WELCOME TO OUR STORE
"Every time you step over yesterday's self, you are already better"
Jordan Konstantinidi on the relaunch of his own brand RBTNK, the challenges brought by the war, and the new Defender of the Year drop
Three years ago — in December 2020 — we introduced the Ogonek x KSENIASCHNAIDER "Worker of the Year" drop. It emerged from a desire to congratulate and support everyone who, during the year of the COVID-19 pandemic, did not give up and continued to do their job, despite all the difficulties.
"Worker of the Year" Collection (2020)
From this collaboration, the Rabotnik brand was born - with clothing, stationery, parties and a community that aimed to unite everyone who loves to work and is proud of their work. It was created by Ogonek's creative director , Jordan Konstantinidi .
Worker of the year collection (2021)
With the outbreak of full-scale war, Jordan went to serve in the Armed Forces of Ukraine and put the brand on hold. Over the past year, he has gone from a medic to a combat medic, and then to the head of the battalion medical post . This year, Jordan decided to relaunch the brand — it is now called RBTNK.
The new drop is also dedicated to those who continue to work despite difficulties and are proud of their work - but now for the sake of victory over a common enemy.
“My brand project was ready a month before the start of the full-scale war. We first gathered as a whole team in February 2022 — and four days later it all started. I went to serve — and of course, at that time I gave up the brand, because I had other tasks. Then there were absolutely no ideas, absolutely no strength, but there was a certain pressure inside — I was very angry that I might lose my dream along the way. So I did not lose hope.
Worker of the Year in action, 2022. Personal archive.
This spring I transferred to the airborne assault troops, and then changed my position to an administrative one. I started digitizing the medical units of the service, spent more time on my laptop — and gradually I let go. Memories of the past at zero settled down — and I started looking to the future. I also started talking about the brand with others and finally came up with it as it should be this year. The cornerstone was the name. Before the full-scale war, the brand was called Rabotnik — in Latin, because we wanted to create a neologism in English, a word that would mean 'a person who works'. I wanted to keep the meaning, but get rid of the Russian word. My closed Telegram channel came to the rescue, where I asked my subscribers for advice. So Rabotnik became the abbreviation RBTNK.
Screenshot from private Telegram channel and sketches in notebook. Personal archive.
I deciphered the title as really busy, talented 'n kind — and everything fell into place. Because these words describe those for whom I created the brand, the idea of a neologism remained. After that, I began to develop a plan for the release of a new drop.
T-shirt with chevron "Defender of the year"
This year's RBTNK drop is created for all those who have become new people over the past almost two years, mastered new professions involved in the war. Now they can change their Rabotnik of the year T-shirts to Defender of the year, Volunteer of the year, and so on. Once we came up with the main slogan of the brand: your work is your superpower . So all these people are my superheroes, but not because they put on a uniform, but because of what they do in this uniform. That is, thanks to their work. And for these superheroes I wanted to preserve memories of the present time in the form of material things.
It is important to add: I do not seek to prove to people that they are better than others. I seek to prove that considering myself better — that's normal.
Every time you step over yesterday's self, you are already better. Material things really help to capture such moments. When a loved one gives you such a T-shirt as a gift, they make it clear that they share this opinion with you. The end of the year is the best moment to stop, look back and finally appropriate your achievements. And this drop will help with that.
RBTNK website home page
This year, RBTNK has not only a new name, but also new communication — with elements of gamification. On brand website you can choose a character with a certain set of skills and a special chevron. The brand deliberately refused to shoot, emphasizing that anyone can become the hero of this "game."
"Each of us, military personnel, at least once perceived the performance of certain tasks as a computer game. Because it is often impossible to apply what is happening to us to reality."
"When you imagine yourself as someone else — for example, a game character who is completing a level — everything is much easier. I'm sure I'm not alone in this — and this applies not only to the military, but also to volunteers, medics, journalists, and rescuers on whom our future victory depends. There are no faces in this drop, so the campaign is just that: dark and hot with smoke. There is only an understanding that this is a man or woman with certain attributes of a character with whom you can associate yourself or someone for whom the T-shirt will be a gift. And the chevron is an obligatory attribute of the game costume: when it's on you, you're in the "game". But you can also take it off and walk around in a regular black T-shirt, ready to put it on again at any moment. The people to whom I dedicated this will understand me, because during war, no matter what you do and wherever you are, in a second you can start completing the next level. You always have to be ready."
When asked about how the brand will develop further, Jordan confidently answers that in 2024 we will see the first full-fledged RBTNK collection.
"I think we'll never finish with drops, because it's a situational story - and I really like responding to the challenges of the world. Every year we'll set ourselves new tasks, new goals - and celebrate new "best of the year". But, of course, RBTNK needs to become a full-fledged brand - it needs to become an additional support for me, because it's important to me. While I'm in the service, I'll work in parallel, and what happens next - time will tell.
Of course, it will also be clothes - because it is in them that they are met and seen off. And the RBTNK style is around the clock. A style in which you can go to work in the morning and go dancing in the evening. Back in 2021, we came up with a slogan that is still relevant: "he who works well, dances well ."
Rabotnik of the year party. tcp bar, 09.12.2021
For me, nothing has really changed since then. Yes, I am a soldier now, but I can afford to dance, listen to music, sing with my comrades and relax after a hard day at work - because it is impossible otherwise. We are the same people. We are the same employees who want corporate parties, team building, and this is important. Without this, it is impossible to build a team. If you want to complete the tasks set with your team, you have to spend time with them not in a combat environment, outside of work - otherwise you cannot build trust and mutual understanding.
Jordan and his team, 2022.
And finally, about disappointments at work (which happen to all of us from time to time).
“During the war, I understood the reason for disappointments in general. If you do your work conscientiously and invest in it, you will never be disappointed in yourself. Most likely, you are disappointed in how your work is evaluated, because you always want to receive recognition that you did everything brilliantly. That is why I created RBTNK — it is about support and self-confidence, which are always necessary for those who want to do their job brilliantly.”