About us

💛 About Us — Written by Alla

Hello, I’m Alla a co-founder of KONDRA, and together with my husband Maksym, we’ve built this brand with love, trust and dedication.

I met Maksym when I was still a student. At that time, he had just started this business that was the very beginning, a dream taking its first steps. A month after we met, we decided to live together and started building everything side by side — our life, our relationship and our future. Since that day, we’ve been true partners in everything we do. We make every decision together, we face every challenge together and we’ve never been apart, not in life, not in business. That’s what family means to us.

In Ukraine, our small dream grew into a successful business that included several stores, a large warehouse and a close-knit team of artisans who handcrafted each bag with care. We worked side by side with them for years, learning, improving and always staying true to our values like honesty, quality and attention to detail.

When the war forced us to leave, everything changed. We arrived in the U.S. with no relatives, no language and no plan — just thought about safety. Learning English was our first big challenge and we still continue learning every day. America is a completely new world for us. It diverse, vibrant, full of opportunities and lessons.

Starting a business here from scratch hasn’t been easy. Everything is different, the systems, culture, people. But we never stop developing, we take courses, study marketing and learn what American women truly value. I’m now in my fourth year as a student at Washtenaw Community College, where I started with English and gradually moved into business studies. These classes help me better understand the American market, improve communication and grow as an entrepreneur. We keep learning because we believe that knowledge and persistence open new doors.

Our dream is to bring beauty, comfort and confidence through our handmade vegan leather handbags that made with love by our trusted artisans in Ukraine. Even though we are now far from our team, we stay connected every day. Each bag we offer is a symbol of teamwork between Ukraine and America, between craft and creativity, between heart and hands.

And now, this business has truly become a family affair. Our children love being part of it. For example, when new shipments arrive from Ukraine, they help us unpack boxes, arrange the bags and proudly talk about our work. Watching them grow up surrounded by creativity, care and love for what we do makes everything even more meaningful for us.

 

Many people ask what “KONDRA” means. The answer is simple — it comes from our family name, Kondratenko. We wanted something short, easy to pronounce and close to our hearts. The name KONDRA represents who we are, a family, a team and a shared dream. Our business has always been built on family values, and this name carries a piece of our story in every letter.

KONDRA is not just a brand. It’s our family story about love, perseverance and faith that good things grow when built with heart.

Thank you for reading our story and for believing in us. Every order, every kind word and every woman who chooses our bags becomes part of this journey - our shared story of hope, family, and new beginnings.