The Kyiv Independent is partnering with Saint Javelin, the team behind the iconic symbol of Ukraine’s resistance and a social enterprise that donated over $2 million to Ukraine as it fights Russian aggression. Together, we are launching a merch collection.
All the net profits from the sales will be donated to Hospitallers, a Ukrainian volunteer organization of paramedics who save lives on the front line of Russia’s war.
"I’m really happy that Saint Javelin could work with the Kyiv Independent on this joint collection. Many of the journalists at KI have been reporting on Ukraine for years, and this year, their stories made a global impact," says Christian Borys, the founder of Saint Javelin.
The central symbol of the collection is Archangel Michael, the protector and one of the main symbols of Kyiv. The collection includes T-shirts, sweaters, long sleeves and hats featuring Archangel Michael.
"We chose to highlight Kyiv, embodied by Archangel Michael, to help our audience learn more about the cultural hub that Kyiv has become. The Ukrainian capital has become a symbol of bravery, strength, and an unbreakable spirit for millions of people around the world," Borys says.
As part of the collection, the Kyiv Independent also prints its official brand merchandise for the first time. It will be exclusively available on the Saint Javelin website for a limited period of time.
"We are very excited to partner with Saint Javelin and raise money for Ukraine’s volunteer paramedics. I can’t think of a better cause and moment to start offering our first official brand merch," says Zakhar Protsiuk, the Kyiv Independent's chief development officer.
All members of the Kyiv Independent’s Patreon will receive a promo code to shop Saint Javelin’s products, including our joint collection (You can join our Patreon community here).
Hospitallers, a Ukrainian volunteer organization of paramedics, was founded by medical volunteer Yana Zinkevych at the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2014.
Since then, Hospitallers have grown to become one the biggest paramedical organizations in Ukraine. Currently, more than 360 “hospitallers” are working on the front line. All the money raised from the campaign will be used on tactical medicine kits for the organization’s paramedics.
Saint Javelin is a social enterprise created by Christian Borys, a Canadian marketer who was a journalist in Ukraine in 2014-2019. Saint Javelin started as a one-person effort to support Ukraine ahead of the looming full-scale invasion in February 2022. Now it has a team of 12 people that have sold 200,000 products and donated over $2 million to Ukraine as it continues to fight Russia’s aggression.
Buy merch from the joint collection of the Kyiv Independent and Saint Javelin here.
