Meet Oksana Putyatina of RadSeams

Today we’d like to introduce you to Oksana Putyatina.

Hi Oksana, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I learned how to sew from my grandmother in Donbas, Ukraine. It is mind-boggling to think that my grandmother’s apartment, where I carefully and skillfully learned to use a foot-operated Singer, may not be there anymore because the town of Konstantinovka has been practically bombed out of existence by the Russians.

The gift and love for sewing skipped a generation in my family- my mother does not enjoy it at all and always feels terrible for me because I do it all day, every day. Lol.

I moved to the United States in September of 1990. I was 20 years old. It is hard to describe to a non-immigrant what it is like to be declared a refugee. I was so completely and thoroughly connected to my country and especially to my city- Kyiv. Every time I leave, the only thing I want to do is return. My city is 1500 years old and I lived in the heart of it.

The relationship between the city and its people is very eternal. Life in the 80s in Ukraine was very turbulent. On one hand, the art, music and general freedom of expression was at its peak, but the violence and crime was out of control. Being a young woman put you at risk of physical and sexual violence. The economy was nonexistent and there was no food or any other goods to be found. The stores were empty.

There was no ability to make money. Everyone was in a permanent state of survival. My mother grew up during the Holodomor- a superficially induced starvation, initiated by the Russians in the 30s to break the Ukrainian population’s spirit. As a consequence, millions of Ukrainians starved to death and those who remained had to endure the German occupation. Ukraine was occupied on every front during World War II. She survived, but never really recovered. So when the opportunity to emigrate came, my mom did not hesitate to let me go.

Generally speaking, being a refugee is a life-altering event that no one goes through lightly. And this current war has impacted every Ukrainian emigrant in every corner of the world very personally and I won’t be surprised, after the Ukrainian victory in this final demonizing war, a lot of them will go back to help rebuild the country and its economy once and for all!

This is my story. This is how I ended up in America.

This country has really helped me to devictimize. I have nurtured and developed my inner freedom, my sense of self-respect and self-expression. I am 52 years old and only now beginning to feel free. It is not easy, but nothing else is more important. Not for me.

My business, RadSeams, is a direct consequence of this process of liberation. I love my work. It allows my creativity and my work ethic to thrive. Working with fabric is like architecture on a smaller scale. I tend to create simple and practical objects for everyday use. The materials I use are very high-quality. It brings me pleasure to turn them into pieces of art and to watch people get excited when they see them.

In conclusion, I will say that living in America nowadays is not easy. And it is definitely not easy to run your own business when you make everything you sell. But I would not exchange it for a corporate job under any circumstances. Small businesses are at the core of this country’s economy and the sooner we all truly understand it, the better!

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
As every small business owner knows, the biggest challenge is the fact that you do EVERYTHING! All day every day. I pick fabrics and materials, I cut, I sew, I sell. There are not enough hours in a day. I would love to have a trustworthy and committed business partner, but where do I find one?

I think the biggest problem with investments in this country is the fact that they are made by people who forget that the goal is not to make a ton of money. The goal is to create products that consumers really like and need should be the main responsibility. Making money is a reward and consequence of the process. Investors have forgotten how it works.

If you have taken for granted every aspect of your privilege and money is just the means to an end, you lose touch with reality and become a kind of parasitic entity that focuses on the open end of a water faucet without any concern to where the stream originated. Our world and resources are not endless. Wise up, investment community! Before the corporate snake eats itself from the tail up! Finding a good investor/partner is my biggest challenge.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
My creative process is based on an interpretation of necessary products through my sense of style and by using a variety of high-quality materials. If it is a dog accessory, then it has to be durable, long-lasting and washable. The same applies to laptop bags and party wear. Practicality and visual effectiveness are also very important. I believe that if a product is developed by me, it is already different from others because it is my interpretation.

I am not too concerned with standing apart from others. I think consumers will respond to my product if it is well-made. Competition is an organic part of a healthy marketplace due to a wide variety of tastes and needs and not something to combat. I think people will find a brand they like and stick with them. If they don’t like my brand they have a multitude of others to choose from. I believe that this principle is at the core of sustainability.

I love my studio. My creative and practical space for my work. It is bright and spacious and allows me to spend many hours working on the realization of my dreams. I have a wide variety of sewing machines and other equipment to achieve my goals. I would love to have a big van that could convert into a store on wheels, so I could bring RadSeams anywhere.

Pricing:

• Dog bandanas $25-$45
• Dog collars $25-$35
• Leashes $25-$35

Contact Info:

• Website: radseams.com
• Instagram: RadSeamsLA