The bridal industry we know revolves around the powerful human emotion of “Love”, which makes the tragic news coming out of Ukraine every day, unimaginable. For one bridal fashion house in Ukraine, it’s not only love for what they do but love for their country and the determination to prevail.
Bridal Times had the honor to speak with Anna Sposa Group CEO and Owner Petro Iurko, tell us what it was like in the days leading up to the war, the strength and courage of his team and moving forward in the darkest of times.
Petro Iurko, CEO of Anna Sposa Group in Ukraine
First of all, how are you and the Anna Sposa Group family, and are you in a safe place?
Our large Anna Sposa Group family, our head office and production line, are all located in the west of Ukraine in city called Khmelnytskyi. This is the industrial, commercial and cultural center of Podilia region, that was absolutely safe and rated one of the best cities to live in Ukraine. Last year, Khmelnytskyi also received the 2021 European (PACE) Prize for active promotion of European values, and topped the rating of the most favorable business climate cities in Ukraine. Today, due to the remoteness of our city from the battle line, we can talk about relative safety in comparison with other Ukrainian cities that have been subjected to severe attacks from Russia.
What the weeks were like leading up to the invasion? Did you really think it would happen?
Of course, the weeks that preceded the Russian invasion of the territory of our state were tense. High probability of provocations by the aggressor and readiness to unleash a full-scale war on the territory of Ukraine were often discussed in both Ukrainian and foreign media.
Back then we could not imagine that in the modern civilized world, in the 21st century, in the very center of Europe, something like this could happen. Today we see all the cruelty of the aggressor, his true intentions towards the Ukrainian people, and we see the monstrous scale of destruction.
Up to the moment of the invasion, our entire company, all structural divisions were working at full capacity. Orders were fulfilled, new models of wedding dresses were created, and a number of international events were planned, including participation in European Bridal Week exhibition. Of course, we had not fully believed that the war would begin and continued to work and hoped for the best.
What kind of immediate decisions did you have to make to ensure the safety of your employees and company?
The first thing we did to protect our team was to organize remote work for some departments. Fortunately, the high development of technology in Ukraine allows us to organize the work of non-production departments remotely from anywhere in the world without losing quality. Thus, our employees were able to fully continue their work in relative safety, because today it is impossible to talk about complete safety.
As for production line, it was decided to suspend work for some time, until there is some clarity over the situation. It took us about a week to do this, and since March 7th, our production line is back to work.
Realizing our responsibility to each of our partners who have already become our friends and part of the Anna Sposa Group family, we immediately decided to open an additional production line and sew wedding dresses in Poland, in Lodz. At present we already have found a place and are working on launching production facilities and establishing an information infrastructure and logistics processes.
How is your company operating now?
Today, as of the beginning of April, our entire company is operating at full capacity. Moreover, we can talk about exploring new work spheres due to both the expansion of production and changes in the information field, new needs, and new challenges.
Since the beginning of the war, the entire Khmelnitskyi region has become a refuge for hundreds of thousands of people. To date, more than 30 thousand people from different parts of Ukraine moved to Khmelnitskyi and live here on a permanent basis.
Each of us is doing everything possible to support those who have lost their homes and jobs. Therefore, during March 2022, Anna Sposa Group accepted and continues to employ internally displaced persons. In this way, we can make our contribution to the restoration of the economy of our country, that is especially important today for victory.
“We Keep Working” is the statement written on the Anna Sposa Instagram page. We are so taken back by this amazing strength and courage. What is that makes you and your team keep on going?
First of all – people! I was amazed by the readiness of our entire team to work further in any conditions, no matter what happens. In such a difficult time, our team rallied even more, demonstrating incredible resilience, mutual assistance, and dedication. I am proud of every member of the Anna Sposa Group team and that we managed to assemble such a team!
Our partners, they are our like-minded people from all over the world! Our partnerships that we have built together over the years and turned into strong friendships – Thank you for your support! Today we feel a special responsibility to each of you. This gives us even more strength to work, create, release new collections. Be sure, we are taking all necessary measures to work even harder! And very soon we will be able to announce the launch of a new production line in Europe.
Our faith is in our victory! Every workday, every dress we make is a daily support for the economy of Ukraine! And every day we get closer and closer to victory!
We will see Anna Sposa Group exhibiting at the European Bridal Week! What will your team be presenting?
We always plan and prepare for international exhibitions in advance, so this time we will have something to surprise you! More than 100 new models of wedding dresses in different styles are already ready. And of course, there will be novelties in boho style, which have long been loved by brides not only in Germany, but all over the world. It shall be recalled that our company has already released 4 collections in this style, each of which, without exaggeration, has become a hit.
Melika Gown
Ollaris Gown
Undina Gown
Narma Gown
What is something you want people to know right now? Is there anything the bridal industry can do to support?
I want people all over the world to know and continue to speak openly about Russia’s war against Ukraine. Every word of support matters now! Any help, organizational, moral, humanitarian, financial, provided to our citizens both outside and on the territory of Ukraine is a huge help! Any purchased Ukrainian production, not only ours, is support for the Ukrainian economy! Therefore, I urge you to buy Ukrainian. Together we will win!
After everything, what are you most proud of?
The greatest value and pride for me personally are people! Our team, people from my country and our partners! I have never seen such unity and strength!
At the beginning of the year, we planned and confirmed our participation in the exhibition in Munich, which was held on February 27-28. All the preparation process and work were done in advance, with dresses sent to Europe even before the start of the war. But, unfortunately, our representatives, due to the catastrophic load at the border checkpoints on February 24-27, could not arrive at the exhibition on time.
During this time, I was constantly in touch with many of our partners. Wojtek and Beata Osomanski, our Polish partners from Wroclaw, owners of the Lauren salon, with whom we have become true friends and have already managed to release a unique joint collection of LaLiven wedding dresses, presented only in Wroclaw, reacted immediately. They offered their help without hesitation, they said that they would work instead of us at the stand. Having arrived in Munich, they prepared our stand for the opening, hung up dresses, met guests at the exhibition and presented our brand on behalf of our company. They were immediately joined by our partners and friends from Switzerland and Germany: Carolina Borer, the owner of the Brauthaus Plüss salon in Muttenz and her assistant Lenia, as well as Miroslava Winkler, the owner of the Munich White salon in Munich. I want to thank them again for this! For us it is very valuable, we are proud of our friendship! With such friends, we are not afraid of anything!
What are your hopes and dreams for your families, country and the future of Anna Sposa Group?
We do not just hope, we do know, we are sure that Ukraine will win and become even stronger! We see only development, success and our confident movement forward!
On the behalf of Bridal Times, we would like to thank Petro Iurko of Anna Sposa Group for this interview.
For further information on the brand, visit Anna Sposa Group