How 7 Ukrainian fashion brands are doing during the war

Six months after the Russian invasion sparked an unrelenting conflict with global implications, war remains the new reality in Ukraine. According to New York Times, 5,587 civilians have been confirmed dead, while the number of refugees has exceeded 6.6 million. The conflict has torn families apart, trapping some Ukrainians in war zones and sending others west across the country or to Europe to seek safety.

The war has also threatened the future of the country's fashion industry. A new generation of Ukrainian brands flourished in recent years and attracted international attention as trade with Europe eased. They benefited from their country's high-quality, low-cost manufacturing. But now, Ukrainian designers face production delays, destroyed factories and delayed deliveries of fabrics and customer orders. The country's economy is also suffering. The World Bank estimates that it will shrink by at least 45% this year.

Despite the volatility, Ukrainian brands are back in business. They are led by resilient designers, working through their fears to provide work for their teams, raise money for the people of Ukraine, and preserve the country's vibrant creative communities. "At first, it seemed like such a silly thing to do – to make clothes – like who needs fashion when your world is on fire?" said Olha Norba, co-founder of Activewear brand Norba, who has lived between London and Zurich. "[But] I think now it is very important to give [Ukrainian] people's affairs."

Many fashion brands were able to resume production in Ukraine after the invasion, even though they faced slow shipping carriers, early curfews and incessant air sirens. Others remain offshore, with employees working from different parts of the world. All have found a larger international audience for their brands as part of a growing global effort to support Ukrainian businesses during the war.

"Our label will always say, 'Made in Ukraine,'" says designer Anna October.

dormancy

When Sleeper co-founder Kate Zubarieva left Kiev before the Russian invasion in February, she knew she might not be able to return home a few weeks later as planned. "I was kissing the wall [goodbye]", she says from Berlin, where she is currently. She and co-founder Asya Varetsa, who is Russian and now lives in Copenhagen, launched the popular loungewear brand, known for its feather-embellished pajamas, out of the Ukrainian capital in 2014. They have moved production to Istanbul and use Zoom to communicate with employees already distributed in Europe.

The uncertainty and fear brought by the war have sharpened their focus and increased their ambitions, says Varetsa. The brand is expanding into more ready-to-wear categories such as workwear and updating its branding. "We have received the largest orders in our history since the war," she says. Zubarieva believes that the worst of the war is yet to come, but maintains that one way to fight is to be creative and cheerful. "We should be happy every day," she says. "We've always believed in that at Sleeper, but now it's our routine."

Let's go

For Katimo co-founder Katya Timoshenko, memories of the early days of the Russian occupation are hazy. "It is impossible to describe the horror we all experienced," she says. All work on her modern and minimalist womenswear brand came to a halt for over a month.

In April, the Katimo team resumed production of the delayed spring 2022 collection. "The dresses were sewn to the constant sound of air raid alarms," ​​Timoshenko says. "I consider it very symbolic - every article is filled with the spirit of freedom and strength of the Ukrainian people."

While Tymoshenko initially evacuated to Western Ukraine, she is now back in Kiev and is keen to keep her business in the country despite the war. With that goal in mind, Katimo's shop and cafe have since reopened. "I want nothing more than to work," she says. "We want the whole world to know about the courage, strength and talent of the Ukrainian people."

Ksenia Schneider

When designer Ksenia Schnaider returned to her apartment in Kiev in late March for the first time since the occupation, the dishes she and her family had left outside the February morning they evacuated were right where they had left them. According to Schnaider, after a "long and dangerous" journey, the designer reached Germany, staying in more than a dozen apartments along the way. Her brand, beloved for its avant-garde denim creations, went out of business for weeks. Donations from industry friends and clients, as well as projects like an upcoming collaboration with denim brand DL1961, kept the business afloat.

While looking for new factories in Turkey and Portugal this spring to resume production, Schnaider's manufacturers in Ukraine told her they wanted to keep working. And while doing so is risky, logistically challenging and difficult, Schnaider says, “we're doing it [anyway].” (The entire pre-spring collection was produced in Ukraine.) Now that the brand has resumed production, sales allow her to donate to military funds "almost every day," she says.

In September, she will present her spring collection in Paris as part of an exhibition of Ukrainian designers. Once her refugee status in Germany is confirmed, Schnaider plans to travel from Kiev for work. "The future is real [uncertain]"I can only plan next week," she says.

ElenaReva

Elena Reva's apartment in Kiev was shaking from nearby explosions when she woke up on the morning of February 24. Like many of her compatriots, she quickly moved to secure herself in the western part of the country, before eventually leaving and making her way to Hungary and, now, Munich. "We left everything - our home, our relatives, our friends, our ordinary life and our beloved country," says Reva, who started her women's clothing line 10 years ago.

Two months after the start of the war, when the conflict in Kiev had subsided, her partners at home returned to work. "We try to keep production in Ukraine, as this is a long-established team, this is my second family," she says. Before the war, Reva's country of origin accounted for most of her label's sales. Now it is focusing on international customers. "The world is, more than ever, open to Ukrainian products."

Anna October

After the occupation, designer Anna October made the difficult decision to move to Paris, where she will present her spring 2023 collection as part of the city's upcoming fashion week. After the move, October wanted to get back to work as soon as possible. "We have to continue what we are doing and defend our beliefs and our country," she says. "I'm definitely self-healing through creating, it makes me feel better."

Many of October's employees also left Kiev, moving to Western Ukraine or other countries, including Estonia, where the brand has an office. But she has been able to continue producing her collections in Ukraine, where she has worked with a community of women who have hand-woven some of her pieces for nearly a decade. "We've always had a community," she says. "And we're fortunate to be able to keep it that way, so our customers will feel the warmth of their hands as they wear our knits."

bevza

Designer Svitlana Bevza went to Portugal with her children after the invasion, with the idea of ​​approaching manufacturers who could produce her popular women's clothing line, Bevza. But even though some of the factories she worked with in Ukraine before the war were destroyed, she was still able to produce most of her fall collection there. "A lot of people from the textile industry don't really want to leave the country," she says.

This year, Bevza designed two pendant necklaces in honor of Kyiv's 1540th birthday, one of which features the symbol of the underground subway, which was turned into a bomb shelter during the attacks. "It's a reminder that somehow our city's subway saved a lot of lives," she says.

Looking ahead, the designer admits she has no idea if she'll still be living in Portugal six months from now, or if her team, which is mostly back in Kiev, will have to relocate again. Regardless, her focus is on telling the story of Ukrainian culture in her collections, which she sells primarily to an international clientele. (She has shown at New York Fashion Week since 2017 and plans to return this fall.) "There is a lot of Ukrainian symbolism hidden or always retold in a modern way in our collections, and there will be, she says.

Norba

When the war broke out, co-founders and sisters Helen and Olha Norba were in Milan for what was supposed to be a three-day trip to show the fall collection of their versatile line of activewear meant to be worn indoors and out of the gym. Olha, who has lived between London and Zurich, has not yet returned home to Kiev. Her sister and parents recently returned from Europe and many of her employees have already returned home as well. The label is working with new manufacturers in the capital and has recently finished designing the spring 2023 collection.

"It was very challenging at first to focus... you have no creative energy at all," says Olha. "You feel frozen and caught up in all these emotions, like fear, anger and anxiety." She meditates regularly now to manage her anger about the war and tap into her creativity. "You feel so helpless, but all you can do is do your job and provide some jobs for people, pay salaries. You have to go on.”