8 Creative Hires from Europe for Katamu, Invicta Kuru & Saint Kaizen (Saved $348K/Year)

Snapshot:

Business: Saint Kaizen, Katamu & Invicta Kuru (DTC E-Commerce)

‍Roles Hired: Content Strategist, Creative Director, E-Commerce Graphic Designers (x2), Fashion Designers (x2), Fashion Product Designer, Video Editor

‍Objective: Build a full creative team to scale design output, content production and brand growth across 3 brands simultaneously

‍Outcome: 8 direct hires placed in 3-4 weeks with a full creative team. $348,000+ saved annually vs. US equivalents

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The Challenge:

3 brands running at the same time is already hard work. Add a very specific cultural niche, such as anime, streetwear, and fashion, and every hire becomes much harder to get right.

US creative talent usually costs $50,000–$100,000+ per person per year. Multiply that across 8 roles, and the payroll alone kills the margins.

Freelancers sound like a cheaper option until you realize 3 active brands need consistent output every week.

The goal was to build a full creative team where people own their roles, get the aesthetic, and produce real results.

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The Strategy:

Zabota ran the Direct-Hire Sprint across all 8 roles:  

Geo Targeting (Europe + Select Markets) – We sourced primarily from Europe because the creative talent pool there is deep. Strong English, solid time zone overlap with the US, and lots of designers and editors who work at a professional level. For a couple of roles, we went to South Africa and Turkey where the right portfolio & cultural knowledge made the fit obvious.

Signal-Based Vetting – We looked at actual work. Portfolio reviews for anime-inspired aesthetics, e-commerce visual work, and garment design. We also assessed cultural fluency specifically around anime & streetwear. Technical skills across Adobe Creative Suite, video production tools, and e-commerce design software were done separately.

Direct Hire, Zero Markup – All 8 hires went directly onto the brand's payroll from day one. Every placement is backed by Zabota's 90-day free replacement guarantee.

The Hires:

Countries: Europe | South Africa | Turkey
Roles: Content Strategist, Creative Director, E-Commerce Graphic Designers (x2), Fashion Designers (x2), Fashion Product Designer, Video Editor
Time-to-Hire: Less than 3 weeks
Model: Full-time, direct hires; no ongoing % of wages

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Results:

- Payroll Efficiency: $348,000+ saved annually vs. the US market for equivalent creative roles.

- Full Creative Team: All 3 brands now have dedicated creative coverage: design, content, video, and art direction.

- Operational Velocity: Consistent output across collections, digital content, and brand visuals. All brands run in parallel with one integrated creative team.

- System Installed: A repeatable direct-hire track for creative and fashion roles with niche sourcing, portfolio vetting, cultural assessment, plug-in onboarding now scales as the brands grow and need more people.

Why It Works:

Europe has some of the best creative talent in the world. Designers who understand garment construction. Editors who know how to make content feel alive. Strategists who can build a brand identity from scratch.

That talent was always there. It just needed to be found, vetted properly, and connected to the right brands.

At Zabota, we hire directly and cut out the middleman. Our clients get senior creative people who genuinely care about the work, at a salary that keeps the business healthy and growing.

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