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Forbes on the Success of One by One, a Clothing Brand by SE MBA Student Lidiya Smetana

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In nine years, the clothing brand One by One has grown from an Instagram page to a company with 300 employees and annual revenue of over UAH 220 million. The plans for 2024 include UAH 500 million and expansion to Poland. Steady growth is ensured by its own flexible production and non-standard marketing. Forbes Ukraine told the story of Lidia Smetana, a member of the Next 250 2.0 rating, who is currently studying at MIM in the first year of the <a href="https://www.mim.kyiv.ua/en/programs/se-mba">Senior Executive MBA</a> program.
In March 2022, the mass market brand One by One launched a new capsule collection. While part of the production was sewing warm clothes for the military, the other part was making T-shirts and sweatshirts with patriotic slogans. "We have all the necessary facilities – we sew and print ourselves," says Lidia Smetana, founder of One by One. "When other brands were just looking for a way to start, we were already selling."
In the first year of the great war, the brand's revenue grew 1.2 times. The next year, it doubled: the 2023 turnover was UAH 229 million, according to One by One as confirmed by Forbes. During the full-scale invasion, the chain grew from six to 21 stores.
In 2024, One by One is not slowing down. In July, the brand began expanding into the Polish market with a website launch and the establishment of a local office and warehouse.
Smetana's business started as an Instagram page where she sold other brands. In 2015, she launched her own production in Kropyvnytskyi with an initial investment of 40,000 UAH, used to buy a sewing machine and a roll of fabric. They started with a few tank top dresses and one seamstress. "There was a lack of high-quality basic clothes on the market," says the brand founder. In the first month, she set a goal of earning UAH 8,000, which she achieved in 1.5 weeks.
Within five years, One by One was producing 43,000 items a year. Smetana believes the growth until 2020 was slow. "We were hesitant to mass manufacture the garments, we worked on pre-orders," the entrepreneur explains. A month before the lockdown, she decided to scale up and signed a contract with the Lavina shopping center in Kyiv. The first store opened in 2020, right after the quarantine was eased. In the first year, two stores in Kyiv and Kropyvnytskyi brought in UAH 15 million in revenue, and online sales amounted to UAH 41 million, according to the company. "We realized that we were on the right track," Smetana says. In 2021, the chain grew to six stores.
On the eve of the great war, the production area was expanded to 2500 square meters. The team consisted of about 100 people involved in manufacturing, sales, and content creation. "There were no managerial positions, and no clear business strategy," says the founder, who had no experience in the fashion industry before launching her own brand. One by One became a systemic business after 2022.
For One by One, only the first month of the full-scale invasion was turbulent. The quick launch of the patriotic collection provided salaries for the production staff. In April 2022, the office staff returned to work. In-house production provides flexibility, says the founder of One by One. It is almost impossible to predict which item will be a hit. "If a batch sells out quickly, we can make an additional one in 3-5 days at our own facilities," says the entrepreneur. However, with scaling comes reduced mobility, Smetana admits. To supply the chain of stores in 14 cities, 70% of the goods are made in advance. A third of the production capacity is used to respond quickly to changing trends.
The brand's assortment includes everything from lingerie to shoes and accessories. The best-selling items are dresses and denim, says the founder. To differentiate themselves from Zara and Mango, some items are embroidered in Ukrainian or have a different cut.
Another strength of the brand is marketing. In 2022, One by One launched an updated website and started working with targeted advertising. In the first two months after the relaunch, the traffic growth on the site was 25-30%, says the founder.
Since 2023, the company has launched 13 new stores. The flagship boutique in the center of Kyiv opened in July 2024. "By strengthening the brand online, we open offline stores, get a new audience, and so on," says Smetana. "When a brand starts to scale, it grows from everywhere."
One by One's goal for 2024 is UAH 500 million in revenue. Turnover in the first half of the year amounted to UAH 190 million, 2.3 times more than in the same period in 2023. About 65% of sales are generated offline, according to the company. Production volumes have also more than doubled. The brand has produced 120,000 items in six months.
On July 10, the company entered the Polish market. In addition to the website, office, and warehouse, the team is looking for a store. According to Smetana, the investment in the launch amounted to $50,000.
Three more One by One stores in Ukraine are in the final stages of launch. The fast pace is difficult to maintain, the founder admits. The main challenge is the shortage of staff. The company employs about 300 people, about a third of whom are retail staff. "We're taking a break to decide whether to continue scaling in Ukraine or focus on international expansion," Smetana says. After launching online sales in several European countries, the entrepreneur plans to start selling the franchise to foreigners. "We will be successful abroad," the One by One founder is confident.

In nine years, the clothing brand One by One has grown from an Instagram page to a company with 300 employees and annual revenue of over UAH 220 million. The plans for 2024 include UAH 500 million and expansion to Poland. Steady growth is ensured by its own flexible production and non-standard marketing

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