Roses of Ties /Slipsrosor
Memory, Transformation, and the Power of Sisterhood
For many of us from Belarus and Ukraine, the absence of grandfathers is a silent yet profound legacy of WWII. Our mothers grew up without ever knowing their fathers, and our grandmothers raised children alone—managing homes and farms, ensuring survival, and keeping the warmth of the hearth alive.
How many children today grow up without fathers? What do we hold onto?
How do we fill what we have lost?
Over time, fashion has faded into shades of grey. Roses of Ties seeks to bring color back—not just to our wardrobes, but to our lives. It inspires kindness, warmth, hope, joy, and offers a reason to share love.
This project bridges our shared history of loss with feminism through the symbolic transformation of ties. Once a symbol of masculinity, ties are now reimagined as tributes to the women who carried on—fragile yet strong, like roses.
Swedish women donate ties and stories.
Swedish women donate ties left behind by their fathers, husbands, and partners. The only thing they ask in return is a Rose of Tie to wear close to the heart. The act of remembrance is sacred and personal. Through the process of shaping unique brooches, we celebrate the experience of being, becoming, and feeling like a woman—a sister in memory, love, and resilience. In the hands of women, these ties are transformed into symbols of connection, care, and strength.
One Rose of Tie a Day since the war began in Ukraine.
The project Roses of Ties reflects the integration of Ukrainian families into Swedish society through crafts. The tie – long a symbol of male power – takes on new life as a flower, an expression of hope, peace, and creative resilience. Pinned near the heart, the brooch gives the tie a new meaning – and perhaps brings a sense of life to those emptied by war or trauma.
Ukrainian women make one Rose of Tie per day. This has become their way of counting days and loss.
But do we really need so many flowers?
Roses of Ties Presentation at the Army Museum in Stockholm
Workshop: Upcycle Your Tie
Turn your old tie into a rose at Artten Gallery.
🔹 No sewing skills needed
🔹 350 SEK /person
OPEN CALL: We Collect Ties and Stories from Women Around the World
Do you have a tie with a story? A memory woven into its fabric? Together with women from around the world, we are building a MUSEUM OF TIES – a place for healing, remembering, and safety, something for our children to hold onto in the future.
E-mail us your story or send a tie to:
Ludmila Christeseva
Artten Gallery
Artillerigatan 10
11451 Stockholm, Sweden.
Photograph: Sebastian von Wachenfeldt
