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It is no secret that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has a fondness for clothing in the distinctive hue of olive green. The President is often spotted donning garments from the Ukrainian fashion brand M-TAC during public addresses.
However, it may come as a surprise to learn just how much this preference has impacted the brand's financial success
.Triple the Sales Since Russia's Aggression
Since the onset of Russia's aggression towards Ukraine, sales of M-TAC products have reportedly tripled.
The brand has responded to this surge in demand by expanding their production capabilities, opening a factory in Lviv and increasing the number of seamstresses employed at their Kyiv location to a staggering 750, working in three shifts.
Economic experts estimate that the brand now boasts an annual income of around 150 million euros per year.
A Brand Born from Revolution
M-TAC was founded in 2005, the same year that it opened its first store to sell airsoft guns and accessories in Ukraine.
However, it wasn't until 2014 and the "Revolution of Dignity", in which Ukrainians overthrew former President Viktor Yanukovych, that the brand began to sell tactical apparel and equipment. The company's website proudly declares their motto to be "Born by revolution – hardened by war", and states that "the Ukrainian military trusts the M-TAC brand and chooses our products because reliability is our priority".
"Our production worked non-stop 24/7, and the manufactured equipment was immediately transferred to the soldiers at the front," M-TAC's website reads. "Today, the Ukrainian military trusts the M-TAC brand and chooses our products because reliability is our priority.
Clothes from the M-TAC brand are worn both by soldiers in the trenches and by political leaders of the state."
President Zelensky's Favorite Jacket
One of the most sought after items from the M-TAC collection is President Zelensky's fleece jacket.
The Ukrainian manager of US operations for the company, Taras Rudnytskyi, previously spoke to Insider about the jacket's popularity. "We hope to restock it someday, maybe after our victory," Rudnytskyi said in May, adding that ongoing hostilities have made production difficult.
"Right now, it's impossible." In fact, several M-TAC jackets, which Zelensky signed, were sold for approximately 110 thousand dollars at a humanitarian auction organized by the Ukrainian embassy in London.
