Dream Makers

Former fashion editors Kate Zubarieva and Asya Varetsa co-founded ethical sleepwear company Sleeper in Kiev at the height of the Ukrainian Revolution of Dignity in 2014.

While their country was in a state of unrest with an uncertain future, the duo were determined to find a silver lining. Explaining how they conceived their brand, the duo explains: "We have always favoured the idea of effortless chic in our everyday life. We wanted to create pajamas that could go beyond its original and expected purpose. That's what inspired us."

Sleeper, which is affectionately known as "the uniform for happiness" to its founders, was a self-funded project with a startup capital of US$2,000. Today, the brand is stocked in Barneys and other top American retailers and their sales have grown 500 per cent since their launch. Loved by influential fashion personalities such as Leandra Medine of Man Repeller and fashion journalist Pandora Sykes among others, the brand has also earned lots of praise in the fashion industry particularly from the late editor-in-chief of Vogue Italia Franca Sozzani, who named Sleeper "the brand of the month" when they launched their first collection.