SVAN
Design and manufacture casual, work and special clothing
In General
SVAN is a designer and manufacturer of casual, work and special clothing, as well as uniforms for security personnel and for advertising campaigns. Its products are targeted primarily to the Ukrainian market. It was founded in 1993 as a family business, which it remains to this day. The company stands at the center of a consortium of independently owned and operated clothing manufacturers. SVAN develops its designs, creates prototypes and markets them. If the item is particularly sophisticated or if the quantity is limited, SVAN produces it. Otherwise, the company subcontracts the work to a member of the consortium.
In other words, SVAN is primarily a design and production laboratory as well as a marketing organization. It maintains a staff of only about 60 employees. Their main volume of goods, which is always under SVAN’s control, flows from the consortium. That way, the company can profitably handle orders for as few as 50 to 100 units all the way up to quantities in the tens of thousands.
Growth and Future Plans
During Ukraine’s Soviet era, work clothes and uniforms were largely drab affairs and not attractive. Since 1991, this specialized segment of the Ukrainian clothing market has blossomed. SVAN’s annual revenue has topped $1 million dollars, and sales are now increasing at the rate of 30%. Similar increases are expected for the foreseeable future.
SVAN is developing a new business -- selling fabric at the wholesale level. This new venture is a way of leveraging its knowledge of clothing trends and fabric sources of supply.
Distinctive Characteristics
SVAN products are distinguished by consistently high quality, practicality
and durability. The company is careful and selective in hiring new
employees (primarily young specialists), prides itself on its ability to
collaborate effectively with customers and has developed well-honed skills
in responding to the shifting tastes of its market. It maintains a firm
policy of integrity and respect for all the parties it does business with.
Goals for Ohio Visit
SVAN is looking for representation in the United States. They would like to
become both a subcontractor of related U.S. companies and a distributor of
their goods, including special protection apparel or sewing equipment. The
company believes its specialized products can sell well in the competitive
U.S. market because of their high quality and price advantage. In addition,
SVAN would like to represent U.S. manufacturers of complementary products in
Ukraine. One particular area of interest is in protective and disposable
clothing for workers in the nuclear, mining, chemical and oil industries.
Svan would also like to meet with textile manufacturers or distributors to
explore possible areas of interest leading to a joint venture. Another
specific interest is printing on textiles.
