One of the great honours of being at the helm of Postmark Ukraine is that I get to work with some amazing people. The PU staff certainly – Anna, Vika, Maria (Nastya has recently moved on to try out a fabulous new career as a flight attendant with WizzAir. Good luck little one!) in my immediate circle. But not only. Our masters, who make the incredible creations you get to wear in the studio and on stage, are real present-day heroes.
These last few years have not been easy. There were months where, because of restrictions on gatherings – around the world, we weren’t able to create. Rent and salaries needed to be paid regardless; sick leave was typical, and we have each fallen ill to Covid – some worse than others – at some point; and we came seriously close to having to close the company. Even though this current dance season is allowing us to come back to doing the things we absolutely love, we are still facing realities over which we have no control.
You, our Postmark family, are so important to us. Without you, we would have no one to work for, and we are so proud of the hard work you put in each year to be able to get fitted in costuming made right here in Ukraine. Even though we are starting to see signs of recovery, there are still reminders that we are not quite out of the woods: when the borders were closed, imports of quality material and leather were impossible, which meant we had to use what was available here in Ukraine; a number of businesses, including a few of our most trusted masters we cooperated with, were unable to continue, closing their doors, some going bankrupt; worst of all, though the immediate Postmark crew has been able to pull through the realities of the Covid virus, we have had to mourn the loss of some very important and talented people here in Ukraine.
While we are so happy to be back in the workshop this year, creating amazing things for you, this has meant that we have had to really pivot in order to be able to bring you the best of what has been made available to us in these last years, while at the same time maintaining pricing that is still affordable. And if that weren’t enough, it’s being done, in very real terms, at gunpoint.
We here at Postmark Ukraine want you to know that we are doing our very very best to ensure that you receive your orders – your costumes and all of your footwear in time for your events this spring. The tensions here are so very high and Ukrainians are working under very stressful conditions. Despite this, there is grace and pride being stitched into every piece in progress right now. Every item that comes from Postmark Ukraine is special. But those you receive in these next weeks maintain a little extra magic.
As the founder of Postmark Ukraine, I can’t thank you enough for your orders this year: you have kept many of our people in business. I want to thank you also for being so patient with us as we continue to work out so many seemingly impossible questions at such an incredibly significant time. Your strength, support, and belief in us has kept us going.
Дякую, from the bottom of my heart,
Lana Nicole Niland
Postmark Ukraine. Creations from your homeland.
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