Ukraine, Yana Belayeva designer from Odessa who now sews clothes for soldiers

The Russia-Ukraine war transformed everything. “I am a designer of women’s clothing. And I could never have imagined that we would have sewn such products”, says Yana Belayeva, Ukrainian designer who in 2013 founded her fashion brand. Before the war, her team, between Nikolaev and Odessa, made clothing and accessories, women’s collections of haute couture, a constant presence of the Ukrainian fashion week. Now, her seamstresses no longer just sew dresses, skirts and blouses, but military clothing for the Ukrainian army. And they did it working for free (almost all the employees remained in Ukraine), sewing the military vests by hand, exhausting the stocks of fabric they had donated. “We are not complaining, we are proud to be able to help those who defend the country”, reads Yana Belayeva’s Facebook page. The rest of the production stopped, the brand has supported itself so far by continuing to sell the stocks of products in the warehouse and this is how it has managed to go on with the ongoing war, thanks also to the solidarity of customers who have continued to buy those garments. available. But above all, to support her business and the country, Yana Belayeva has created a collection of ‘patriotic’ t-shirts for sale at 850 hryvnia and which can be ordered online, “so that all girls in the world can get to know the Ukrainian brand. . We all believe in our victory. ” An appeal to peace lovers from all over the world to support the brand and Ukraine by purchasing these handcrafted t-shirts with the symbols of peace in the colors of Ukraine, yellow and blue.The Yana Belayeva stores in Odessa and Nikolaev today are open only by appointment and with great difficulty. On social media, the brand posts photos of spring collections inspired by the Ukrainian tradition, in colors and lines. Spring, a season “that we imagined in a very different way”, writes Yana Belayeva but she does not lose hope. “We are confident that very soon each of us will be wearing her lovely spring look again to go for a stroll through the peaceful streets of our native Ukraine.”