POPSUGAR: What was the fashion scene like in Ukraine prior to the invasion?
Mary Furtas: You probably heard about a lot of fashion brands from Ukraine by now. We're this growing, hip, up-and-coming country. And Cultnaked is part of that. The industry was not really big, but it basically became a creative hub for all of Europe. Other countries would come in for cheaper labor but much higher quality of work. And people shot big advertisements here, [like] LVMH and Hugo Boss. So, we are all around these cool people, and we would go to fashion weeks and have this gang vibe.
But for Cultnaked, it was very important to have ethical production. It's very important to have equal pay and a super-cool place that people want to work in. Everybody gets a good salary. It's very important that we keep this cool thing going, and we are in the western part of Ukraine that's relatively safe.
