Ukrainian brand RBTNK, founded by combat medic Iordan Konstantinidi, presented the fourth chapter of the project ‘Keep the memory of your hero’, this time dedicated to the culture of remembrance. The brand’s new item is memorial bracelets with customized engraving, created from stainless steel.
About the concept of the new part
RBTNK’s new drop is dedicated to the people who have lost their lives in russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine: soldiers, civilians, and ‘everyone who became part of the struggle’.
‘The winner is the one who remembers’ is the slogan of the chapter, which is to ‘remind us of the importance of memory, which lives on because of each one of us’.
‘Every day is filled with memories and stories of those whose lives were taken by the war. Some of them I knew personally, some of them I can only read about in reports, and a month ago a comrade from my unit died. Every day death accompanies me and not only me’, Iordan says, calling this chapter ‘the most difficult for him today’.
According to Konstantinidi, the concept around the theme of remembrance was inspired by a Ukrainian military officer who asked him to create a metal bracelet engraved with the name of his fallen comrade. Such ‘memorial bracelets’, or KIA (Kill in Action) bracelets, are a popular commemorative item mainly in the United States.
‘Such bracelets are worn by American soldiers and civilians. They have a strong memorial culture, and in addition to personal dog tags, which can also be things that are cherished by family, they have bracelets — they can be created by a fellow soldier, a friend or even a stranger who wants to wear the memory of someone who gave his life for independence’.
Iordan adds: ‘This chapter is my small contribution to our country’s memorial culture because it is created from memories. A culture of remembrance is an integral part of victory because memory is an inexhaustible source of strength. The bracelet became an opportunity to wear that memory, to embody it in an object to remind ourselves and others why we continue to fight’.
About the bracelets
The accessories are created in the form of a molded open bracelet. The bracelets are made of machined stainless steel with a matte effect.
Engraving can be done in three variants: with full information about the person (first name, last name, call sign, date of birth and death), only with the call sign, name or a short quote, or with a longer memorable phrase, coordinates or other element that the customer wants to put on the bracelet
You can order the accessory on the RBTNK website. In addition to one of three design options, you can choose between two thickness options.
About the digital memorial platform
Along with physical jewelry, RBTNK has also created a digital memorial platform to honor the memory of loved ones — those who wish to do so can share a story or memory about them in text format. This can be done using a special form.
Members of the brand team explain that this is how they ‘seek to foster a culture of remembrance for heroes who are gone but have left an enduring legacy’.
There are already 13 real-life stories on the digital memorial platform.
More about RBTNK
Iordan Konstantinidi founded the Rabotnik brand in 2021. According to him, he and his team were developing a new project for his brand in 2022, but everything came to a halt after a full-scale war broke out. Konstantinidi joined the AFU, first as an orderly and then as a combat medic. He is currently working in a managerial position in the medical service of the Air Assault Troops.
RBTNK: combat medic Iordan Konstantinidi has relaunched the Rabotnik brand
The debut release of RBTNK, which was presented in December 2023, featured black T-shirts with five removable patch designs.
In March 2024, RBTNK presented steel and silver tokens in two variations: with personal data and with ‘superpowers’ of RBTNK world characters, featuring gamification elements.
