In early March 2022, they were looking at each other through the window. It was a window of the evacuation train. The crowd on the railway platform of Dnipro, a major industrial city in central Ukraine, was desperately yelling and pushing into the full railway cars. War came extremely close; days ago, the enemy captured a nuclear station near the city. She departs with the children for Austria, from which her ancestors came, without a clear plan for the future. He stays in the country, from which men were forbidden to leave. They had no clue when they would see each other again, or if they would. The business was severely damaged, and only five tailors remained – the rest had departed for safer countries. But what looked like the end of the story became the beginning of a new dawn. After three years from this point, ANNAFOXY’s factory sent orders monthly to 25 countries, became a participant in NYFW, and was featured as a new discovery on Farfetch.com.
Meet them again:
Anna Myrgorodska, creative director and co-founder of annafoxy.com
Dennis Myrgorodskyi, operating co-founder of annafoxy.com
The Beginning
Can you take us back to the beginning — how did the idea for your brand come to life?
Anna: I think it was always a part of me, as my style and aesthetic perception. As long as I can remember, I have not been satisfied with the clothes I bought and have remade everything I purchased. I was sharpening with a sense of self-expression until I reached the ultimate approach, combining the most luxurious soft-touch fabric with minimalist design. The idea was (and is) to get rid of everything that distracts from the natural beauty of an attractive, feminine body itself and emphasize its attractiveness. When I was pregnant with my daughter (2015), I finally decided to dedicate my professional life to the fashion industry.
What inspired you to start with sportswear and swimwear?
Anna: I was spending a lot of time on my sports training. At the time, I found that most sportswear brands avoided bright colors, opting instead for black, grey, and faded tones. They compete primarily in the field of price, using cheap, uncomfortable fabrics. Permanent hurry-ups at the sewing factories lead to simple constructiveness, characterized by awkward, rude stitches that irritate the skin, especially in sensitive places.
I decided to bring the best from the luxury approach to sportswear, utilizing the finest possible (and bright, yet humorous) fabrics, as well as accurate and thin radial stitches (featured in the style of some ANNAFOXY items to date). It makes sportswear so distinct that many have adopted it as casual apparel, ultimately creating demand for the brand. But even today, you see the traits of this “sporty” style almost in every one of our collections.
One of the points I am especially concerned with is the operational perfection of every item. It means that every one of our items should be perfect, both on the outside and on the inside, every stitch straight and geometrically irreproachable. I see that many, even highly respected brands, neglect it and make the inner side careless, rushing for profit.
What were some of the biggest challenges in those early days?
Denys: With our strict requirements for craftsmanship and quality, having our production facilities is crucial. No one subcontractor in the fashion area has an interest in detail perfection; their business requires speed and mass production. Those who seek deep details refinement are doomed to develop their factories with a long cycle of personal advancement.
That’s what we started doing in 2016.
You cannot create such an entity within a year; tailors’ improvement takes decades. But social stress, like war or a natural disaster, can blow you back for years. Only unbelievable fortitude and persistence of the Ukrainian part of our team helped to reload and even enlarge the factory when the war began.
We are now working with facility development in other countries to mitigate production risks.
Brand Evolution
How has the brand evolved over the past 10 years?
Anna: It happened naturally, like regular teeth replace milk teeth in children.
I was always drawn to expensive fabrics and the exclusive quality of tailoring. Some people appreciate it in the gym, but not many. The niche of “sports luxury” is relatively thin. Most people do not care about their look in the gym; for them, training is not a catwalk. Expensive fabric is not widely used in sports.
Many of our clients have become accustomed to our sportswear as a casual option, and they demand more choices, which I have responded to.
How do you define the essence of your brand today?
Anna: Today, it is a luxury, minimalist daily brand focused on natural, feminine beauty. We are not pursuing brightness, but rather perfection in detail. We are not attracting attention through our clothing, but rather through the woman herself. Clothes here serve as a tool to accentuate her best features and reveal her natural beauty.
Our slogan, “Created by a woman, inspired by a woman,” is not just words. I frankly believe that nobody can feel the need of a woman so deeply as other women. Our mission is to recognize these needs and respond to them, staying true to our core values (perfect details, best soft-touch fabrics, daily comfort).
Personal Influence
Anna, your personal style and experience clearly shaped the brand. Can you tell us more about how your own needs and tastes translated into the collections?
Anna: I always believed that simplicity is a sign of good taste. That is why the most attractive women are the most polished ones; they do not need much lace and embroidery to express themselves. They can boldly express their feminine nature as it is, and the apparel should not distract from it, but rather accentuate it.
First of all, a woman should accept herself in the mirror without clothes; it’s a basic principle. After she can decorate herself, including with the apparel, but cherishing the same expression of acceptance of herself, not the garment on her. If our clothes help her, we have accomplished our mission.
How important is femininity and personal expression in your design process?
Anna: For me, it is essential to create every item that looks feminine on the body. Femininity is the silhouette. There is no femininity without it. Therefore, you see in every ANNAFOXY’s drop or the collection items that are highly concentrated in the silhouette highlights.
Every concept I try personally on myself before it comes as an item. It also motivates me a lot to work on my silhouette after following a diet, training, and cosmetology treatments. Some of our clients said that ANNAFOXY clothes were inceptive for them to fight against excessive weight and keep their silhouette in shape.
Design & Quality Philosophy
What principles guide you when choosing fabrics and designing garments?
Anna: We all assess fabrics based on tactile sensations; everyone loves a soft and gentle touch, as well as breathable materials. The “A Second Skin” concept is crucial for me; it means that the best materials are those that you don’t think about during the day, so they naturally lie against the body. Mostly pleasant sensations come from plant fibers, but surprisingly, we found a bench of synthetic material made from recycled plastic waste that feels perfect to the touch.
I have very sensitive skin, which serves as a reliable indicator for fabric selection. And I am using this “instrument” with high intensity. No fabric can enter the design process or production without my personal test and approval. Additionally, we subject new items to a severe challenge before their release, washing them for a dozen cycles to test how the fabric will withstand such a trial. It’s no surprise that our selection consists of fabrics from elite European producers; currently, we do not use any from the far east of Turkey.
We employ a similar approach for the remaining garments, focusing on reliability, durability, and a refined touch. For instance, we use threads from only one of the German factories, as a study has shown that they are most proven for withstanding many washing cycles without losing integrity. By the way, most of the “fast fashion” companies have the opposite intention; they use the threads that are vulnerable to water and laundry detergent.
You’ve been critical of the quality in well-known sportswear brands — how do you ensure your products deliver on your standards?
Anna: I believe we have one of the strictest quality controls in the industry. Every item, before delivery to the client, undergoes a quality double check. As I mentioned earlier, we don’t make a distinction between “what people see” and “what they don’t” in our clothes. Every hidden stitch should be as perfect as the outer one. Perhaps people don’t notice it, but when you’re aware of it, it makes you feel more confident and brings you one step closer to perfection.
Turning Points
What have been some key turning points or breakthroughs for the brand?
Denys: Before 2022, we had been primarily oriented towards the internal market and the countries of the former Soviet Union (such as Belarus, Kazakhstan, etc.). Even at the end of 2021, some Russian retail chains were reaching out to us to negotiate distribution rights. In one day, everything changed; we stopped trading with old markets and turned to the markets of the US, UK, and EU. It was the moment of the great challenge. We relocated our headquarters to Austria, updated our IT infrastructure and payment systems, and adapted our products to new market preferences. We have changed the logistics scheme, marketing approach, and restored the production facility. It was in many senses a turning point.
The decision pays off quickly. Heavyweight fashion media immediately took notice of our presence. We approached the New York Fashion Week show in February 2025 and swiftly came to Farfetch, where we trade intensively on a daily basis.
Were there any moments of doubt or reinvention?
Anna: Of course, who hasn’t? I often have doubts during the creation of new models, and I revise the drafts many times until I feel that every detail is almost perfect. Only one item among three or four drafts reaches final release.
When I moved to Austria, I was seriously considering rebranding, but my husband talked me out of doing so. I realized that we have thousands of ANNAFOXY devoted clients and followers who appreciate the style and remain loyal to the brand. So we move forward.
The Present & Audience
Who do you see as your customer today?
Denys: When we research typical profiles of our most devoted clients, we jokingly call them “a Superwoman”. But it is a joke only in part; they have a bit of superpower. Most of them are independent professionals who own their businesses or play a significant role in a large company, but at the same time, our superwomen are also very successful in many other social roles. They are beloved wives (or girlfriends) and caring mothers; they are sporty and take care of their appearance, socially active, and dedicated community members. And whatever they do to have a great look is very important for them.
We have noticed that many of our customers are celebrities, including actors and TV show stars. Still, we also encounter a significant number of very successful women who, although not as famous, deserve just as much admiration for their accomplishments in life.
How do you maintain a connection with your audience in such a competitive fashion landscape?
Anna: Today, social networks are the perfect tool for keeping in touch with our audience. I tried to review all the messaging on the brand’s Instagram page to understand clients’ needs and concerns, and I always feel happy when I see their reviews and links to the page.
Once a week, we have a team meeting to discuss emails and non-typical client situations, resolve problems, or find ways to improve the clients’ experience. We have a handful of returns and always analyze why the client was not satisfied with her choice.
As an option, we are exploring opportunities with a trusted agency to host a client and media event in California, where many of our permanent clients reside.