To delve deeper into the world of Santa Brands and how its team cultivate resilience amongst itself and within the local community throughout the ordeal of invasion, we ask Yana about the business’ journey from its beginnings until present-day.
Santa Brands has been a huge hit with celebrities and influencers. What do you think has made the label so popular?
It makes me happy to realise that our creations attract the very sort of personalities I thought of while creating these designs. Santa Brands pieces are a dream coming to life for me – something airy, sparkling, dazzling – like a glass of champagne. Our marvellous customers are looking for this kind of mood – and to be fair, isn’t?
What has been the most rewarding part of the Santa Brands journey so far?
Not to brag but over the past year, the attention we’ve received from media outlets, retailers, and customers for our work simply skyrocketed. Besides the stunning success of each of our collections, it’s impossible not to mention the latest one, created in collaboration with Revolve.
We had a chance to present our ideas in New York at Revolve Gallery, create our own thematic room and bring a bit of Ukraine to the fashion world. The collection itself was inspired by Ukrainian folk tales about «mavka» fairies – ethereal beings that live in the woods or by the water.
These nymphs are said to be astonishingly beautiful, charming and sometimes even dangerous – it was a valuable experience to present the aesthetics and mythology of our culture in a modern way.
Could you tell us about how you named the business? Why “Santa Brands”?
Santa is the name of my daughter. It’s very symbolic to me: I’ve dreamt of creating a brand of my own for many years, working as a lawyer back then. One day, I decided that it’s time to show my daughter what kind of woman her mother could be – creative, fearless, and ready to make her dreams come true. This brand is both my other child and a way to profess love to Santa, my daughter, and the person whose opinion I value the most.
What’s the design process like for the garments and what are some of Santa Brands’ “Greatest hits”?
As with any creative process, the design of initial drafts is both inspiring and chaotic. Basically, we turn our wildest ideas into drafts, then think of how exactly they can be brought to life. It’s hard to choose favourites when every stitch and cut were made with so much love and attention but if we also take customer appreciation into account, our rhinestone-encrusted transparent pants were an absolute hit.
Santa Brands is headquartered in Kyiv. Can you tell us how this challenging time has impacted the business and how the team has been coping?
It’s hard to cope with something as gruesome as a ballistic missile landing 300 metres from your bedroom, but somehow we all manage to carry on. Staying creative and always being on the run is a good way to stay sane in any circumstances.
We work, we spend time with our loved ones, we engage in volunteering and charitable activities. This sense of community is a big part of our spirit – and every word of support the customers from all over the world send to us reaches hearts and contributes to the healing process.
At first it looked like it’s impossible anymore to keep up with our production and future plans. Once this initial panic started wearing off, it also became obvious that I have my responsibilities – as an employer, as a taxpayer, as a citizen and as a mother to a girl who deserves to see a decent female role model.
So we re-started our production as soon as possible, continued with sales and deliveries, and even got some pieces from the new collection sold-out before the garments were actually finished.
How would you like for Santa Brands to grow?
Seeing these amazing goddesses wear my designs is a very special experience. I want to see these unusual, sexy, daring and oh-so-extra styles bring happiness and confidence to as many women as possible.
To see regular style inspiration and keep up-to-date with Santa Brands, follow its Instagram account. You can shop from and find all of the label’s latest drops on their online store.
