The global market for premium outerwear has grown from $12 billion to $13 billion over the past year.
Consumers are looking for alternatives to mass-market brands and value an individual approach to the creation of coats and jackets.
The Ukrainian fashion industry is also undergoing changes: small brands are entering international markets and beginning to compete with foreign manufacturers. Tetiana Kornieva’s Korniev brand is following the same principle and adapting its products to the demands of the American market. With twenty years of experience in clothing design, the designer is implementing her own work plan, according to which the Ukrainian brand can scale up internationally while preserving jobs in Ukraine and creating economic value.
Customized design and qualified personnel
Tetyana works with a professional team that includes a fashion designer, a technologist, and skilled seamstresses. Each coat is made to individual measurements within 14 days using hand-cutting technology. This production format requires high qualifications and attention from employees and ensures an individual approach to each order. Customers are willing to wait if the end result is a product that fits perfectly.
Korneva uses high-quality fabrics (cashmere, wool, silk) from suppliers in Italy, Turkey, and China. This allows the brand to compete with international brands by combining quality materials and skilled professionals. Retail prices starting at $300 place the brand in the mid-to-high-end price segment of the American market compared to mass-market brands.
In recent years, the brand’s sales have been growing steadily. 80% of buyers are regular customers, many of whom return for new products. Such loyalty ensures stable income.
Ukrainian fashion on the international stage
Tetiana Kornieva held a series of evening collection shows in Europe, which allowed her to present Ukrainian design on the international stage. The brand’s clients included well-known personalities, such as singer Seka and TV presenter Daniela Popovich, for whom individual wardrobes and stage outfits were created. These projects shaped the reputation of Ukrainian design internationally and proved the competitiveness of Ukrainian brands outside the domestic market.
Iryna Danylevska, founder and CEO of Ukrainian Fashion Week, comments on the importance of Ukrainian brands on the international stage: “Fashion is an important part of national culture that shapes our shared vision of the future. The Ukrainian fashion community creates a powerful platform where designers come together to represent the country on the world stage and shape its modern image.”
According to Danilevska, bringing domestic fashion to the international arena is of strategic importance for the country. The presence of our designers in European and American markets raises the profile of the Ukrainian creative industry, creates economic ties, and shapes a positive image of the country through cultural diplomacy.
Individual production as an alternative to mass production
The designer is considering opportunities to enter the American and European markets. She is analyzing consumption specifics: the European market is oriented towards seasonality, while the American market values style over weather conditions. In New York, coats are part of the daily dress code for office workers, while in Los Angeles, outerwear is purchased as a status element of the wardrobe even in warm weather.
For different markets, design adaptation is planned: lighter materials for warm climates, softer silhouettes for the American consumer, and a greater dependence on lifestyle. This strategy allows the brand to scale internationally. Tetiana Korniieva is moving in a direction that combines traditional craftsmanship with an understanding of modern market needs. Adapting design to the specifics of different geographical markets while maintaining high quality standards enables the brand to develop internationally. For the American market, this means the emergence of a new alternative to mass production. For Ukraine, it represents a channel for exporting high value-added products and confirming the competitiveness of the domestic creative industry.
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