And yet, there has been a silver lining: global recognition of the Ruslan Baginskiy brand has grown, helping it to not only stay afloat but to thrive as one of fashion’s need-to-know accessories labels.

The label’s origins go back to 2015, when Ruslan and Petro moved from Lviv in western Ukraine to the country’s capital, Kyiv, to start a hat brand.

Their first task was an ambitious one – to test the waters at haute couture fashion week in Paris, France, in 2016. Within months, they had secured invitations to Paris’ ready-to-wear fashion week and made friends with some of the world’s top social media influencers.

Easy-going and friendly, Ruslan and Petro proved natural-born networkers, and their love for parties boosted awareness of their fledgling brand.

Now considered a cult item for the brand, the caps are stocked in top luxury stores worldwide.

When Russia invaded Ukraine, it “really divided our life into ‘before the invasion’ and ‘since the invasion’,” says Baginskiy. “Every single aspect of business has changed.

“Production, logistics, even our values and just the general mental state of the team,” which now numbers around 100 people – it was 25 four years ago.”

“Some days, we were left in the cold or without light at the office, working [using] mobile hotspots. The list goes on and on.”

Communications with Buckingham Palace took about a month, after which three designs were presented to the queen, one of which was custom-made for her. She died a few weeks after it was delivered and she did not get the chance to wear it in public.

The brand has been tapped by another royal, albeit of a different sort: pop queen Beyoncé. For two of the singer’s performances during her world tour, Baginskiy’s team created wide-brimmed boater hats.

The same design, fashioned from black straw, was recently spotted on the red carpet at the Cannes Film Festival atop French supermodel Cindy Bruna’s head.

Baginskiy, now an experienced milliner to the stars, says the best part is seeing the designs on stage and on the red carpet, as well as celebrating milestones with his team.

The biggest challenge? “Probably the pace – often things are needed at the last minute, changes are constantly being made and sometimes you really don’t know if there will be a result.”

Celebrities often require the brand’s total commitment, which can result in situations such as having to fly a team member across the world to deliver a hat for a Vogue cover shoot featuring singer Madonna – something which Baginskiy did a few years back.

Though networking has helped to raise awareness of the brand, Baginskiy insists that his work is not just about crafting glamorous looks and going to parties. “Fashion is a language, a presence, a crucial part of cultural communication,” he says.

“We understand that often [this] is perceived as ‘supporting war’, yet we believe that only the Armed Forces of Ukraine [can] bring peace,” he says. The brand, which released a special baseball cap collection in support of Ukraine last year, has donated over 3.4 million Ukrainian hryvnias to the cause.

Baginskiy’s craftsmanship and dedication landed the label the accessories prize at this year’s Andam Fashion Awards. The label is the first from Ukraine to win the French award.

“I wish I could tell this news to myself back in 2016, during our first trip to Paris, when we used every chance to prove to the world and ourselves that a small brand from Ukraine could produce items at the same level as legendary French maisons,” Baginskiy wrote on Instagram.

“Being included in big fashion moments makes us feel [like a] part of the world’s dialogue; [it] makes us feel seen and heard. Being able to create is one of the most valuable things in life, it is a crucial part of peaceful existence. When Ukrainians create, it means that we still ‘are’, we exist.”