Ruslan Baginskiy is preserving Ukrainian craft

The headwear designer on the realities of running a global emerging brand from a country at war.

By Wonne Scrayen

Last year, headwear and accessories designer Ruslan Baginskiy should have been able to enjoy a milestone that few indie brands reach: a decade in business. Instead, like all Ukrainians, his focus was on surviving.

Since the Russian invasion four years ago, Baginskiy, once based in Kyiv and now in Lviv in western Ukraine, has defied the impossible conditions levied against him to build a brand that employs around 200 people. Challenges to shipping and e-comm – fatal impediments to a brand even in normal circumstances – have coalesced with the brutal realities of war, yet Baginskiy’s hats have appeared everywhere from Beyoncé’s head to the archives of the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris.

Here, we discuss with the designer how, at a moment when Ukrainian culture is under siege, he sees his business as a vital means of preserving his country’s style, craft, and dignity.

“Honestly, it’s not the right time to develop an independent brand at all. Since 2022, the air shipment option has been ruled out for us; we can only deliver goods by land.”

What role have hats played in your own personal life up until now? Did you always wear them yourself?

Yes and no. As a kid, I didn’t want to wear a beanie, which is very typical and common for children. But my mother was a hairdresser, and a couple of years ago, I realised this might have been where my intrigue for everything involving the head came from – hair and hats. To me, the next step up from being a hairdresser was to become a hat designer. To me, a hat is by far the most powerful piece to make a look feel complete.

Headwear pieces are your way into revaluing craftsmanship at risk of being lost. Why, for you, did millinery lend itself best to exploring this undervalued narrative of artistry?

For me, it was a particularly interesting project to undertake, as nearly everyone has forgotten about millinery. My interest mainly came in because of the couture process behind it all. Making hats involves the hand, not machines. For me, this is the true couture way. Even a classic fedora is all handmade and can take up to two days. It’s a real luxury; nothing about it is mass-market. Precisely that is why I love hats so much, the couture tradition behind the craft.

Does the factor of slower consumption come into play, given the lower tendency to buy headwear needlessly or relentlessly?

Absolutely. At the same time, this is also one of the biggest challenges in developing the business. Because everything is made by hand, the product is hard to develop, as you need to teach people these specific, required skills. Especially as in Ukraine, this is not the obvious or straightforward thing. Currently, our team consists of around 200 people, just over 100 of whom are in our production team, which also means 100 people we need to train.