The premises of Ukrainian backpack and bag brand keep were destroyed during a massive missile attack on Kyiv on June 2. In a comment to DTF Magazine, the brand’s founder, Mykola Serezitinov, spoke about the extent of the damage and how the brand plans to continue operating
As a result of the attack, the brand’s office, warehouse facilities, studio, and part of its production were damaged. The affected production unit was responsible for woven products and vests — a line that keep launched in 2025.
At the same time, the brand’s production facility in Chernihiv, as well as its contractors’ workshops, continue to operate.
‘The component warehouse has been destroyed, along with all the materials ordered and delivered over the past year for our upcoming collection. The warehouses holding finished products have been completely wiped out, along with all of the packaging equipment. There are literally piles of keep bags lying among the rubble. We zoomed in on the photos and could see all of our products mixed together with chunks of concrete and brick’, he adds.
Fortunately, no one from the keep team was hurt, though processing and shipping orders may take some extra time. According to Mykola, the brand’s product range will be reduced for a while, but the team is not abandoning plans to launch the new collection. Instead, keep will release a limited number of new items and focus on producing its most popular products.
The team describes restoring the premises as an ‘unrealistic scenario’ due to the partial collapse of the building. They are already searching for a new location and continue to work remotely.
keep is also planning to launch the sale of gift cards.
The attack coincided with the brand’s tenth anniversary. Even before the destruction, the keep team had been planning to open a new space on June 1, but unrelated circumstances had already delayed the launch. It has now been postponed indefinitely.
On May 24th, during a previous massive missile attack on Kyiv, the keep premises had already sustained damage, with its windows blown out by the blast.
As of 12:00 p.m., six people had been killed in Kyiv as a result of the Russian attack. Another 64 people were injured, including three children aged 3, 11, and 17. Meanwhile, in Dnipro, which was also targeted in the attack, authorities have reported 11 deaths and 37 injuries.
About keep
keep was originally launched as the backpack brand WE ARE ABLE. In 2017, after six years of operation, the company underwent a rebrand and changed its approach to designing and producing accessories. Founder Mykola Serezitinov spoke in more detail about this transformation in our article.
keep places a strong emphasis on urban culture and aesthetics. Through its campaigns, the brand highlights Kyiv and collaborates with local artists and creative teams, including the don’t Take Fake festival, The Village, and street artists OBIES and RUBAE.
