Shoes & bags dreamland: interview with CEO & Creative Director, Alina Kachorovska

Two years ago, I saw a very cool bag in a story, on an Instagram account – and I loved the shape and the color. I noticed the name of the brand and, last year, when I was invited to the preview of the latest collection of KACHOROVSKA, during Bucharest Fashion Week, I was convinced that the Ukrainian brand is as cool as I imagined. And that I can put on my wish list a lot of interesting bags & hot shoes. Meanwhile, I saw he same products in many fashion magazine and online blogs. Now, KACHOROVSKA continues to expand the line – with women clothes and (surprise – men shoes) and I talked to Alina Kachorovska, CEO and Creative Director of Kachorovska company, about challenges in this industry, about Ai generated ads, the plans for the future and… the ingredients of a perfect morning. 

(Photo up – Ernestina Bag, for which the hardware is custom designed and produced in Lebanon &  Alina Kachorovska, the designer behind the brand)

You can find all the KACHOROVSKA products (bags, shoes, clothes) on https://kachorovska.com/. 

You are the third generation to run this business. What does it feel like? What was easier to achieve, considering the legacy? What is the hardest thing to do, again, considering the legacy?

I continued the family legacy because I saw in this craft and 40 years of experience an opportunity to create a sense of happiness for thousands of Ukrainian women. In the early 2010s, I clearly realized that our family business had real commercial potential. I understood that I was holding an uncut diamond in my hands, something that could be transformed into a precious gem. And it is a great responsibility for me. My husband believed in me and supported the idea, and together we created the brand Kachorovska, which remains a family company to this day: myself, my husband, and my mother — each co-owner contributing to the brand’s formula of “high quality + beauty = happiness”. Of course, running a family business is never easy, but I believe we succeed, even amid the extremely challenging situation in Ukraine. 

I have tp ask, how did you manage to get through the war in Ukraine? And how was the last year for the business? How did you reinvent the business?

Despite the challenging economic and political situation in the country, over the past few years we have increased the company’s turnover while maintaining the same number of retail locations. We have actively expanded our work with regional and international retailers, which has significantly boosted online sales. We truly have made a significant leap forward in our team’s performance, in the products we offer our clients, in visual communication, and in sales. But the most important transformation has happened within us and across our entire team. We have realized that our core value is humanity and empathy. We express this care for people in every detail of our collections – from unique developments of anatomical lasts to the latest technologies in footwear, bags, and apparel.

You are the CEO of the company –  that means business plans, excels etc. Do you miss having more creative, design-related days? 

Currently, I combine three roles: co-owner and CEO of the company, and creative director of the brand. This means I am actively involved in all processes, including the creative side, which truly drives me. In fact, this year I plan to step back from the CEO role, so at the moment our team is actively searching for a candidate to take on this position.

How many pairs of shoes do you export in one year? Where do you get your materials, and what is the most difficult part of the process?

On average, we sell up to 2.000 pieces per year worldwide. Like, in 2025 we did over 700 shipments to more than 40 countries. It’s not only Europe and the US, but also Kuwait, Qatar, Brazil, and Singapore. At the same time, Romania remains our leading destination with nearly 28% of all international shipments. As for the second question, the brand operates with an international sourcing model: materials are procured from Turkey, Italy, and Ukraine, while hardware is sourced from Lebanon. However, one of the main challenges in production continues to be disruptions in electricity and heating supply. For instance, our generator recently broke down, which also affected operational processes.

You started with the shoes, then the brand added bags to the list, then full outfits. What is next?

This fall, we’re launching the long-awaited men’s shoe line, and I dream of making costume jewelry. Also, this year, we plan the long-awaited opening of our fourth monobrand store in Ukraine, in Lviv, as well as the launch of our own full-cycle manufacturing factory in Zhytomyr. Besides this, I started thinking about interior design – just some pieces, beautiful ideas worth making tangible.

You had an AI-generated campaign which made a lot of buzz. Why did you start it? How did the public react? How was it for you to witness it?

In Ukraine, we have a powerful IT industry, and some buzzy AI-projects were born here (I’m sure you know Reface), and we’re very fast at catching trends too. So, we were early with our AI-generated campaign to be one of the few (іn 2022), and now it feels like “ok, we’ve been there & we’ve done that”. For me, in terms of excitement, it was like experiencing the first computers. Of course, there were concerns that AI might replace a significant part of the work, but once I got to know it as a tool and understood how it works, that fear disappeared. For me, trying new things is the fun side of fashion, when you can play with.  

 Alina Kachorovska, CEO and Creative Director of Kachorovska company, for short…

The collection for 2026 will look as… it is destined for Le Bon Marché Rive Gauche.
The model that will never disappear from the brand lines is… party shoes.
The best shoes in the history of fashion are… the ones for ballroom dancing.
The shoes that deserved to be erased from the history of fashion are… these sporty rubber flip-flops.
Your favorite model (pair of shoes) from Kachorovska collections of all time is… always the last one we spend 2 years developing.
The country where you sell most of the products… Ukraine, but Romania is already the second.
You wanna have Kachorovska products in… every place in the world where the girls need them.
Your morning pleasure is… always the first glass of water and some music. 

Praising the freedom of movement since 1957, Kachorovska is a leading Ukrainian fashion brand with a distinct contemporary vibe created in Kyiv by the third generation of a shoemaking family. Operating its own full-cycle production facility, Kachorovska focuses on comfort, femininity, and modern aesthetics. The brand’s knowledge of foot anatomy and footwear design is based on more than 40 years of made-to-measure experience and is now transformed into unique designs and in-house research & development.

Photography: (c) KACHOROVSKA.