International fashion industry responds to Russia-Ukraine conflict (Sabong News)

While the international fashion industry is on a high with its major capitals producing spectacular shows, both IRL and URL, it is not turning a blind eye to what is happening in Ukraine as Russia continues its invasion. To show their solidarity with Ukraine, luxury brands such as Louis Vuitton, Versace, Isabel Marant, among others, are making generous donations to the intergovernmental organization, the United Nations, and its agencies United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), and World Food Programme (WFP), to help and assist the country’s affected citizens. “The LVMH Group is closely monitoring the tragic situation in Ukraine and stands alongside all those severely affected by this war. The group’s first concern is the safety of its 150 employees in Ukraine and is providing them with essential financial and operational assistance,” LVMH Group, the luxury conglomerate that owns Dior, Louis Vuitton, Fendi, to name a few, said in a statement last March 2. “LVMH has today also decided to make a first emergency donation of five million euros to support the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to help the direct and indirect victims of this conflict.” Following suit are luxury firms such as Kering (owner of Gucci and Saint Laurent), OTB (owners of Maison Margiela and Marni), and Capri Holdings (parent company of Michael Kors), as reported by The New York Times. Ukraine Vogue has also called the fashion industry to “cease any collaborations with the aggressor’s market effective immediately” through its . Fashion industry giants such as Chanel and Hermès as well e-commerce retailers like Farfetch, Mytheresa, and Yoox Net-a-Porter are shutting their operations in Russia, according to . Other fashion designers showed their support through their latest showcases. During , designer Giorgio Armani did his runway show in complete silence as a way of showing respect. Through a heartfelt letter, Balenciaga’s Demna Gvasalia expressed how the tragedy in Ukraine “has triggered the pain of a past trauma” in him as a refugee and even considered canceling his fall-winter 2022-2023 show. “Fashion week feels like some kind of an absurdity,” the Georgian designer wrote. “I thought for a moment about canceling the show that I and my team worked hard on and were all looking forward to. But then I realized that canceling this show would mean giving in, surrendering to the evil that has already hurt me so much for almost 30 years. I decided that I can no longer sacrifice parts of me to that senseless, heartless war of ego.” “This show needs to explanation. It is a dedication to fearlessness, to resistance, and to the victory of love and peace,” Demna ended.