You're reading: Kazakhstan brides dress Ukrainian

The man passing through customs at Boryspil airport in Kyiv dragging two bulging bags was bound to attract attention.

The man passing through customs at Boryspil airport in Kyiv dragging two bulging bags was bound to attract attention.

But when law enforcers stopped the traveler to Astana, the capital of Kazakhstan, and ordered him to open his bags, even they were surprised at what they found – 30 wedding dresses.

This wannabe wedding tycoon was one of four caught so far this year attempting to carry marital garments out of Boryspil to Kazakhstan or Turkmenistan in Central Asia.

The illicit trade is fueled by the popularity of Ukrainian wedding dresses in those countries, where they are known for their high quality and low prices.

“Ukrainian dresses account for 80 percent of the Kazakh wedding market,” said Dinara Amirova, who co-owns two wedding boutique with her mother in Astana. “I myself got married in a wedding dress from Ukraine eight years ago,” she added.

Both of Amirova’s boutiques – called Aru, or “beauty” in Kazakh – sell only dresses from Ukraine.

She said garments sewn in Kazakhstan are of poor quality and unreasonably expensive. Amirova said she can easily pick out a dress made in Ukraine by its quality of material, cut and design.

“Some people also bring dresses from China, but it’s not at all the same,” she said, noting the poor quality of Chinese garments. “Ukrainian dresses are more European, with very beautiful, light styles.”

The popularity of Ukrainian wedding dresses is perhaps surprising, given that Ukrainian women largely prefer foreign-made clothes to locally-designed attire. Amirova put it down to a desire to look European, but at a price that’s easier on the wallet.

Ukrainian dresses account for 80 percent of the Kazakh wedding market. I myself got married in a wedding dress from Ukraine eight years ago. – Dinara Amirova, co-owner two wedding boutique with her mother in Astana she added.

In some exclusive boutiques in Astana it’s possible to find wedding dresses from France or Italy, but demand for them is significantly lower than for the more affordable Ukrainian dresses.

While you can buy a dress from Ukraine for $200-$1,000, for the Italian garment you will have to pay 10 times more. Some shops even lie, passing off Ukrainian dresses as Italian or French to earn more money, Amirova said.

Her family business is booming. It’s not all her work: While she sells the dresses in Astana, her mother takes charge of the most difficult part of the business – bringing dresses from Bukovyna region in the far west of Ukraine. The import route is long, winding and not always legal.

After the four-hour flight from Astana to Kyiv, the purchaser usually travels to Chernivtsi by bus or taxi. “People from all of the post-Soviet states go there,” said Amirova. “Mama says Chernivtsi lives on revenues from wedding dresses.”

Built in the 18th century, this town of 300,000 people is known as an Austro-Hungarian architectural jewel and the wedding-dress capital of Ukraine.

The city is filled with boutiques, but experienced buyers tend to head for Kalinovsky market, where the price of the dresses starts at $50, and the choice is wide.

Sellers come from all over Bukovyna, including the famous village of Voloka, where almost all of the inhabitants are employed in the sewing of wedding garments.

However, this business is not always legal, and sellers want to avoid attention from the tax administration: Photography is banned at the market and few want to talk about their work.
Valentyna, a seamstress with her own shop in Chernivtsi, said there are several foreigners among her clients – mostly Russians and Kazakhs.

“They mainly buy dresses decorated by Swarovski crystals. They also choose white or cream colors,” Valentyna said of Central Asian buyers’ preferences.

She refused to give her surname.

The next challenge for the long-haul wedding salespeople is getting the dresses out of Ukraine, legally or otherwise.

Ukrainian law allows goods worth up to $200 to be carried over the border without a customs declaration.

The dresses normally leave Ukrainian territory legally. – Timur Omariv, a customs officer at Boryspil airport.

Timur Omariv, a customs officer at Boryspil airport, said businessmen from Central Asia sometimes don’t seem to know about this rule or simply try to evade it.

Violations are not considered smuggling, and are punished by fines and confiscation of goods.

Omarov said the dresses normally leave Ukrainian territory legally.

Before entering the country, a person declares $4,000-$5,000, spends it on dresses and accessories in Ukraine and then takes them away on his way back.

Omarov said he thought it was something in the Central Asian love of glamour that fed the desire for dresses.

“They are Oriental people, and love showy weddings,” he said.

Kyiv Post staff writer Oksana Grytsenko can be reached at [email protected]