Long before Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy wore their olive green sweaters throughout Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, M-TAC, the Ukrainian manufacturer of the sweater, sold military clothing and tactical gear in their home country.
M-TAC was created in 2005, according to the company’s website, as it launched its first store in Ukraine that year to sell airsoft guns and accessories. It wasn’t until 2014, during the “Revolution of Dignity,” in which Ukrainians ousted their former president Viktor Yanukovych, that the company began to sell tactical clothing and gear.
“Born by revolution – hardened by war” is the company’s motto.
Per the company’s website, M-TAC  has more than 50 suppliers in 15 countries of the world. It has predominately focused on making clothing and gear for the Ukrainian military since the country was invaded by Russia in February 2021. M-TAC has production facilities in the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv and the city of Lviv.
M-TAC did not immediately respond to Insider’s request for comment. 
 
“Our production worked non-stop 24/7, and the manufactured equipment was immediately transferred to the soldiers at the front,” M-TAC’s website reads. “Today, the Ukrainian military trusts the M-TAC brand and chooses our products because reliability is our priority. Clothes from the M-TAC brand are worn both by soldiers in the trenches and by political leaders of the state.”
Zelenskyy has popularized the attire throughout his country’s conflict, wearing the brand’s casual fleeces and t-shirts in public appearances. Most recently, he gave a speech to the United States Congress Wednesday, sporting one of M-TAC’s crewneck sweaters in his first public appearance outside of Ukraine since the war started early last year.
And people around the world have wanted to imitate Zelenskyy’s look. One of Zelenskyy’s M-TAC jackets that he had signed was auctioned for £90,000, or about $110,000 at the time, at a May 5 charity fundraiser hosted by the Ukrainian embassy in London.
Since Russia first invaded Ukraine, M-TAC has seen demand soar for Zelenskyy’s fleece jacket, Taras Rudnytskyi, the Ukrainian manager of US operations for the company, previously told Insider. Stocks of the jacket soon ran out after the start of the war, as the company was solely focused on producing clothing for the Ukrainian military.
“We hope to restock it someday, maybe after our victory,” Rudnytskyi told Insider in May, adding that hostilities have made it difficult to continue any type of production. “Right now, it’s impossible.”
M-TAC sells clothing on its website, and the company also sells on Amazon. Along with sweaters and jackets, the company sells backpacks, boots, and knives, among other things.
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