We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Viktoriia Zolotova a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Viktoriia thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. We’d love to have you retell us the story behind how you came up with the idea for your business, I think our audience would really enjoy hearing the backstory.

I actually never planned to enter the fashion industry. My background has always been in digital marketing and startup business development. For years, I organized business tours for entrepreneurs — helping them explore new markets, build connections, and refine their go-to-market strategies. These tours were rooted in structure, scale, and systems — very startup-driven thinking.

One day, during a startup-focused business tour, a participant approached me and said, “Why don’t you do the same for fashion entrepreneurs?” At the time, I honestly didn’t think I had anything to offer. I thought fashion was all about aesthetics — stylish people, beautiful images, creative energy — and that my skill set had no place in that world.

But curiosity won. I launched my first tour specifically for emerging fashion brands, and something clicked. I quickly realized that most of the fashion designers I met were incredibly talented creatively but lacked structure when it came to business. They were artists — amazing at creating collections, vision, storytelling — but really struggled with operations, brand positioning, scaling, or even understanding their customer journey. And that’s when I saw a huge gap.

Fashion didn’t need more creatives — it needed more clarity, strategy, and systems. That’s where I could help.

So I started building services tailored for emerging fashion brands. At first, everything grew organically from the tours — we’d visit fashion capitals like New York, Milan, Paris, Seoul, and Shanghai during Fashion Weeks, and I’d organize strategic meetings based on the participants’ needs. But when the pandemic hit and travel stopped, I realized our real value wasn’t in the tours themselves, but in what they enabled — the know-how and support to expand into new markets.

I transformed all the knowledge and connections I had built into a more scalable model: boutique services for fashion brands. Then we launched a fashion accelerator — almost like a startup sprint — helping designers go from idea to launch. We adapted startup methods to fashion, and it worked. That’s when I knew this was a truly worthwhile endeavor. The energy and gratitude from our clients, the real results, the excitement of helping a vision become a business — it all confirmed that this wasn’t just a niche, it was a necessity.

Now, years later, we’ve built a boutique agency that supports fashion brands at every stage — from concept and collection planning to brand strategy, scaling, and international expansion. My passion lies in bridging creativity with strategy, and helping designers do what they do best — create — while we take care of the structure that allows their vision to grow.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

My journey into the fashion industry began far from it — rooted in marketing, branding, and startup acceleration. I studied marketing at the University for Human Development and spent nearly a decade working across various advertising agencies — from traditional and digital to production and creative content. I eventually became Managing Director of a school for interactive communications, where we helped transition advertising professionals into the digital age, organizing global exchange campuses across Europe and the U.S.

Later, I continued to deepen my education, taking specialized programs in:
• Brand identity and brand house building at the University of Michigan (U.S.),
• Fashion branding and business at VOGUE College (online),
• Startup packaging and concept development at Eli University in San Francisco.

I initially entered the fashion world through organizing business tours for startup founders. One day, a participant asked me to create something similar for fashion entrepreneurs. At the time, I didn’t see how my experience could translate into the fashion world — I saw fashion as pure aesthetics. But when I did dive in, I realized something crucial: most emerging designers were visionaries, not businesspeople. They struggled with structure, positioning, and long-term growth strategies.

That’s when I saw the opportunity to bring real startup and marketing logic into fashion.

Today, through my boutique agency, we support emerging fashion brands across every stage of growth. We help with:
• Brand strategy and positioning
• Market/category analysis and audience segmentation
• Developing brand concept, identity, and naming
• Creating content: lookbooks, campaigns, brandbooks
• Website development, e-commerce, and digital marketing
• Influencer marketing, PR strategy, and product placement
• Production/manufacturing support and international expansion

What sets us apart is our hybrid approach: we combine the creativity and emotion of fashion with the structure, logic, and clarity of startup and business thinking. We help our clients not only dream but scale.

I’m most proud of the results we’ve achieved for our clients:
• We’ve helped over 10 brands launch from scratch — starting with nothing more than an idea, and now you can actually buy their products in real markets.
• We’ve helped brands generate $5–10K/month in revenue within their first 6 months in the U.S. — entirely from scratch. Some of them have 250 k + -300+ k per year. yes it is not too much but for emerging brands it is totally fine
• We’ve expanded clients into global markets, including the U.S. and Dubai, where over 10 brands are actively selling now.
• Our clients have been featured in Vogue, Elle, Harper’s Bazaar, HELLO!, and more — thanks to smart PR strategy and organic collaborations.

Some of the brands I’ve helped develop or launch on international markets include Monosuit, Elsava Boutique, MyMokondo, Volky, YlyNx, ShantiMa, Cioccolato Couture, Foxy Lab, Etalon, Nobelique — just to name a few.

We don’t just consult — we co-create, co-build, and walk with brands every step of the way. Because I truly believe that behind every emerging brand is not just a product — but a story worth growing.

How did you put together the initial capital you needed to start your business?

started my business with my own personal savings — no investors, no outside funding, just pure resourcefulness, determination, and belief in the idea. When I was first exploring the idea of business tours for fashion entrepreneurs, I invested around $500 to build a simple landing page and website. I did everything manually — writing proposals, pitching the idea to potential participants, and building the structure from scratch. The biggest investment wasn’t financial — it was time, effort, and persistence.

In those early days, all I really needed was a laptop, internet, a phone, and grit. I knew that if I sent 100 emails, 10 people might reply, and 2 or 3 might become clients. I didn’t hire a team until the business started generating enough revenue to sustain itself. From the very beginning, every next step was funded from turnover — I would reinvest income into growth.

At the same time, I continued freelancing in digital marketing for other clients. The income I earned from those side projects helped me fund paid ads, marketing, and tools for my new business — while it was still taking off. It was a real startup in every sense: built from scratch, tested in the real world, grown organically without external funding.

Later, I was able to attract occasional sponsorships or partnerships for specific events, which helped offset launch costs for some larger projects. But overall, my approach has always been to grow sustainably and responsibly, based on real demand and customer value.

Today, in addition to the core agency services, I also generate income through consultations, workshops, and digital courses. One of them — our fashion business sprint accelerator — is still available on demand. Some clients work with us on one-off projects, while others are on long-term retainers. And I always work on a prepayment basis — it ensures clarity, commitment, and respect on both sides.

What I’m most proud of is the fact that I built this business entirely on my own — tested the idea, validated the model, and scaled it step by step without external help. It grew not because of funding, but because people saw value in what we offered — and that made all the difference.

Do you sell on your site, or do you use a platform like Amazon, Etsy, Cratejoy, etc?

For my own services, I primarily sell through my website and direct outreach. Many of my clients also come through word-of-mouth referrals — which I value deeply, as they speak to the trust and results we’ve built over time.

When it comes to e-commerce strategy for the fashion brands we work with, the choice of platform is always tailored to their niche, positioning, and long-term goals. For some, Amazon or Etsy can be a good starting point, especially for volume or artisanal visibility. Others are a better fit for curated platforms like Wolf & Badger, Revolve, or have aspirations to be stocked on Farfetch.

However, some brands choose to avoid third-party platforms altogether. In those cases, we may initially test one or two marketplaces to generate early traction and cash flow, but our focus is on gradually building strong direct-to-consumer (DTC) channels and B2B wholesale relationships — so the brand becomes less dependent on marketplaces over time.

Of course, selling through your own website is ideal — you maintain control over branding, data, and avoid platform commissions. But for that to work well, the brand must already have solid awareness, targeted traffic, and conversion mechanisms in place — such as influencer campaigns, PR exposure, and effective digital marketing funnels.

In short, there’s no one-size-fits-all. We believe in smart sequencing: using third-party platforms as a launchpad, but always with the goal of building a sustainable, direct brand ecosystem that grows with the founder’s vision.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://fashionovation.us/about_eng
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fashionovation.official/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fashionovation
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCePqvL0HZOqlpqttt7Lkl1A

Image Credits

My personal photos