Blog
How Angelina Vlasiuk Created a Sustainable Brand That Helps Ukrainians During the War
When you meet Angelina Vlasiuk, the founder of Say Hey, the first thing you feel is radiance. The kind that’s subtle yet clearly visible, the kind that pushes you forward even when life feels impossible.
I had the pleasure of meeting her at her fashion show at Tönnheim Gallery in Madrid, admiring how she managed to juggle a full-time job, a fashion brand, and the heaviness of being far from home.
So when we finally sat down to talk, I had to ask:
How do you do it all?
She laughed — which probably tells me she’s heard the question a thousand times — and said something I’ll never forget:
“I think my passion for what I do is the only thing that keeps me going. Life is never stable or easy, and there are always a hundred more ‘rational’ things that seem like they should take priority. But I always try to make time for this, because it truly makes me happy and gives me energy. It takes a lot, but it also gives a lot back—so I think it’s a fair exchange.”
.avif)
A creative soul in an industrial town
Angelina grew up in Novovolynsk, a small coal-mining town in western Ukraine. There’s no glamorous artistic heritage, no famous design district, no creative legacy to inherit. But there was Angelina — a kid making DIY jewelry, polymer-clay ornaments, little projects she sold in the neighborhood.
“I was always working on something. Always another project. My mom would laugh, but she supported everything.”
Her family were teachers — math, engineering, the practical kind. Creativity wasn’t the family business, but entrepreneurship quietly became hers.
.avif)
.avif)
From marketing prodigy to war refugee
Before the war, Angelina had what many people dream of before turning 25: a thriving marketing career, her own agency, clients across Ukraine, a good reputation, a home, a partner. Stability… or something close to it.
Then February 24, 2022 arrived.
She woke up, looked out the window, and saw fire rising from the airport. The war had begun.
Her life split in two.
She left Ukraine the same day, carrying only essentials, crossing borders with the uncertainty that millions of Ukrainians know too well. A friend offered her a spare room in the Netherlands, and that’s where she tried to start again.
But starting again isn’t a switch you flip. It’s a long, lonely climb.
“I was trying to adapt, to integrate, to be serious. I closed my agency. I stopped all my Ukrainian projects. It was too painful to work as if nothing had happened.”
Yet grief often reveals hidden creativity. And for Angelina, that outlet became Say Hey.
.avif)
Why Say Hey was born, and why it had to be Ukrainian
Say Hey didn’t begin as a business plan.
It came from intuition.
A longing for home.
A way to help, even from far away.
She found tailors back home, started making prototypes, and built a brand that wasn’t just “fashion” — it was an act of resistance, love, and cultural preservation.
Say Hey pieces are made almost entirely in her hometown.
They go through hands that now work between air-raid alerts, power cuts, and winter days when the electricity might only come on for a few hours.
In some regions where she produces samples — like Mykolaiv — the war is dangerously close.
And yet, the work continues.
Because Ukrainians continue.
“People are brave. They find a way to work. They survive. They keep going. This is who we are.”
.avif)
The brave, beautiful spirit of Ukraine
When I asked Angelina what she’s most proud of as a Ukrainian, she didn’t hesitate:
“Our bravery.”
But it’s not the Hollywood kind of bravery — it’s the everyday one.
The courage to wake up without knowing if there will be light, water, news, or safety.
The courage to keep stitching clothes when the electricity cuts.
The courage to pack your life into a backpack and start again in a foreign country.
The courage to help others even when you’re the one in pain.
“Unity is something special about Ukrainians. When something happens — everyone helps.”
She told me stories of neighbors keeping spare keys for strangers who needed shelter. Friends who joined the army. Families scattered across borders. Young people who left to support their parents back home.
Mothers sewing clothes while their children would find work abroad.
Tailors working with generators in freezing workshops.
War has touched every Ukrainian family she knows.
But so has hope.
.avif)
How to help the Ukrainian cause
One of the biggest barriers people feel when trying to support Ukraine is the belief that “my help is too small.”
Angelina disagrees completely.
In Ukraine, fundraising is deeply embedded in daily life.
People constantly organize small campaigns to support specific military units, buy drones, protective gear, winter clothes — practical things that save lives.
But help doesn’t always have to be financial.
Buying from Ukrainian businesses.
Sharing their stories.
Supporting their work.
Educating others.
Even keeping Ukraine in conversations — especially when the world gets tired of talking about war.
Small actions matter.
And multiplied by millions of people, they change realities.
If you want to help Ukrainians, here are a few fundraising campaigns you can support:
.avif)
What Say Hey really represents
If you want to wear beautiful, sustainable, and versatile clothes while still supporting Ukrainians during the war, you can visit the Say Hey store here.
If you look closely at a Say Hey garment, you'll see it’s more than just clothes.
It’s an act of resilience.
You will see the parts of Ukraine that rarely make headlines — the talent, the creativity, the innovation, the artistry.
That’s what Angelina wants people to feel.
“I don’t want to show Ukraine as sad or broken. I want to show the best part of us — our story, our culture, our uniqueness.”
And she does.
When everything feels hopeless and heavy, Angelina reminds us that we can all do something about it and that creativity remains one of the most powerful forms of hope.
If you want to support Angelina and her incredible work, as well as purchase beautiful, sustainable clothes, check out her website and social media:
https://www.instagram.com/sayhey.brand
Gallery
No items found.
