Rebuilding home
How refugees are starting over in the UK
When Russian troops invaded Ukraine in February 2022, Yana Smaglo had just 15 minutes to pack her belongings and flee.
She left her home with a backpack, her passport, some cash, and a few designer bags she thought she might need to sell to survive.
The 32-year-old fashion designer and entrepreneur fled the country with no set plan. After contacting friends in northern England, she was invited to stay in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire.
After arriving in England, Smaglo quickly began looking for ways to re-establish herself in a new country, while trying to support the industry and people she left behind in Ukraine.
That vision became Nenya, a womenswear brand named after the Ukrainian word for 'Motherland'.
Through Nenya, Smaglo sources clothing directly from independent designers in Ukraine, importing the pieces and selling them in the UK. Smaglo's business sustains fashion designers operating in a country under siege, while also supporting the British economy.
"My project has a big social responsibility, everything that I am doing here is about Ukraine, doing it for Ukraine" she said.
The business also employs fellow Ukrainian refugees living in the UK, offering them not just work, but a pathway to stability and a renewed sense of purpose.
"My project has a big social responsibility, everything that I am doing here is about Ukraine, doing it for Ukraine "
Smaglo returns to Ukraine a few times each year, to visit designers and check on the production line. These trips not only help her manage the supply for her company, but also serve as a powerful reminder of why she started it.
The resilience she witnesses firsthand, she says, is what pushed her to keep going.
“When I go home and see the people I help living in so hard conditions, where drones attack all night, yet still wake up in the morning to get on with their lives and go to work, it motivates me to keep working hard so I can continue supporting them."
It is that same spirit of perseverance that she recognises in other Ukrainian refugees who are rebuilding their lives in the UK.
According to the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) between 2011 to 2024 84,067,571 million people have been forcibly displaced around the world
As a result of armed conflict, persecution, or human rights violations
The UNHRC reports that 65% of all refugees originate from four countries
The Syrian Arab Republic, with 6.3 million forced to flee due to the ongoing civil war
Venezuela, with 6.2 million displaced as a result of political unrest and economic collapse
Ukraine, 6.1 million with many been forced to flee following Russia's full-scale invasion
Afghanistan, where 6.1 million, have been driven from their homes by decades of conflict, persecution and state collapse
In the UK alone, 89,250 people were granted leave to remain through safe and legal humanitarian routes in the year leading to September 2024, according to the UK Home Office.
An estimated 3,242 refugees are now living in Nottingham, according to figures cited by a local Nottinghamshire news source.
For many refugees in Nottingham, the first steps toward rebuilding their lives begin at the Nottingham Refugee Forum, a charity that has been at the heart of refugee support in the city for over two decades.
The Forum offers a broad range of services, from legal advice and housing support to English language classes, job search guidance, and women's groups. It also runs a welcoming cafe space that fosters connection and community.
Juliette Bone, a client participation worker at the Forum, said one of their core goals is to empower people who have been displaced, “Our aim is to help people in rebuilding their confidence, in order for them to feel able to rebuild their lives,” she explained.
She added that the trauma of being forced to leave one's own country can also generate unexpected resilience and innovation.
“The whole being taken away and torn apart from your homeland is something that often gives people creativity and flexibility to find something that suits them.”
Bone explained that in many cases, this creativity leads to entrepreneurship, not just out of necessity, but as a way to challenge damaging stereotypes and build a sense of belonging.
Mustafa, a tailor from Afghanistan, knows that experience firsthand.
Forced to flee his homeland due to persecution, he eventually found temporary refuge in Iran before arriving in the UK. He left behind not only his friends but the life he had built working in his family's tailoring business.
"I worked in our shop making suits, dresses and skirts", he recalled. "Then one day, everything changed. We had to leave".
After arriving in England in 2016, Mustafa was referred to the Nottingham Refugee Forum, which supported him as he settled in the city. Drawing on his background in tailoring and his ambition to become a recognised fashion designer, he began working on his dream.
With the Forum's support, he develop a business plan and, in 2023, opened Maison Du Rêve, a tailoring shop whose name, inspired by the French phrase 'The House of dreams'.
“It’s really hard to leave everything behind and start again in a new country where you don’t know the culture, the language, or the people,” he said. “But I had nothing to lose, and that was my power.”
Now, nearly a decade into his new life, Mustafa says he feels safe and settled. His business has not only become a source of income but a way to build connections.
The UK Home Office reports that skilled refugees, such as Yana and Mustafa, generate nearly £1 million annually for the UK economy.
Many bring professional skills, entrepreneurial ambition, and a strong drive to contribute to their new communities.
For those navigating the UK’s asylum system, Refugee Action provides vital support including legal advice, housing guidance, and help with accessing health and education services. You can learn more at https://www.refugee-action.org.uk/our-services/help-and-advice/
The British Red Cross also offers a wide range of services for refugees and asylum seekers, from emergency provisions and family reunion support to orientation in a new community. More information is available at https://www.redcross.org.uk/get-help/get-help-as-a-refugee
