Researchers for the Clean Clothes Campaign believe the number of Ukrainians involved in the apparel industry is actually far higher. They point out that there’s a huge informal, or “gray,” economy in Ukraine and suggest there are likely over 6,000 factories employing as many as 220,000 people.
“At the moment, everything is OK and we sent a shipment last on Saturday,” Savula explained. “But of course things could change any day. To be honest, we are very worried.” The export director of another apparel factory based in central Ukraine told WWD that they had fielded some concerned phone calls from European clients.
“If the business is already in the country and has invested in production, it would be impossible to make such sharp turnaround now, despite the news we hear,” Derevyanko said.