Who is behind ViViV?
Hi, my name is Halyna. I was born in Ukraine (1978) and grew up there. In 2002, I moved to Basel and worked for over 14 years in a big, multinational company in the areas of Strategy, Marketing and Procurement.
I have always been dreaming of an own business, and in October 2015, I took the challenge to apply my knowledge to my own entrepreneurial project. Thereby, I am inspired by my two children (born 2010 and 2013) and greatly supported by the rest of the family and friends.
What does ViViV mean?
The brand name ViViV was created by our two-year old son Julius. In his own language it means “bicycle”.
Thus, ViViV - [vᴉ: vᴉ: v] – Julius – bicycle.
The playful girl in our logo was originally painted by our five-year old daughter Uliana.
We also would like to assure you that this is the only form of child labour that was used for our products.))
What DOES ViViV stand for?
ViViV is like hand-made!
Did you ever notice that hand-made clothing usually is much more colorful, vivid and inspiring than conventional clothing sold in stores? With ViViV we aim to make hand-made style accessible for everyone who likes it, irrespective of whether one knows how, or has time, to sew. Our clothing is designed by two Swiss designers, located in Basel, that usually produce only single pieces. We also aim to preserve the intimacy of single pieces by reproducing them only in limited numbers.
ViViV is cozy!
We produce outfits that are extremely cozy and comfortable to wear for everyday. We aim to reduce the number of buttons, zips and such and use elastic ribbons instead. ViViV is truly kids` clothing, not just a tiny copy of adult wears.
ViViV is European!
All fabrics for our clothing are produced in Europe (incl. Turkey) by known fabric manufactures Stenzo (the Netherlands), Swafing (Germany), Polytex Stoffen (the Netherlands) and Albstoffe (Germany). Our clothing is sewn at a small family-owned production facility in Ukraine.
ViViV is eco-friendly!
Currently the majority of fabrics used in ViViV clothing have either GOTS or kbA Bio or Öko-Tex Standard 100 certifications. In the future we aim to produce exclusively from fabrics that have any of those three certificates and grow the proportion of GOTS and kBA Bio over time. You can find explanations of above-mentioned certifications here (in German).
ViViV is fair!
Our fairness applies for both - our producers and our customers.
Due to regular and direct contacts with factory management and employees, we make sure that seamstresses are working under comfortable conditions and are paid according to, or above, market rates. Cost is not the only driver behind our production location. We also consider social aspects.
ViViV is also fair towards its customers. We work with very slim margins and don’t overcharge – thus, please, do not expect from us sales with 70% or 50% off.
How Does ViViV help others?
Because our clothing is produced in Ukraine, a country currently suffering from severe economic crises caused by war, ViViV helps about 10 individuals to get through a difficult time. In addition, 5% of our sales will be spent to equip a children’s library in a village near where ViViV clothing is sewn. We are starting small with our social project as our business is just taking off, although our goal is to purchase and hand over books valued at approximately 500 Swiss Francs. You have also an option to support this project without buying ViViV Products.
Where is ViViV clothing produced?
Our clothing is sewn in a small family-owned production facility in the west Ukrainian town of Lviv (Lemberg). It is very important to us that people who produce our clothing receive fair remuneration and work under safe conditions.
