How the Ukrainian lingerie brand LONDI entered the EU and US markets in two years, says founder Yulkka Vozniak

Life before LONDI

In 2019, I enrolled at Kyiv Polytechnic Institute to study management and marketing. But in my second year, I withdrew from the program — the education felt too theoretical and far removed from real business, which was what I truly wanted to pursue. Instead, Instead, I began taking private courses for entrepreneurs. For example, I studied at Unit Business School. I wanted to learn more about strategy development, sales systems, and resource management.

That same year, with $500 of my own savings, I launched an online sunglasses store — also called LONDI. I introduced a virtual try-on feature so customers could choose frames that matched their face shape. Sales were strong in spring and summer, but came to a long pause during the colder months. Still, that first entrepreneurial experience helped me understand business processes. Within two years, I had built a real case with millions of Instagram views and a working sales system I could show to potential investors.

The idea to create a lingerie brand came in December 2021, before the full-scale war began. I chose the lingerie segment more with my heart than through cold calculation, while the concept of the brand’s uniqueness was being shaped through research At that time, we focused exclusively on the Ukrainian market and noticed extremes: on one end, overly sexualized lingerie — lace, provocative shoots, aggressive marketing; on the other, maximally comfortable basic underwear with no design elements, which looked boring. We saw a gap between these extremes and decided to occupy that niche.

Launching a business during a full-scale invasion

By 2022, we had already developed the models, defined our positioning, and had two ready designs and the first photoshoot. But when the full-scale war began, we had to put the project on hold for almost a year in order to recover and learn to live in the new reality. In November 2022, we decided to return to our idea. We opened our own production studio during the first long winter blackouts. We acted in defiance of the circumstances, rather than being driven by them.

In the first year, we invested $300,000 in the business: my own savings, support from a private investor who believed in me and the brand’s idea (the amount and name cannot be disclosed), and revenue from our first sales, which was immediately reinvested to grow the business.

We recouped all of this money within a year. The main expense was providing proper salary for talented people, because it’s impossible to create a quality product without them. Marketing is also costly, but it only works when paired with a strong product. In our case, it was influencer marketing that brought the results — we worked closely with opinion leaders because our product is highly visual, and this found a response from the audience. There were other expenses as well: paid advertising and email marketing.

I have great respect for people who start a business with minimal capital. But I would like to see more examples of entrepreneurs who wouldn’t be afraid to secure investments and work with them. For some reason, the Ukrainian business mindset often follows the credo: “We have nothing, but we must build something grand from scratch.” Abroad, grants, funding, and loans are available, so many strategically minded entrepreneurs take advantage of these opportunities right away. If you rely solely on your own capital, any mistake can push you out of the market, which is very turbulent.

Thanks to the investments, we hired a production manager, seamstresses, cutters, and specialists responsible for steaming, technical inspections, packaging, and receiving goods in the warehouse. We also purchased high-quality equipment worth $40,000, including sewing machines, cutting equipment, shelving, tables, chairs, organizers, boards, and materials such as fabrics, threads, notions, branding elements, and packaging. Currently, 25 Ukrainians work at LONDI.

How we work

Our production cycle is quite specialized: each of our 12 seamstresses works with three machines. Every machine is designated for a specific part of the process. Some manufacturers might consider this inefficient, but it allows us to minimize fabric waste, save energy, and comply with safety standards for material use.

Ninety-five percent of the fabrics we use are natural. Mostly, this is certified cotton, since we make lingerie that comes into direct contact with the body. Occasionally, we add viscose, which is also naturally derived but has a different weave, or small amounts of polyester when a piece requires extra durability or stretch in the production process.

Production and design

About 70% of our products are made to order. We don’t want to create excess stock that might go unused or pile up in storage. Our facility is organized so that orders go into production the same day, are completed in a short cycle, and then shipped to customers.

For a long time, I was the brand’s designer. At the brand’s launch, I happened to be the person who could best convey its core idea. I was creating everything — from sketches to the final look of the collections. And it was challenging. Now, we have a designer who develops collections on a project basis. It’s a big step forward because it allows me to focus on the strategic and operational sides of the business.

Brand achievements

Our first full year of operation was 2023. We spent a lot of time establishing internal processes: production, logistics, team, and marketing. At that time, there was a real boom in Ukraine for all things Ukrainian. It was a year of market research, building the brand within the country, and laying the foundations of our reputation. Back then, many competitors appeared, but we made sure to stick closely to our positioning. We were growing by 30% per month. In the following years, especially as we entered the international market, growth slowed to 7% per month. But that’s understandable, since we were working simultaneously in domestic and international markets.

We expanded abroad in 2024. We worked on registrations, legal matters, adapting our website for international online sales, and creating content that could compete abroad. At the same time, we retained all our production capacities and our team in Ukraine.

We are represented in Kyiv at TSUM and in 10 stores across Kyiv, Odesa, Lviv, Dnipro, Chernivtsi, Rivne, Uzhhorod, Ivano-Frankivsk, and Lutsk. Abroad, we are present in stores and showrooms in Barcelona, London, Paris, and Tokyo. We don’t have a permanent space yet. Instead, we occasionally run pop-ups in Kyiv, Odesa, and Lviv. This allows us to test new locations, present collections, and engage with clients without permanent rental costs.

Expanding into international markets

From the start, we looked to the U.S. market as our benchmark. It’s the largest and most challenging market in the world. In the beginning, we tested it — refining our visual content, collaborating with local influencers, and analyzing which product categories performed best, for example, in California. We also explored optimal strategies for paid advertising, since Ukrainian budgets aren’t competitive there.

A significant share of our traffic comes from social media, so it’s important to account for the different preferences of audiences in Ukraine and abroad. Content that performs well in Ukraine doesn’t always resonate with international audiences, so we had to change it. To do this, we work with international creative teams — photographers, models, and producers. Some of the shoots take place in Barcelona, where our stylist lives, and part of them are done in Kyiv. The brand also blends local and international model faces to keep the content relatable for a global audience.

Bestsellers differ, too. In Ukraine, the top seller is a draped top with shorts, while abroad, it’s not popular at all. There, customers most often choose a lingerie set with voluminous ruffles.

On conscious production

We offer a wide size range. From the very beginning, it was important to us that our products reflect a philosophy of embracing all body types. We want every woman to find her size and feel beautiful.

According to our data, larger sizes are ordered less often, as women have grown used to the idea that designer lingerie is made only in the smallest sizes — but we want to change that perception.

Our visual concept centres on women and nature. To me, the body and nature are deeply connected. Stretch marks on the skin resemble cracked earth after heat; veins — the branching of a river; freckles — a starry sky. When we see these same patterns in nature, we find them incredibly beautiful. But when we see them on ourselves, we somehow feel embarrassed. We want to change that — to show that the human body is just as much a part of nature, a perfect expression of it.

I believe that every body is beautiful, regardless of shape, age, or individual features. Usually, when a woman puts on lingerie, there’s a sense that it’s for someone else — to please, to prove something, or to fit a certain image. In today’s world, especially in the age of social media, where everyone seems flawless and without imperfections, it’s important to help women reclaim the sense that they are enough.

But sizes need not only to be designed, they also have to be tested, which requires a significant investment. That’s why many brands limit their size ranges. Each of our models is developed in six sizes, while we simultaneously test how comfortable each one is. It’s important to remember that a garment’s construction changes depending on the size: XS and XXL lingerie have different straps, closures, and amounts of fabric.

We understand that production can’t be 100% safe for the environment, but we strive to make our process as zero-waste as possible. After cutting, there are always pieces of fabric that are usually just thrown away. We, however, aim to reuse them. For example, we currently create upcycled shorts and skirts. With each new collection, we set a goal of adding at least one new upcycled piece to make our production more eco-friendly.

Our collections

We always release four collections each year — two large and two small: Spring-Summer, Resort, Fall-Winter, and Christmas. Preparing a large collection takes more than four months, while a small collection of four models takes about six weeks.

The process is always the same. First, we create a mood board: the concept, the mood, research on what worked well previously and what didn’t, and what we want to offer people now. Next, we build a product matrix to determine how many sets of lingerie, pajamas, tops, shorts, and accessories we’ll include. Then comes the sketching stage — there can be up to a hundred sketches. From these, we select the ones we want to develop further and send them for pattern creation. After that, we sew a test sample, conduct a fitting, make corrections, adjust the patterns, and fit again — repeating this several times until the fit is perfect. Once the base size S is approved, the garment is scaled to the other sizes. Then we do another fitting of the largest size to check support, shape, and proportions. Only after this does the product go into production.

Plans for the future

Currently, around 70% of our sales are B2C, with the remaining 30% B2B. We are actively growing this share and expanding our number of partners. The fashion market is undergoing major changes, with many retailers worldwide going bankrupt due to shifts in consumer habits and the growth of online commerce. That’s why most brands, including ours, are focusing on direct sales — through their own website, pop-ups, and brand-owned stores.

Abroad, we see potential in B2B, where customers can try items on immediately, without waiting for delivery. We aim to build a major international lingerie and apparel brand that maintains full operations in Ukraine (production, team, headquarters) while being recognized and respected overseas, particularly in the main fashion capitals of Europe and the U.S. We want to continue creating comfortable designer pieces that highlight the brilliance of women’s bodies.