It’s been over a year since the unjust full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The country is fighting for the world’s freedom and unity, defending the values of democracy, and resisting aggression in all possible ways. Every Ukrainian citizen has adjusted their life, work, and business to help the country plus support its fight to maintain their sovereignty.
How is Ukraine related to the strong southern California accented Jen Sidary?
Prior to her work with Ukraine, Sidary was formerly the President of Sales for Vivienne Westwood America, the Head of Zappos Couture and while at Zappos brokered the strategic alliance with the late André Leon Talley as Creative Director for the website.
In 2020 during Covid Jen Sidary was working for Informa Markets for a year and due to no in-person events being allowed to take place layoffs happened that October. A month later in November 2020, Jen Sidary took a “leap of faith” (a core value she learned from the late Tony Hsieh) which would change her life forever and embarked on her first journey to Ukraine buying a one-way ticket to Kyiv.
Jen Sidary, founder & CEO of angelforfashion.com:
“It’s incredible to think if it wasn’t for this, I would have never discovered this extremely talented Ukrainian fashion industry, launched the magnificent website with thirty-four of the most prominent Ukrainian designers or met all these incredible people who I now consider my family. That decision to buy that one-way ticket to Kyiv completely changed my life forever”
As soon she arrived in Kyiv and through her friend Dominique Piotet, a French American residing in Ukraine since 2019 as the CEO of the largest innovation park being built in Kyiv called Unit.City, he began introducing her to the who’s who of Ukrainian Fashion. Per instinct or compulsivity of her three-decade career implementing partnerships between brands and established retailers from around the world it was natural that this connection and project began to rise quickly in Sidary’s mind.
Jen Sidary started working on several ambitious projects with USAID Competitive Economy Program as a fashion industry expert consulting with their Ukrainian grantees in early 2021 and began showcasing Ukrainian brands at New York Fashion Week later that same year.
Jen Sidary:
“The Ukrainian fashion industry is so blessed to have the support of USAID and I’m honoured to be a part of such a magnificent initiative. I never dreamed in my thirty-year career my work in the fashion industry would help impact people’s lives in a real way. I must be the luckiest woman alive, and I’ve never been prouder to be an American watching how my country is supporting Ukraine in so many ways,“
The war on Ukraine has led to a humanitarian crisis in Europe nonetheless all the designers felt the duty to continue sketching, sewing, and designing. The war recovery effort took another level of courage to continue supporting the country’s economy by employing their staff especially to this predominately women’s industry while the men fight on the front lines even as their cities, and country come under attack. Many have repurposed their operations to help the war effort, relocated within Ukraine.
Sidary utilised her extensive luxury fashion eCommerce background to begin the recovery effort for Ukraine’s economy as early as thirty days into the war by launching Angel for Fashion which this month celebrates its one-year anniversary. She began development on the online website just four days into the war as she knew she needed to help the country that she fell in love with on her first visit to Ukraine in November 2020.
Jen Sidary:
“In my thirty years of working in the fashion industry I have never witnessed the resilience of a country and its people as they began to focus on keeping their businesses alive, days into the war from bomb shelters to designing new collections amidst constant air raid sirens. It’s so impressive to see a government and its people fighting for the same goal,”
The e-Commerce website now represents an unprecedented alliance of the most prominent Ukrainian fashion designers with 34 brands, over 1,850 styles and went live in early April 2022. American based and nurtured by the creative spirit of Ukraine, it is here to showcase their talent to a global audience and new styles are added weekly.
The online platform achieved instant success receiving multiple sales in every product category and visitors from over 200 countries around the world. Angel for Fashion has orders from almost all its brands with orders from the United States, Canada, Europe, United Kingdom, Dubai, Israel, South Korea and even Japan with over 55,000 unique visitors from around the globe.
Many customers have received their orders shipped from the war-torn country which can be explored on their reviews section of the website Angel Stories. The brands are still shipping products from the capital city even without any air travel in the country.
In June 2022, Sidary was awarded for her work with Ukraine at Delivering Good’s annual Women of Inspiration luncheon in New York City which raised over $400,000 with an article featured in WWD.
