Behind the Scenes

Getting ready for the upcoming Ukrainian Fashion Week SS25, which will take place in Kyiv from September 1 to 4, the UFW team reached out to the participants with a question: How is your brand coping with the full-scale invasion? This time, Olena Golets, designer and founder of the GOLETS and Dolcedonna, tells the story.

On February 24, like the rest of Ukraine, we woke up to the sound of falling bombs, which was a shock. At that time, we had several commitments and issues to address, including settling matters with contractors for the summer collection, paying monthly wages to our employees, and dealing with fabric suppliers.

During the initial weeks, many people relocated, while some stayed in Kyiv. After a month, we resumed our work. My daughter, who lives in Paris, organized a fund to assist those in need in Kyiv, which received contributions from London, Paris, and Italy, helping many people, particularly those who couldn’t move around easily. 

At the start of the war, I made a decision that I would donate to the military and civilians whom I knew personally and what the money would be used for. We procured shoes, clothes, and uniforms for the military, provided clothing for refugees from Mariupol, and contributed to the purchase and repair of vehicles and night vision devices.

In April 2022, we attempted to restart our work. Two seamstresses reached out, and said they needed money to live on and asked if there was any work. There was really no work because by the time of the full-scale invasion, most of the collection had been done, and we still had financial obligations, rent, and taxes to cover. 

I decided to initiate the development and production of the Dolcedonna winter collection, as well as preparing GOLETS samples. From May onward, things gradually returned to normal: the art consultant of the boutique returned, and the Dream Town shopping mall, where our department store is located resumed operations. We sold the summer collection and gradually paid off all our debts.

We realized that we were finally back to work, which felt great. It was a new beginning because, in the early days, weeks, and months of the armed aggression, it felt like we had lost our sense of identity and purpose. When you can’t create, it feels like you can’t breathe.

This is our story from the past two and a half years. As before, we continue to produce two lines: the democratic one — Dolcedonna, and the primal one — Golets. We found that between 70% and 90% of our customers had left, so we have been working to build a new client base. 

Military actions, fluctuating demand due to instability, and power outages have led us to consider expanding into foreign markets. However, we remain committed to working in Ukraine — it’s our responsibility, our dream, and our future.