How merch became a tool for change in the community: the story of the ‘LEЛЕ’ social enterprise 

“The constant waiting wore me out: you apply for a grant and then wait to see if you’ll get it or not,” recalls Inna Nemerovets from the ‘LEЛЕ’ team. “We wanted more stability and the chance to influence the development of our centre ourselves.”

At the ‘Novi Kryla’ (‘New Wings’) Youth Resource Centre in Volyn, this uncertainty became a turning point. The team began looking for ways to sustain their activities beyond grant funding – and to gain more control over their future.

That search for independence led to the creation of ‘LEЛЕ’, a social enterprise that today generates income while supporting the work of the youth centre. It all started with something simple: merchandise. Initially created for their own needs, these items gradually evolved into a well-established initiative.

The project started in March 2025 as part of the ‘STARTUI: Social Entrepreneurship in a Youth Centre’ initiative, implemented by the ‘Youth Platform’ NGO and School of ME as part of the ‘EU4Youth: Youth Employment and Entrepreneurship’ programme. For the team, this was not only a chance to launch their own brand, but also to support the Youth Centre and civic initiatives. In this way, ‘Novi Kryla’ began building another source of stability – a business of its own that supports the community while giving the organisation more independence.

Today, ‘LEЛЕ’ works with organisations, young people, and individual clients. For them, it is not just clothing, but also a way to support the community through a product with meaning. 

How an idea grew into a brand 

The idea behind ‘LEЛЕ’ grew out of a simple desire: to decide for themselves what to create, how to develop it, and how to use their own product to support what truly mattered to the team.

That is why they chose merch. This format felt natural and intuitive: the team had consistently received positive feedback on their designs, visual concepts, and overall approach to creating products. Over time, it became clear that this could be not only one of their strengths, but also a line of work that combines entrepreneurship with social impact.

This is how ‘LEЛЕ’ grew into a brand that creates clothing and merch, while also working with its own DTF printing equipment. Over time, the team expanded its product range and worked with a variety of civic and youth initiatives, creating merch for the ‘Youth Platform’ NGO, the ‘Centre Statum’ NGO, Zhytomyr’s UPSHIFT, and UNDP. The brand’s products were also presented at events in Ukraine and even in Belgium. This gave the team valuable experience and a clearer vision of where to go next.

The next step is to launch in-house garment production, as well as ‘LEЛЕ brand’ – a line of limited collections created to raise funds for specific initiatives.

When profit works for the community 

By April 2026, the ‘LEЛЕ’ team had already channelled more than UAH 200,000 (over €4,000) to support the Youth Centre. This allowed ‘Novi Kryla’ to operate for more than six months without an urgent need for grant funding, while maintaining its space and regularly hosting activities for young people – including an English speaking club, games, informal community events, and other formats for communication, creativity, and development.

Mykhailo Reheshuk, founder of ‘LEЛЕ’, highlights the need to create a self-sufficient funding model for civil society organisations, supported by the principles of social entrepreneurship:

“Non-governmental organisations need to understand that they should work not only on attracting funds for sustainable operations, but also on generating them. The best results can be achieved when you study problems locally and build your own solutions and metrics, rather than adapting them to fit the conditions of grant competitions.”

Mykhailo Reheshuk

For ‘LEЛЕ’, it is important not only to create a high-quality product but also to maintain a genuine connection with the community it serves. In particular, part of the brand’s clothing line is dedicated to Novovolynsk, and 100% of the profit from these items is directed to social projects for young people in Novovolynsk.

“The social enterprise ‘LEЛЕ’ is a brilliant example of how to approach a project from the perspective of a potential customer right from the start. As well as standing out from the competition thanks to their social mission, the team offers a full-service clothing printing solution: from design development to the finished product. It’s not just custom printing – it’s a design service with its own unique approach, resulting in a strong portfolio. They’ve chosen both quality and values at the same time,” says Ksenia Kosukha, Project Manager at the School of ME.

At the end of 2026, the team also plans to fund a competition for local social youth initiatives. The goal is to support ideas that respond to the community’s most urgent challenges. Participants will receive not only financial support, but also project management training, mentoring, and practical experience in bringing their ideas to life. The team hopes these initiatives will not only benefit the community but also highlight the value of tools for youth participation, including participatory budgeting.

This is the core value of ‘LEЛЕ’: it is not just a brand or merch, but a tool for supporting youth work in the community. The story of the brand shows how a product can become a source of stability for an organisation, and how entrepreneurship can serve not only business development, but the wider community as well.