In February of this year, Ienki Ienki’s team and I were preparing for a sales campaign in Milan. It was a good time for brands. We recently surpassed 160 wholesale accounts. The pre-fall campaign was a success. And with the sale of the upcoming main collection, it looked like we were celebrating our best season yet.

On February 24, Russia launched a major military offensive against Ukraine. The country plunged into war and business abruptly stopped. The market was paralyzed. During her first month, no one talked about business. Instead, he focused on his 120-man team scattered across Kyiv and Cherkasy, ensuring everyone’s safety.

For some of them, it was literally about physical survival. was Our head of merchandising went to Gostmer, another small town northwest of Kyiv that had been invaded and brutally destroyed by the Russians, to help my parents escape. We did not hear from him for three weeks until we fled to Kyiv.

The next two months were about picking up the scattered pieces of the business and trying to put them back together. We moved our office and warehouse to the West. In June, he reopened his sampling studio in Kyiv. Headquarters reopened in August. Today, running the company is mostly a virtual experience, managing teams not only in Ukraine, but also in Italy, Spain, Canada and the United States. Because of Covid, we were prepared for that.

As the whole world saw the horrors unfolding in Ukraine, there were mixed reactions from across the industry. how do you produce? Can you deliver on time? can we survive? Our showroom, Rainbowwave, helped us navigate the chaos. We have negotiated with all our clients to ensure that our promises are fulfilled. The hardest part was convincing the overseas supplier to put the order back into production. We have about 30 of them and rely heavily on each one – spent countless hours with Zoom. Some companies had to go to the factory just to prove they were in business.

Creating a product is hard, but delivering it to customers is even harder. Due to shipping delays, direct consumer sales, the source of our cash flow, are struggling. Customers increasingly prefer to buy from our retail partners because it’s faster and easier.

“Every Ukrainian designer I know is dealing with a constant disaster waiting to happen.”

Sales fell short of expectations this season by as much as 30%. But we are doing all our duty. And we’re back in the game, except for the two or he three accounts that canceled the fall/winter orders. As I write this, our team is prepping two of his pop-up projects that we plan to launch later this year.

Yet the sky is no longer the limit. Running a Ukrainian fashion business these days is undoubtedly a very difficult road. I’m here. Ukrainian retailers are also under scrutiny. With deliveries shrinking, they are choosing to sell old inventory to those who remain in the country. One.

But with the toughest challenges come opportunities. In the last few months, I have been traveling around Italy talking to big names from major production companies. They are all impressed with the resilience and flexibility of Ukrainian businesses and our commitment to providing quality at reasonable prices. did.

In the face of staggering price increases across Europe, keeping production costs down is critical and international companies are desperate for alternative suppliers. This is where Ukraine can benefit. Once the war is over, the country will very likely emerge as a premier production hub for the luxury goods industry as well as mass market players like Inditex and H&M.

Ienki Ienki is 100% made in Ukraine to the highest standards. With hard-working people and know-how to create and produce top-quality garments, Ukraine could one day become a valuable production base for Balenciaga, Fendi, Tom His Braun, and more.

The last six months have been tough, but I am confident that Ukraine will win. Our main goal now is to win this war. Then you can win the industry.

Dmitriy Ievenko is the founder of Ukrainian outerwear brand Ienki Ienki.

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