The idea for Kyiv clothing store Grass germinated in a talk over dinner two years ago. Since then, Grass has grown from a concept to a brick-and-mortar store with an online presence that includes a Facebook following of more than 20,000 fans.
The women’s clothing brand offers a variety of simple, bright and fashionable pieces, from blouses to dresses and coats.
Run by three friends — Kseniya Konstantynova, Taras Volkov and Oleksandr Kolibabchuk — the business was conceived in February 2015, a year after the EuroMaidan Revolution that prompted President Viktor Yanukovych to flee to Russia.
Volkov, who grew up in the Donetsk Oblast city of Artemivsk before moving to Kyiv in the mid-2000s, said the social change in Ukraine was the catalyst for the launch.
“After the Maidan, the war in the Donbas, and the occupation of Crimea, at that moment I think every Ukrainian started thinking about their life, whether everything was going right,” he said. “Because at that moment you realize nothing is forever and there is no stability. I think it was that environment that gave us the push to start our own business.”
In April 2015, the first collection was released.
Running on a limited budget and pure enthusiasm, Volkov said it was a project all three had to juggle while working full-time jobs.
“Of the three of us, only (Kolibabchuk) had experience of working with clothing,” he said. “At that point, there was no talk about a shop. We remained working in our old jobs, and we came up with collections, and delivered them to shops during our lunch breaks. Sometimes my one-hour lunch break would turn into a three-hour one.”
Konstantynova said the three of them worked together to envision a design that reflected global fashion trends and suited their brand’s heroine- a strong, confident woman who is not afraid to express herself.
It’s the kind of pieces she can wear to work and then later to an event, Konstantynova explained.
Volvok would then sketch the idea on paper before it was sent to a local Ukrainian tailor.
Initially the label only had a presence online and on the racks of Ukrainian multi-brand clothing stores, such as Made in UA and 482 Store.
A year after launching Grass, the trio opened their first physical shop.
Taras Volkov (L), Oleksandr Kolibabchuk (C), and Kseniya Konstantynova opened clothing store Grass two years ago, which has since grown its following to 20,000 Facebook fans. (Kostyantyn Chernichkin)
“Online (shopping) is growing but nevertheless the culture of online selling and buying is still developing, so for many of our clients it was important to be able to go into a physical shop,” Konstantynova said.
“We understood that we could only grow through widening our channels of sale.”
Volkov believes their rapid growth and success comes from delivering an accessible and practical mass market brand, rather than one with a niche appeal.
Their latest campaign, for their 2017 spring collection, was shot on the streets of London and inspired by the wave of women’s marches that took place after U.S. President Donald Trump’s inauguration in January.
“These marches were in cities all over the world, but there was nothing in Kyiv, and we thought that was a pity. Our women are wonderful…but they don’t fight much for their rights,” Volkov said. “We thought it would be very interesting to bring an international context to our campaign. London was one of the cities where the women’s marches took place, and London is associated with democracy, liberal views, freedom.”
As part of their new collection, the brand features t-shirts with slogans from women’s marches.
Women’s rights are human rights, one reads.
Volkov said that although Grass is not a feminist brand, feminism is part of the brand’s culture. This month the trio took part in the march through central Kyiv on March 8 to mark International Women’s Day.
They are currently working on plans to open a second, larger store in Kyiv. But the future could see Grass growing on the other side of the world too.
“Currently we’re targeting the Ukrainian market, but in time we probably will start to think about other countries,” Konstantynova said.
