The Ukrainian city of Kyiv may be a hellscape of Stalingrad proportions at the moment. Still, the designers Kate Zubarieva and Asya Varetsa share a longing to return to its once bustling streets.
“We have so many plans. We are going to go back and make it even more beautiful. One little man is not going to stop us,” Varetsa says.
Zubarieva, 33, and Varetsa, 31, are the founders of Sleeper, the Kyiv-based brand that won over the fashion world with its feather-trimmed cocktail pyjamas and silk dresses inspired by sleepwear. They emerged on the scene in 2014 and stand among their country’s most exciting fashion success stories, having planted Ukrainian fashion firmly on the world stage.
From a beautiful atelier in Kyiv with whitewashed walls and parquet floors, the former fashion editors instruct a multigenerational team of seamstresses and direct a future-facing ethical brand adored by influencers and fashion editors alike.
“We have always been so proud of our heritage,” Zubarieva says. “We are so proud that we are making such a big business from Ukraine. We always show our production, our seamstresses and the many amazing women who work for us. We want to show the world that this is Ukraine. This is how we do things.”
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Today Sleeper has stockists worldwide, 385,000 followers on Instagram and a host of celebrity fans, including Brie Larson and Chloë Grace Moretz.
When we speak on a video call, 18 days after Vladimir Putin launched his attack on their homeland, the feather-trimmed PJs synonymous with the Sleeper brand are understandably off the agenda. Neither of the women were living in Ukraine at the time of the first attack. Zubarieva is temporarily based in Turkey, while Varetsa is currently in Denmark with her husband and young child. Both watched in horror as Russia invaded Ukraine in the largest assault on a European state since the Second World War.
Kyiv is the birthplace of Sleeper, which has more than 120 employees, many of whom were living and working in the city when war broke out. In the hours after the attack Zubarieva and Varetsa implemented a plan (devised before Putin’s threats became a painful reality) to support their team and get as many of them to safety as possible. While some boarded cramped trains and others carpooled with their colleagues with plans to cross borders, many have chosen to remain in the country. Two team leaders keep Zubarieva and Varetsa informed of everyone’s safety. “We are apart but we are together, always,” Zubarieva says.
First in their thoughts when we speak is Enya, a member of the PR team who is in the Russian-held city of Kherson. Keeping in touch with her has been difficult as the Russians turned off several mobile networks, but she is now back in contact. “We are praying for her and her family to stay safe,” Zubarieva says, her voice trembling.
After our interview Olya, who also works in Sleeper’s press department, confirms that her colleague is in good health. “Enya tells us that, despite the occupation, the situation in the city is relatively calm now, but the logistics are complicated. Russian troops do not allow for humanitarian aid and there are huge lines of three to four hours for grocery stores, pharmacies, ATMs.”
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The Sleeper employees who have swapped pattern-cutting for Kalashnikovs are never far from the minds of the designers, who are also thinking of those volunteering on the front line. “They are all our heroes,” Zubarieva says. “We are a nation that helps one another. Our greatest power comes from the volunteers. One of our administrators is in Kyiv delivering groceries to the elderly. Another, Julia, our logistics manager, is driving around the city volunteering with a three-month-old baby in the back seat,” Varetsa adds.
They are using their connections in the textile industry to lend a hand too. “We are supporting the production of bulletproof vests. People direct message for links to suppliers and textile companies.”
Watching from the sidelines is taking its toll as the two struggle to keep up with friends and family beyond Sleeper. Zubarieva’s parents are currently in western Ukraine. Her stepfather has joined the army while her mother inspires her daughter by weaving protective camouflage nets. “She puts little poems in there in the hope that it gets to someone and lifts their spirits,” Varetsa says.
Varetsa, a Russian with family in Moscow, speaks to her parents every day and is hopeful that they will leave the country soon. “They have a plan,” she says. She is less optimistic about the fall of Putin’s dictatorship: “About 95 per cent of Russians vote for him and, terrifyingly, they believe in him. I escaped a long time ago because I knew there was no future. We always knew Russia was doomed.”
Like most Ukrainians Zubarieva also has family in Russia. “Russians are scared. We in Ukraine are not — and Europe shouldn’t be scared either. There is nothing to be scared of. Putin is nothing, and we are all the world.”
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Such defiance echoes President Zelensky, a source of inspiration for both women. “It’s the Ukrainian nature,” Zubarieva says. “We are always smiling and laughing even when we are crying. That is our power. And now, as we are going through the hardest time, we strongly believe that everything will be OK.”
The women are occupied with safeguarding the future of Sleeper and the jobs of their employees. As of Monday they have moved their production to Turkey, with 14 members of staff and their families relocated to the country. “The main job for us right now is to be leaders, to stay strong and to give people work. We need to keep paying their salaries. We are making sure that we can go back to where we belong and do what we all love to do when it’s all over. That’s our focus,” Varetsa says.
So far their plan is working. “The stores we work with are understanding and helping us and, more importantly, are still placing orders,” Varetsa continues. “Clients support us in every way, spreading the news and buying the products. The whole team is working so hard. People are more determined than ever.”
How do they feel about the fashion world’s response to the crisis? During Paris fashion week Balenciaga’s designer, Demna Gvasalia, a refugee himself who fled his native Georgia as a child, shone a spotlight on the millions of displaced Ukrainians. A huge number of luxury brands have also halted sales in Russia.
“We are happy people are thinking of us. Fashion has influence and a powerful voice. But we need people to keep talking about it. This is not one country’s problem,” Zubarieva says. Veretsa is more philosophical: “I hope for fashion brands and designers that this is a time to re-evaluate what is important and to realise that you have to stand for something beyond just selling things.”
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Undoubtedly what is keeping Zubarieva and Varetsa going right now is the thought of returning home. “Kyiv is not just a place where we eat and sleep. It’s everything that we love. It’s our life, our people, our favourite places, our favourite food, our favourite language. We won’t find it anywhere else. Ukraine is our power place.”
