Ukraine Partners

Olesya and Lyuda

Our Ukrainian artisan group was founded by two women, Olesya and Lyuda, who learned to weave a little later in life. Olesya had been a lawyer, yet through trying circumstances, realized she needed to shift her career to be at home with her son. After learning to weave, she realized that women in her region of Ukraine struggled to maintain a consistent annual business due to the yarn price increasing throughout the year. Sheep are sheared only once per/year (in the spring). While this is when wool is the cheapest to buy, most of the women do not make enough selling blankets to purchase an annual supply of yarn. Olesya and Lyuda decided to create a co-op. They pooled their money and purchased yarn in bulk and then could sell it at a more nominal price to women in their local area year-round. This network is what has allowed us to create such a broad collection and look at scaling our Ukrainian wool goods production. Our current team consists of 15 people, however 27 people of varying trades are involved in the making of just one blanket. Each blanket takes 6-8 hours to weave and goes through two wash/dry cycles, totaling a 2-week process in all. We have agreed to pay our artisan partners a fair, livable wage. We are compensating them approximately 4 times the local minimum wage. This has drastically changed many of their lives in just the few months we've been collaborating. The economic boost is allowing for needed stability and workplace satisfaction. Our products' pricing is reflective of this investment.

Our Translator, Photographer, Videographer & Operations Lead - A True Ukrainian Artisanal Renaissance Man:

Bogdan