Zhytomyr brand Lehka Khoda (the name in Ukrainian means “Easy Walking”) is one of Ukraine’s largest hosiery manufacturers. Its origins date back to 1935 with the establishment of the Zhytomyr Hosiery Factory. Over the years, the company has undergone numerous transformations, through complete destruction during the Second World War to the sale of factory buildings to a private investor in 2021.
Now operating at a different location but still in Zhytomyr, Lehka Khoda produces up to half a million pairs of socks every month, supports the Armed Forces of Ukraine by supplying its products to defenders, and is diligently working on entering new international markets.
Famous Zhytomyr socks
Throughout its operation, the company’s products have become synonymous with quality – so much so that the term “Zhytomyr socks” has entered the vernacular among Ukrainians as an imaginary brand.
Roman Hlavatskyi, Lehka Khoda marketing specialist, says the company’s historic reputation for quality has supported its operations for decades – but it also had drawbacks.
“For us, (our reputation) was both a great support, always guarantying product sales during the independence period transformations, but also a significant challenge,” Hlavatskyi says. “First, socks from Zhytomyr were strongly associated with standard classic black, white, and grey products. Second, we faced the problem of counterfeiting.”
While the company did not have any formal rights to the folkloric “Zhytomyr Socks” brand – as no such brand even existed – they found that Ukrainians purchasing “Zhytomyr Socks” were quite sure they were buying the products of the renowned Zhytomyr Hosiery Factory. In fact, the city has many small enterprises that also produce socks, some of them using substandard materials.
“There were cheap but extremely uncomfortable socks made of so-called ‘regenerated cotton,’ which is actually made from recycled car tires, as well as Chinese products labelled ‘Zhytomyr’ – and these were only some of (the counterfeits),” Hlavatskyi says.
Introducing colour
He notes that overcoming this challenge was vital for the manufacturer, especially as it underwent the most significant transformation in its entire history, just a few years prior to Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. They revamped the brand, launched a modern online store, and relocated production. Finally, they moved away from solely producing the classic line of monochrome socks and launched a new line of coloured socks and tights. The impact was immediate: within the first few months, sales surged by 40%.
“You can’t stand still,” Hlavatskyi says, explaining the impetus for the changes at the company. “Modern consumers demand bright solutions. Now, we launch up to 10–15 new products for each season, i.e., four times a year. We follow trends and change designs and prints.”
The onset of the full-scale invasion only temporarily slowed the further development of the company: it stopped operations for just a few days, during the heavy shelling of the city in the first days of the large-scale war. Within weeks, however, it was back to operating at full capacity.
“We didn’t lay off any employees and continued paying salaries even while we were forced to suspend production. Besides, demand for our products didn’t fall much — and the army needed support,” Hlavatskyi adds.
Making ‘Made in Ukraine’ cool
They soon resumed work on developing the company. In addition to a largely “wholesale” store adjacent to the production site, the company opened Lehka Khoda branded store in Zhytomyr. This initiative was designed to educate consumers that not all “Zhytomyr Socks” were the real thing – the products of the famous factory.
Participation in the “Made in…” public relations campaign provided the company with considerable support in this. The campaign was organized as part of the EU4Business: SME Recovery, Competitiveness and Internationalization programme, supported by funding from the European Union and the German government.
Alongside Zhytomyr’s Lehka Khoda, local brands from five Ukrainian cities – Zhytomyr, Kamianets-Podilskyi, Uzhhorod, Ivano-Frankivsk, and Bila Tserkva – took part in the campaign.
To enhance recognition for the participants, the project team developed brands and brand books for local manufacturers, created online catalogues, and designed promotional items such as eco-bags, mugs, T-shirts, and posters. They also produced seven animated videos about local brands, thereby uniting producers from each city, along with 100 videos highlighting local enterprises.
“The results were almost instant: The number of customers in the new branded store rose considerably – people were coming specifically to buy our high-quality products,” says Hlavatskyi. “Online sales also grew. So we’re deeply grateful to (the EU4Business programme team) for organizing the campaign.”
The company is currently focused on entering new markets. Its products are already available in Poland and Germany, and negotiations with U.S. importers are underway. They are also making progress on producing socks for Western brands at Lehka Khoda’s facilities.
Furthermore, they remain committed to Ukrainian consumers, actively participating in fairs and similar public events in Zhytomyr. The brand aims to inspire and encourage fellow manufacturers to contribute to developing the local economy and the country as a whole, for a victorious future.
