by creative agency BRENDARI, which already had such experience in 2023, and sewn by Kharkiv-based manufacturer TrueColorSport. It is based on Ukrainian traditional culture, in particular symbols such as the tree of life, oak and falcons, which are made in subdued colors and inspired by the woodblock printing on textiles. This emphasis is dictated by the main theme of this year’s games — ‘Truth and Reconciliation’. The uniforms of the Ukrainian national team interpreted this idea as reconciliation with the past.
DTF Magazine asked Nata Barabolia, communications manager of the Invictus Games, and Mykola Shkvarka, co-founder of the BRENDARI agency, about the main symbols, the process of working on the uniforms, and why they decided against using yellow color, despite the tradition of making uniforms in national colors
THE IDEA BEHIND THE UNIFORM
— What was the main idea behind the uniform, why does it look like this?
— It all started with the concept ‘WILL IS MY POWER’, developed by the creative agency BRENDARI in the context of the main message of the Invictus Games — ‘I am’.
This idea describes the willpower of our participants who have gone through different challenges in life: they have experienced trauma and loss — the loss of a limb, the loss of comrades-in-arms, or the loss of meaning in life. Nevertheless, they were able to turn the pain into the power, wisdom and joy in life that they deserve.
Each of the participants went through many difficulties. First they wore military uniforms and now, after a long recovery from injury — the Invictus Games uniforms.
The concept for the uniform was inspired by the Invictus Games 2025 theme, ‘Truth and Reconciliation’, which aims to reconcile Canadians with the four Indigenous peoples who lived on the lands of present-day Canada.
We started looking for answers, we started looking for what we needed to reconcile with. And we came to the idea that we need to reconcile with ourselves and the past. We immersed ourselves in the history of Ukrainian culture, in particular in the times of Trypillia and Kyivan Rus, so the uniform of the Ukrainian national team at Invictus Games 2025 turned out to be quite ethnic.
— What was the most interesting part of the uniform design process? What was the most challenging?
— The most interesting and at the same time challenging was to create a hierarchy of meanings, so that the final design fit into the overall concept of the games, looked interesting, strong and attractive, but most importantly — had a deep meaning for the national team members and Ukrainian fans.
THE ROLE OF THE NATIONAL TEAM IN THE CREATION OF THE UNIFORM
— Did you consider the needs of participants with disabilities when you were working on the uniforms?
— This was not the goal of the uniform design, it is more about the technical part of the uniform design. But, of course, in order for our participants to be able to comfortably wear sportswear, taking into account the peculiarities of prostheses, we tried to create a uniform that will be adaptive to their needs.
This year our team faced a big challenge — to create uniforms for the participants from scratch. That is, they didn’t just buy ready-made clothes and apply branding, but dyed the uniforms based on our designs.
But we are glad we did it this way, because this design allowed us to take into account the needs of our military and veterans.
The uniforms were created by TrueColorSport, a Kharkiv-based manufacturer specializing in sports uniforms. Their team, despite constant shelling and the danger of occupation, continues to work and provides us with quality clothing for the national team and delegation.
— What role did the national team play in the creation of these uniforms?
— We conferred with them because the main goal was their comfort. So it was quite a challenge for us to combine our ethnic ideas with the restraint that the participants expected.
The participants are very different and they wanted to look dignified, courageous and restrained. That is why we decided against observing the traditional requirement to have uniforms in national colors. Yellow is very bright. And we found a solution somewhere in the middle.
MAIN DESIGN ELEMENTS
— What are the main design elements and ideas of the Ukrainian national team’s uniform?
— The uniform is made in a style inspired by the woodblock printing on textiles, a traditional method of decorating clothing used by our ancestors. It is a technique of printing designs on fabric using wooden blocks.
One of the main symbols of the uniform is the tree of life — the oldest amulet of the Ukrainian people. Its roots symbolize history and heritage, the trunk — the present, and the branches of the oak tree represent strength and stability, symbolizing the forests of the Carpathians and Polissia, the oldest forest ecosystems of Ukraine, which were formed over the centuries.
On the oak tree there are two falcons as a symbol of national liberation struggle, which protect the future. The falcon in the culture of many nations is a symbol of courage and bravery. Our Tryzub also resembles a falcon, which as a stone falls on the prey from the sky. The composition ends with sunflowers at the top of the tree, which symbolizes the hope for a strong and bright future.
— Do people buy uniforms for the Invictus Games as merch? For example, if we’re talking about previous uniforms.
— The uniform is a sacred part of the Invictus Games. Only the national team, the support team (friends and family), the supply team and the official delegation representing Ukraine in a particular year receive this uniform.
At Invictus Games, it is a tradition that after the event is over, participants exchange the merch they brought with them, and of course, their uniforms. It’s an incredible process filled with a spirit of unity. People are ready to give everything to take the uniform they liked as a souvenir. They even dress in each other’s uniforms right at the stadium.
