Jen Sidary Of Angel For Fashion: Five Life and Leadership Lessons I Learned From My Experience During The Russia-Ukraine War
Realize it’s ok to cry. Before the war on Ukraine, I rarely ever cried and now it happens to me often. Watching and hearing from the people of Ukraine I now cry more than I want to admit. Thankfully some stories have become tears of joy watching the country take back Kherson or blowing up the bridge linking Crimea to Russia but many of the tears come from sadness.
I had the pleasure of interviewing Jen Sidary.
As a chief merchant and seasoned e-Commerce expert specializing in luxury fashion, Jen Sidary has led and implemented partnerships between brands and established retailers from around the world, with a career spanning more than three decades. As an industry veteran and spending much of her time in Ukraine since the end of 2020, Sidary founded ANGELFORFASHION.com in April 2022 a multi-brand fashion eCommerce website to support Ukrainian designers and their companies survive the war. With the mission of nurturing the fashion industry there she also worked across several ambitious projects with USAID Competitive Economy Program as a fashion industry expert showcasing Ukrainian brands at New York and Paris Fashion Weeks. Prior to her work with Ukraine Ms. Sidary was the President of Vivienne Westwood America and the Head of Zappos Couture.
Thank you so much for doing this with us despite the very challenging circumstances. Our readers would love to get to know you a bit. Can you tell us a bit about your childhood “backstory”?
I have always been obsessed with fashion even from a very young age. My parents didn’t have a lot of money, but they worked extra hard to try and buy me fashionable and designer styles. I began working my first job at Baskin Robbins when I was fourteen years old so I could begin to afford even more of the fashion I desired. I went to college at The Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising in Los Angeles but always felt working hard would be key to my future success.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
“You always regret the things you don’t do more than the things you do” is the quote I live by. I am one of those people who wants to make things happen and when I have an idea, I just go do it. Although you might fail at least you tried and yes, some decisions have been the wrong ones for sure but still when I look back, I never seem to regret any of it. For example, I recently decided to leave America, pursue my dream of living in Europe by moving to Barcelona and in just a few short months I am now residing in Spain. I always say if not now when?
Are you working on any exciting new projects now with your business? How do you think that will help people?
Angel for Fashion was born just four days into the horrific war on Ukraine. One of the designers I was working with Alina Kachorovska called me from a bomb shelter asking how she would continue to sell the inventory in her stores, and I decided to launch a multi-brand Ukrainian website the very next day. As we launched with 30 of the most prominent Ukrainian fashion brands and over 800 products in just 30 days, I now need to focus on finding an investor to take the business to the next level. I feel this website will help showcase independent designers from around the world to a global audience and allow customers to explore newness instead of just buying from the same household names.
Ok, thank you for that. Let’s now move to the main part of our interview. I’m sure it might be challenging, but do you feel comfortable telling us a bit about your experience during the Russian invasion of Ukraine?
I always say it’s been the most inspiring and at the same time the most painful time in my life. As I began my journey to Ukraine in 2020, I now have many work colleagues and friends living there plus many people who are currently refugees outside the country. I hear the stories from them firsthand every day and the world can’t imagine what they are all going through. Somedays they are so strong or hopeful and other days I hear the heartbreak in their voices to which I can only listen and be there for them. It’s also been extremely hard to hear what’s really happening inside the country with all the extreme genocide from the Russian soldiers which has not all come out in the news yet. Once it all comes to light the world will know for a fact that Russia is a Terrorist State!
Can you share the most interesting story that you experienced during the War? What “take away” did you learn from that story?
It is the strength of the Ukrainian people as I am in awe of them every day. They are currently living with power for only a few hours a day and many times with no water. I can only imagine how they will handle this as it’s now beginning to get very cold. They also continue their work with constant air raid sirens as many of them refuse to leave their teams and the country they love. I honestly don’t know how they live this way as I’m not sure I could be this strong. It is magnificent to watch a country, its people and its government all fighting for the same cause…Freedom! This is something rarely seen in the world, and I hope to see more countries follow Ukraine’s perseverance.
We are interested in fleshing out what a hero is. Did you experience or hear about a story of heroism, during the War? Can you share that story with us? Feel free to be as elaborate as you’d like.
There are so many heroes in Ukraine it’s hard to narrow it down to just one. I know multiple Ukrainian fashion designers (men and women) who have joined the army and are currently fighting for their country. These people are true hero’s but so are the other designers on Angelforfashion.com. These designers are working even harder now to keep their businesses alive so they can continue to pay their employees. It is predominately a women’s industry and as most of the army is made up of men so the women must have jobs to continue to provide for their families. These Ukrainian brands are fighting diligently to keep their businesses alive and most of them have lost 60% to 90% of their sales since the unjust war on Ukraine.
Based on that story, how would you define what a “hero” is? Can you explain?
In my opinion a hero is an Angel who is a person that is helping support another person. Post the war on Ukraine I have realized Angels are everywhere and that really inspires me.
Can you share with our readers 5 Leadership or Life Lessons that you learned from your experience during the Russia-Ukraine war”? (Please share a story or example for each if you can.)
First remember it’s the people that change and shape our lives. We need to focus on being an Angel and not so focused on ourselves going forward.
Second, the smallest mitzvah can be the biggest gift to someone. A few days into the war I helped a girl who was working for me in Ukraine with some money as she and her family were fleeing the war. She didn’t even ask for the money, but I had it, so I offered it to her which helped them move and begin a new life in another country. She’s now instrumental in the success of Angel for Fashion as my Brand Manager and I can’t imagine how I could continue the website without her by my side.
Third, prepare for the unknown. Many people were unprepared for the war in Ukraine. It’s best to prepare for anything that might happen in our lives. I had friends who had left town with only a small suitcase or without their work laptop even though the threat on the country was eminent. Many of them have still not been able to return home and wish they had more of their belongings. Also, it’s taken many months especially in America for the refugees to get work permits in the countries they have landed in so it’s key to have some savings in case of an emergency.
Fourth, don’t just dream about it or talk about it just make it happen as life is so very short. I have always loved to explore new countries and their cultures so when I bought that one-way ticket to Ukraine my friends and family thought I was crazy. I felt very stuck at that point in my life and like nothing was inspiring me anymore. I was afraid I would never be inspired again but as you can see from this interview it was the best decision I ever made. It has changed my path in such a dramatic way, and I can’t imagine living without all my new friends from Ukraine who I now consider family.
Last, realize it’s ok to cry. Before the war on Ukraine, I rarely ever cried and now it happens to me often. Watching and hearing from the people of Ukraine I now cry more than I want to admit. Thankfully some stories have become tears of joy watching the country take back Kherson or blowing up the bridge linking Crimea to Russia but many of the tears come from sadness.
What do you believe are the characteristics or traits needed to survive a crisis?
Realize you aren’t alone and reach out for help when you need it. I have helped and supported many Ukrainians since the war broke out but ultimately, they really helped me. I’ve been working in a very shallow industry (fashion) for over thirty years and now I feel I’m finally doing something to give back. I feel extremely lucky that I took that leap of faith and bought that one-way ticket to Ukraine in the middle of a pandemic as my life is in such a better place now.
When you think of those traits, which person comes to mind? Can you explain why you chose that person?
I would say President Zelenskyy since from the minute the war broke out, he embodied every important trait. He didn’t leave his country and everyday he has continued to fight for their freedom and democracy. We are now nine months into the war, and he hasn’t even taken a day off working harder than I’m sure he ever thought he would. From everything I’ve seen he’s embodied every trait as he’s honest, brave, compassionate courageous, unselfish, loyal and a strong leader. The world needs more people like him in positions of power running countries.
What advice would you give to other leaders about the best way to manage a large team?
To be honest with all your team members. Employees have always told me it was hard at first that I was so direct with them, but they say it was nice to always know where they stand with me. I be sure to tell them when they are doing an incredible job but also when something needs to change.
None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?
My first mentor Susy Damon. She was the footwear buyer at Halls and took me to my first footwear market in Las Vegas. She told me later she brought me as she knew I would tell everyone she was great if she impressed me, and I did just that when I returned home from that magical trip. When she decided to leave the company, she worked hard to get me promoted into her position even though the management team didn’t feel I was ready. Thankfully she was so strong she convinced them to give me the job as the buyer and this jump started my career which is why I am where I am today. I can’t thank her enough for believing in me many years ago and will be forever grateful for her mentorship and friendship.
You are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. :-)
As I began a recovery effort in Ukraine for its fashion industry just four days into the war, I would like to take it even further. I hope to see big brands begin to move their production to Ukraine from other countries that don’t have the same standards as the Ukrainian factories. They are truly focused on sustainability long before other countries embraced this plus there is no child labor in Ukraine. If you want high quality products with an affordable price, please contact me so we can begin to make Made in Ukraine the wave of the future and really support the recovery effort in this incredible country.
What can our readers do to help the refugees caused by the Russian invasion of Ukraine?
To support the Ukrainian fashion industry by shopping on angelforfashion.com as the money goes directly to the brands and their employees. I created this platform to showcase all their outstanding talent and to give our customers (our Angels) an opportunity to buy a piece of their hearts. It’s an opportunity to support also receiving something in return. Normally when you just donate money you aren’t sure if the people on the ground will even receive it but in this case, you know it will and enable you to own some gorgeous Ukrainian fashion in the process.
Some of the biggest names in Business, VC funding, Sports, and Entertainment read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US with whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this if we tag them :-)
It would have to be Oprah Winfrey as we were recently in a segment on Extra TV together about the cruel war on Ukraine. It was such an honor to have Angel for Fashion featured in the same segment as such an icon and I was hoping to get in contact with her. I would be absolutely overwhelmed if she contacted me!
Thank you so much for these amazing insights. This was truly uplifting.
