🎓 Before conferences, badges, and big deals — there was that one special day: graduation.

We're used to seeing each other in work mode, but what were people from the affiliate industry like before all the conferences, deadlines, and big wins?

Dresses for 0 UAH and 13,000 UAH, lost passports, last-minute outfits, red carpets, and stories that still bring a smile.

Opening the affiliate industry's school album 👇

Helga — Founder of HolyTraff & HolyTraff Market

My graduation in 2010 is still one of the warmest memories of my life.

We bought the dress at a bridal salon in Luhansk, but my mom decided it had to be special. We bought expensive lace, Swarovski stones, and completely redesigned it: added a lace underskirt, hand-embroidered the entire bottom, and decorated the corset with stones.

Back then, I thought that a more beautiful dress simply couldn't exist. And even now, I think it would still look luxurious.

But it wasn't only my outfit that made the day special.

We actually had a real red carpet. My mom, together with my friend's mom, did an incredible amount of work decorating the city House of Culture: they sewed curtains, created huge balloon decorations, made garlands, and transformed the space as if it wasn't just a school graduation — but the biggest event of the year.

And in a way, it really was.

The whole city came to our graduation. Getting tickets was almost impossible. People weren't only standing in the hall — the aisles and corridors were full. Everyone wanted to see it.

Back then, graduation was one of the biggest events in the city after Miners' Day.

And then, right in the middle of the performance, the power went out.

But nobody left. We changed the program: first, we went outside to watch the fire show and fireworks. Then one of my classmates' dads somehow found a generator — and we still returned to the stage, finished singing our songs, and performed our dances.

We celebrated until sunrise. And even met again the next day — because none of us wanted to let that moment go.

It was a time before the war. A time when it felt like evenings like this would last forever, that home would always be there, and childhood was something ordinary.

Now my home is almost gone — after a missile strike, there is a hole in the roof, then looters came, and it feels like it won't survive this winter.

But that graduation will always stay in my heart — with its red carpet, a packed hall, my mom's love in every stitch, and the feeling of peace.

Kaya — TV Host & PRD HolyTraff, PR Playamo Partners

Usually, people buy shoes to match their dress, but for me, it was the complete opposite.

Because of my size 35 feet — and actually 34.5 on the other foot — I would buy the shoes first and only then have dresses made to match them.

So these golden pumps literally made my graduation!

I had two dresses: one for the official ceremony and receiving my medal 🥇 — a black, dark, long dress, and another one for the evening — a more comfortable emerald-colored dress so I could actually dance at the restaurant!

P.S. The best part of this story is that 10 years later, I wore that same black graduation dress while interviewing Andrea Pirlo 🤪

Polina — SMM HolyTraff

My graduation was in 2023, and I almost missed it after travelling all the way from Ireland 😭

In the end, I literally ran into the school yard at the exact moment they started announcing our class.

I'm definitely not one of those girls who spend months choosing a dress and tens of thousands of hryvnias on an outfit for just one evening. So a week before graduation, I walked into the first store and bought the first dress I liked.

It cost around 3,000 hryvnias, and it was probably the fastest shopping trip of my life 😄

And even though I hadn't seen my classmates for almost a year and a half, and just a few months before graduation our class teacher quit without saying a word to us, I was still incredibly grateful that I had the chance to celebrate my graduation during such a difficult time 💔

Kate — SMM V.Partners

A few years before my graduation, a friend from my choir finished school wearing an incredible dress that I absolutely loved.

So when it was my turn to choose my outfit, I immediately remembered it and asked her if she still had that same dress.

Spoiler: she did ✨

So the dress cost me 0 UAH!

Hair and makeup were around 1,500 UAH, and shoes with accessories were about another 2,000.

And on graduation day, I lost my passport, and my classmates and I stayed at the restaurant for so long that we missed the sunrise.

Viktoriia — Head of Affhub

It was 2013.

At that time, Sherri Hill dresses were extremely popular, and I really wanted one.

I chose the dress together with my mom — we went to the official store and found the one almost immediately!

The only thing was that they didn't shorten it, because it was made for someone 175 cm tall, and I'm 153 😭

Back then, the dollar exchange rate was 8 UAH, and the dress cost 13,000 UAH — for our family, that was a lot of money. But my mom always dreamed of giving me the very best, so she saved money and bought me that dress!

Now I would do things differently and wouldn't spend that much money on just one evening.

Also, my shoes were extremely uncomfortable, so the whole night I was fighting with myself not to fall!

18 years old, ego, and the confidence that beauty matters more than comfort 😄

Yuliia — CBDO Gentle Partners

Here she is — the Prom Queen of 2008 in Mykolaiv 👑

The dress was chosen by the whole family council, and for some reason, it was extremely important to me to BUY it! I have no idea why 😄

At that time, it cost as much as 2,000 UAH.

I wore it until sunrise and cursed this choice every single second because the corset bones were horribly uncomfortable and kept poking me 😭

I also chose stiletto heels with a heel higher than my level of patience, and I spent the rest of the graduation — including watching the sunrise somewhere by the river — running around barefoot.

The only thing that warms my heart is that back then it really was beautiful and definitely not the craziest dress in the class 😄

Anna — Founder HR Community

At that time, it was the most expensive item in my wardrobe — I really wanted a dress from a salon.

I remember that most of the dresses were too big for me, I was literally "drowning" in them, so I had to choose from the ones that actually fit.

Dress + sandals ≈ 7,000 UAH ✨

It was also the first time I voluntarily took part in the host's competitions at the celebration 😄

Alina — PR & SMM Specialist

My graduation was in 2015, at a time when my parents had lost their jobs and were struggling financially.

I didn't even think I would be able to attend my last gathering with my classmates, but my childhood friend gave me 500 UAH, so "I got my ticket" 🥺

My whole look cost 0 UAH because my outfit for the last school bell and graduation was borrowed from my friend at the time and my neighbor.

Such a difficult, but at the same time incredibly warm period 💜

Roman Korchak — Author of the "Real Target" Channel

I wanted to be a little different and stand out at my graduation, so I chose a light-colored suit, which wasn't a very typical choice for many people back then.

We didn't spend too much time thinking about the outfit — the main goal was for everything to look harmonious together.

I was lucky because of our family business: my uncle worked with classic suits, and my parents sold shoes. So both the suit and the shoes were chosen "from our own people" 😄

It's quite hard to remember the exact numbers now, since it was back in 2008, but I think the whole outfit cost around 2,000 UAH.

P.S. I didn't drink at all at my graduation!

Back then, I was seriously involved in sports, and in our circle it wasn't really accepted. I tried alcohol for the first time much later — around the age of 19.

Nadiia Lobashchuk — TL Affiliate, Betoholic

I came up with the idea for my dress myself and asked my mom to sew it for me — and it was the best decision ✨

This dress is very special to me.

I wasn't the best student "in terms of behavior," despite having the best grades 😂

School — 💙

When I read the question about graduation, I realized that I have "1000 and 1" stories that definitely cannot be told 😭

I remember giving a speech at the beginning of the graduation ceremony for all classes and tearing up.

At that moment, I didn't understand whether those were tears of happiness or sadness because I thought I wouldn't see my classmates anymore.

But over time, everything fell into place because I'm still in touch with my classmates to this day.

So now I understand: those tears were from HAPPINESS THAT school was finally over 😂

Katerina — CCO WWApps

I bought this dress from a girl who had some trendy Instagram page.

She had brought it from Italy for an event but never actually wore it. Back then, an "Italian dress" sounded like something incredibly stylish and almost unreachable to me.

I traveled to get it by bus with two transfers to a private residential area I had never been to before.

A very sweet girl welcomed me in a beautiful house, I tried the dress on — and immediately knew it was mine.

I went back home by taxi — with a luxurious, heavy dress in an expensive garment bag.

I bought it a week before graduation and didn't even hide it in my wardrobe — I hung it somewhere I could see it and admired it every day.

At graduation, I felt like a real princess: receiving compliments and never missing a single mirror.

It was my first experience of luxury — and I still remember that feeling to this day.

Anastasia — Head of PR One Partners & One Media

At school, I loved spending time with my friends, so I was looking forward to graduation not so much because of the dress, but because of the atmosphere ✨

I talked to a lot of people and took part in different activities outside of classes, so for me, it was a truly important ending to a big chapter of my life. I just wanted to spend the whole night with my classmates and remember that vibe forever.

But I successfully missed the most active part of preparing for graduation 😅

After the last school bell and my final exams, I went abroad for two weeks and came back home in the evening the day before graduation.

And the very next morning — makeup artists and preparations, so I had to finish putting my whole look together literally at the last moment.

I had two dresses, and finding them was even more complicated, just like for many girls 😭

At one point, my parents and I decided: if we don't find anything today — we'll have it made.

We drove around shopping malls and showrooms all over Kyiv, and during the final "last chance" stop, I found the perfect outfit at Andre Tan.

But, of course, they didn't have my size. So the quest continued: we found out where the right size was available and drove across half the city to another store.

Thank you to my parents for putting up with me 🤭

Graduation was amazing, and we continued celebrating for several more days!

Vasylisa — SMM, LGaming

I graduated from school with honors… university — thank God, I survived 😄

I have a clear tradition: both times I chose white. And I don't regret it for a second, because white is about purity and elegance.

Although, in my opinion, the most important part of any look is a genuine smile.

P.S. After my school graduation, I fell asleep still wearing my heels. I celebrated my gold medal so well that I didn't even have the energy to take them off!)

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From school hallways — to big stages, conferences, and our own projects.

Everyone had their own graduation story: funny, chaotic, perfect, or completely different from what was planned. But these are the moments that stay with us forever.

Thank you to everyone who opened their school album with us 💚

And there are many more stories ahead. Only now, they won't be from school graduations — but from affiliate ones 😉

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This feature is sponsored by HELL Partners — an iGaming advertiser turning not only Hell, but the entire industry upside down. We break boundaries, unlock what others can't reach, and see straight through the noise. And what do we see? Someone who deserves more.

iGaming brands built from the ground up: 25%+ click-to-deposit, 50%+ reg-to-deposit. More than 20 GEOs across Tier-1, Tier-2, and Tier-3 markets. No restrictions on traffic sources — well, almost. Everything's negotiable. Especially for you.