The Boot Brand Forced to Start Again After Russia's Invasion

Voylok, maker of sustainable footwear, had to pivot to survive

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In February, start-up brand Voylok launched its website. A week later Russia invaded Ukraine.

The brand had been working for a year to build an ecommerce platform to sell traditional boots handcrafted in Northern Russia and sold from the U.K. After the invasion, the burgeoning brand became untouchable. It is still fighting to survive five months later.

The test for the brand’s chief marketing officer, Bronwen Foster-Butler, was to fight the impulse to stand her ground out of hubris.

“The more people pushed back, the more defensive I got,” she told Adweek.

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