Tell us a little about your team and your project.

My name is Anna and I am the author of the AGAPE handicrafts project. I am engaged in the communication, promotion, visual part of the project. I speak its language and see through its eyes. 

Our brand is about family -  the designer is my mother, and the name itself is part of our last name, which means "unconditional love" in Greek and carries a symbolic meaning. 

For as long as I can remember, my mother has always been a creator. The creativity in all its forms passed through her whole life as an invisible energy that finds its manifestation through her hands. 

We work exclusively with natural precious materials: silver and natural pearls. We create not just objects -  we create a new self-awareness of a woman, broadcasting unconditional love and deep inner respect in every detail under the name AGAPE. 

There are two more wonderful talented people, whom we affectionately call “fairies-godmothers”: the master Marina and our incredibly responsible and structural Vlada. Vlada is my very close friend, and also the most generous and humorous person on the planet (no exaggeration). 

Our team has combined family values ​​and business processes, and those used to be completely opposite concepts for me. I am happy that life gave me the opportunity to create in such an atmosphere and I am sure this is one of the main factors why our products resonate in the hearts of women.

We also cooperate with several other people –  jeweler, advertising specialist, and other contractors. There is also something to tell about them, but this will be a new story from the next series (stay tuned!).

Our project was born back in 2018, as a small creative and completely non-commercial project, where word of mouth was the main promotion channel. The official launch date is July 2019. The project was born, oddly enough, out of love - from a beautiful and bright event - a wedding in the mountains of Georgia. 

My mom made fabulous dresses for us, but there was a problem with accessories. At the same time, we decided to create them ourselves - embroidered pearl earrings with an abstract scattering of pearls and a lace pendant with miniature pearls, which delicately framed the open back of an airy dress.

Having gone through all the stages of stress and total loss, we, as before, try to trust the truly feminine gift - intuition, because it all started with it. We feel in our hearts that our baby AGAPE will courageously endure all the trials and adapt to new conditions, opening up new perspectives and opportunities.

Who is your muse?

When we were just launching, a similar question from a graphic designer made me blurt out without a shadow of a doubt - Julia Pelipas (she's Ukrainian stylist and fashion director). But today, a few years later (Julia still fascinates me!), I would say with the same confidence simply and succinctly: our heroine is just EVERY WOMAN. Yes, perhaps this is rather abstract, but in the deepest sense of the word, a woman is an unlimited source of all kinds of manifestations and, accordingly, the opportunity to be different, but, invariably, to love and be loved unconditionally.

What are you planning to do after the victory?

1. See, think and act more broadly;
2. Work with international markets and new promotion channels;
3. Expand the team;
4. Open our own showroom in the beloved Kyiv;
5. Strengthen the social activity of our project.

Is there anything you would like to add?

Our project subtly translates truly feminine states, an external manifestation of the inner: absolute acceptance, subtlety and elegance of gestures and self-respect. A modest luxury to express yourself through details, because they sometimes whisper louder than the most sonorous epithets. 

Our jewelry is sure to resonate with those who feel the special magic and value of handmade, their own uniqueness and subtlety of the harmonious union of pearls in the gentle embrace of silver.

We produce each of our pieces individually, putting into each pearl a message about the uniqueness, fullness and originality of the woman soul.