Olga Ivanidi

I attribute my success to the resilience that comes from my Ukrainian culture. I don't take no for an answer - I understand it, but I will push forward. If I have a goal, if I have an idea in my mind, I will make it happen. I work hard past any issues or obstacles. I've learned so much from working with Ukrainians who came here because of the war over the past four years. I'm amazed by their resilience - some people lost everything, their homes, their relatives, and they came here and are still achieving big things. They're becoming famous photographers, videographers, makeup artists, designers in New York, and they don't stop. They have talent and they want to show it to the world, and I'm like, well, who am I not to follow in their footsteps? This resilience that my people have is really something to admire, and I attribute my success to me being Ukrainian.

One of my Ukrainian designers told me something that really stuck with me: when you're no one yet in this industry and you're struggling to get everyone together and organized, very few people will be with you and support you until you succeed and make a name for yourself. But once your name is out there, lots of people will want to be next to you and act as if they've been with you all this time. However, you need to remember those few people who were with you when you were no one, when they believed in your ideas. They’re your true friends. Over the years, even the past few years hosting many shows, I remember just a few people who’ve stayed loyal. I’m grateful to them and try to hype them up in return.

Another piece of advice that's really cheesy but I lived through it: have a thick skin to the word “no” . Actually, I love the word “no”, because when I reach out to someone and they tell me no, they're saving myself time and saving them time. I used to be so sensitive at first, but now I just move on.

Look out - not everyone is a really good person. Sometimes they want to take advantage of you, and I'm not talking only about men. Just overall, the predator behavior of some so-called agencies who basically just want to take your money and won't promote you, and photographers and videographers who turn out to also be predators. I've encountered that myself as a model, and it doesn't matter what your age is, whether you're really young or even older. Look out for yourself and learn to say no. See if some opportunities will actually benefit you or not, whether they will help you or take advantage of you. Learn to stand up for yourself and know why you're doing this.

I think one of the challenges is that there are too many production companies doing shows, but I don't see why they're doing them. They just want to make money and don't give anything in return to designers or models. For me, behind every production and every event, there should be a story, there should be a reason why you're doing this. Is it a charitable show? Is it the representation of a specific minority or group of people? I've been to many productions in New York just for research purposes, and they don't have any background, any story about it. They are saturating the market and making it harder for younger productions that do have a purpose to blossom and find their audience.

Another challenge is that people like to watch everything online. AI has taken over and it's a blessing and a curse. Many models are worried that AI will replace them. Yes and no. Even big brands like H&M and Zara are using AI models in their catalogs and websites, but smaller brands and those who are developing want to use real people, real models to tell their stories. What I've learned doing Fashion 4 Ukraine is that collaboration is the key to growth on Instagram and overall. Before each show, we do shoots with our designers and models, we collaborate, our followers grow, people want to see real people in those clothes. Some bigger companies will probably switch to AI at some point, but smaller brands and brands who want to grow will still keep using and working with real models.

Honesty is one of my core values. In business, I believe it’s always better to be upfront. If you can’t do something, say so. If you made a mistake, own it. Problems are easier to solve when people are honest, and the truth always comes out eventually.

I’ve also learned the importance of giving yourself grace. Growing up in a post-Soviet culture, there was a lot of pressure to be perfect and worry about what others think. But perfection is impossible.

When I produced my first fashion shows, I was hard on myself over mistakes no one else even noticed. Living in America taught me to be kinder to myself, and embrace imperfection.