Check Out Anastasia Chernetska’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Anastasia Chernetska

Hi Anastasia, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
The story of the TAVROVSKA brand began as a real adventure. My husband and I decided to take a chance and create our own clothing brand, which became a reflection of our passion for fashion. We started in Ukraine in 2015. One year later, we started to get interested in the international market. We received our first order unexpectedly from Saudi Arabia, and it was the beginning of our journey to our first small successes in the international market. As of today, our products travel to the most remote corners of the world (Guadeloupe, Hawaii, New Zealand, etc.).
As of today, most of our orders are shipped to the EU, USA, Canada, Australia, and Singapore. We are incredibly proud that our clothes are chosen by public figures, TV presenters, and businesswomen. What started as a bold venture has turned into a daily work to achieve real success and enjoy the result.
It’s too early for us to talk about our own success story, but even the path we’ve traveled and the first achievements were not easy. And the further away from the beginning, the more difficulties we had to solve. Most of the difficulties were related to the growth of our business and they are typical for any small business that grows from a family-owned manufactory into a structured business.
Of course, we had problems and negative experience with contractors, we had our own illusions and strategic mistakes, we had difficulties in setting up production processes, establishing logistics with access to international markets, we had difficulties and mistakes in management and financial management.
However, in addition to these problems, which are probably typical for any small family business that wants to grow, there were problems that did not directly depend on us. The first serious external crisis challenge was Covid. I think there is no need to explain its impact and consequences for business.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
The most painful and tragic challenge for us was the war that came to our country. Every day we lived with the desire to realize new ideas, search for and implement new technologies in production and business processes, we lived our dreams and it seemed to us that nothing prevented us from being happy. But one morning, rockets flew at us.
That tragic morning turned the life of the whole country and every citizen upside down.
My husband, my little daughter, and I packed in 15 minutes. The anxious suitcase was ready. In one moment, we left our business and our apartment in Kyiv with the thought that we might not be able to return here.
We arrived in another city in the west of our country, where we had relatives. The business was stopped. Most of our employees were also forced to leave their homes.
I can describe the first weeks of the war, which were the longest in our lives, for a long time. But this is a slightly different topic. After about three or four weeks, we started thinking about how we could resume business in a new place, despite all the circumstances. As soon as Kyiv and all its suburbs were liberated and the enemy retreated from Kyiv, we moved our equipment from Kyiv to Vinnytsia (farther away from the war). We started working on our own and looking for new employees. After all, many women with children had left for neighboring European countries at the beginning of the war and only later some of them began to return. We closed many processes on our own.
The domestic market was at a standstill during the first period of the war, as people had other priorities. For the international market, logistics was a serious problem, as civilian air transportation stopped working and this was a serious blow to our sales abroad, in particular to the United States, Australia and other countries far from us. For example, before Covid, we could deliver an order to our customer in Chicago or Houston within 24 hours. At the beginning of the war, this became impossible at all. Nevertheless, during the first weeks after the war started, major air hubs in Poland and the Czech Republic took over the load. That is, cargo transportation went by land (trucks, trains) to neighboring countries. For example, nowadays, a regular parcel with an order for our client somewhere in New Jersey is accepted by the Delivery Service and travels by land to a neighboring country for 2-3 days, then gets to an air hub and flies from there according to the usual procedure.
In the spring of ’22, during the third month of the war, the shelling of oil refineries began. And they were destroyed. As a result, fuel shortages became a problem. Accordingly, there were delays in the delivery of materials, delays in the delivery of components, etc. Personally, I or my husband had to get up at 5 a.m. and stand in line at the gas station for 2-3 hours to refuel our personal car, and if we were lucky, we would get 20 or 10 liters of gasoline (note: restrictions were introduced).
Nevertheless, two months later, the country established uninterrupted fuel imports from neighboring countries and the problem was solved.
A serious problem was and still is the shelling of Ukrainian cities with missiles and long-range drones, both during the day and at night. This, of course, complicates the production process and its organization. I will not describe the emotional component here.
When you think that all problems can be overcome, another one arises. In the fall of 2022, the shelling of our power system, power plants of all types and power grid nodes began. With the first cold weather, power outages began.
Every day we had to solve the problems of how to heat the production facility to keep it warm, how to power the equipment so that it could work at least partially. Gasoline generators and large-capacity batteries were a temporary solution. Of course, all this required additional costs.
You can’t compare a blackout to a situation where you simply haven’t electricity power for a few hours. When there is a power outage in an entire neighborhood for at least a few hours, the Internet stops working (Wi-Fi does not work). Mobile Internet also stops working properly because the cell network is overloaded.
Of course, this also hampered internal communication and customer service.
Now these problems are being solved, as most of this equipment can work autonomously.
This daily adaptation to new challenges requires incredible endurance, primarily psychological.
However, when it gets tough, we remember that in those cities and towns that were closer to the border with our big “neighbor”, not only businesses and homes were destroyed, but also human lives.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
Our production process is not just a technical stage, it is the heart of our brand. We are proud that each product is designed and made in Ukraine by the hands of our talented seamstresses, who put not only professional skills but also a piece of their soul into their work. Each of them has many years of experience, which allows us to achieve high quality and perfection in every detail.
The process of creating garments begins with a careful selection of materials and accessories. We look for the best fabrics that meet our quality and aesthetic standards. After that, we start working on the development of models, taking into account the latest fashion trends, comfort and the uniqueness of each product.

Each item goes through several stages – from the first sketch to the last stitch. Our seamstresses not only work with high-precision technologies, but also preserve the traditions of handmade work, which gives the products a special personality. Thanks to their professionalism, we can guarantee the impeccable quality of our products.

We also value a team approach at every stage of production. From the designer to the seamstress, each participant in the process contributes to the creation of clothing that is not just a thing, but a reflection of our attitude toward our customers and our love for the business.

So maybe we end on discussing what matters most to you and why?
Our business model is now focused on conscious consumption rather than fast fashion. We strive to create clothes that last a long time and have a timeless style.
All our models are developed from scratch by our design team. We create our own unique styles that emphasize individuality and will always be relevant. We use high-quality fabrics to ensure the comfort and durability of our products.
We develop our own prints that make our clothes even more special and unique.
We do not have large warehouses of products. Some of the most popular models are in stock, and some are made to order. This means that you can be sure of an individual approach and uniqueness of each item.
We have always believed that beauty is not measured in centimeters, and our focus on conscious consumption gives us the opportunity to offer 8 – 9 sizes for most of our items.
Our seamstresses are true artisans who put their heart and soul into every stitch. They love what they do and it shows in every detail of our products.
Quality and an individual approach to each client are of the utmost importance to us. We believe that every item we create should not only be beautiful, but also comfortable and durable. Therefore, we carefully select materials, work on every detail and control quality at all stages of production.
It is important for us to keep in touch with our customers. We strive to understand their needs and desires so that our clothes become a reflection of their individuality. This is what makes our brand special and helps us to develop and grow.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.tavrovska.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tavrovskaworld/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tavrovskaww