Karol Darmoros
War and Cold
The Russian invasion of Ukraine began in the winter of 2022. Although the weather was relatively mild at the time, the lack of resources, security, and basic infrastructure quickly made low temperatures a real threat to civilians and soldiers.
The Tailoring Company was founded on February 28, 2022, in Dnipro, on the initiative of Ksenia Samoylych and Maryna Palchenko. “We started our activities by responding to an appeal on Instagram: people who could sew balaclavas for young people involved in territorial defense were needed,” says Ksenia. Thanks to the support of local donors and the involvement of women from a sewing course, production was quickly launched.
Scale of Aid
Over time, the volunteers also started sewing thermal underwear and adaptive clothing. To date, they have prepared over 300,000 pieces of clothing, which have been delivered to over 90 hospitals in Ukraine. The initiative brings together over 800 volunteers and operates in 25 cities in Ukraine, as well as in Canada, Poland, Germany, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the Czech Republic, among others.
Adaptive Clothing
The clothes are provided free of charge to wounded soldiers and civilians. This was the case for 30-year-old Yevhenia, a woman severely burned as a result of a recent Russian attack on Odesa. “We sent her adaptive clothing. She is now in a hospital in Lviv, and it is the only clothing she can wear at the moment,” says the volunteer.
Dignity and Care
Despite power outages, frost, and fatigue, the volunteers do not stop working. “This shows that we care about people’s dignity and well-being. We try to do everything as if it were for our loved ones, for our friends, as if it were for ourselves,” emphasizes Ksenia Samoylych.
