War and the Disruption to Fashion
by Charlotte Connelly
The mist of war tainted Milan Fashion Week this year, and slowly seems to be seeping into Paris Fashion Week also. Despite this, major fashion houses continued to display inspiring collections for Autumn/Winter 2022, with many also including a homage to their support for Ukraine within them.
Milan Fashion Week was in full swing when the news of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine hit, and the interruption led to a flurry of changes to Fashion Week in order to showcase the industries support for Ukraine during a hugely difficult time. Armani put forward a silent runway show in order to show their solidarity, and traffic on the Saturday around Milan came to a standstill whilst protesters marched the streets in protest of the Russian invasion.
Whilst Milan Fashion Week ended and Paris Fashion Week began, an absence of usual front row guests involving models and designers alike resulted in the week feeling flat, despite such a beautiful display of fashion. Ukrainian designer Ruslan Baginskiy would have usually been centre stage in Paris during the week, however, instead is stuck in Ukraine, fearing for his and his staffs lives during the invasion of Kyiv. He wrote to Vogue in order to plead for the fashion industry to stand with Ukraine and not become a bystander to a Third World War; a scary thought that wouldn’t have crossed the minds of designers participating in fashion week usually. Balenciaga’s Sunday show at Paris Fashion Week by Denma Gvasalia began with him reciting a poem in Ukrainian before his models waded through fake snow in some full and some skimpy outfits in a way that portrayed them evacuating their hometowns, and this alongside every audience member being given a Ukrainian flag t-shirt was the biggest show of solidarity we have seen within fashion during this heartbreaking time. Despite this not being the original intention of the show, which was meant to signify how snow may change due to global warming and how this will affect our winter holidays in years to come, the concept slotted in nicely with his want to stand with Ukraine and this be seen by the fashion industry at such a crucial time. Some brands didn’t show their solidarity in such bold ways, but with subtle changes, such as Rick Owens presenting his models emerging from grey smoke which many have perceived as the clouds of war currently lingering worldwide, and his garments white in contrast and to show solidarity in a statuesque style.
A further effect the Russian invasion of Ukraine has led to that may eventually have a direct impact on fashion, especially luxury fashion, is the financial and economic sanctions being put in place against Russia by the EU during the continuation of the war. Despite the sanctions at the moment not being placed on luxury good supply chains, the financial sanctions in place may lead to a large number of issues for the fashion industry, especially for brands based in fashion capitals such as Italy, who usually sell around €1.2 billion luxury goods to Russia each year. These sanctions may lead to a backlog of revenue for brands, and eventually even stop the trade of luxury goods temporarily whilst the war continues. At the moment, certain Swift transactions and the like are being blocked by the EU and US sanctions in order to attempt to put a stop to the invasion of Ukraine and may buyers from Russia are being told to seek other financial avenues in order for their products to still be sent to them, otherwise they may not receive them. Despite the use of cards within stores still being accepted, the issue will come further back in the supply chain, regarding brands being able to pay their suppliers prior to shipments.
The repercussions of the war are already affecting Russian consumers in regards to luxury goods, as may brands hold off on accepting and processing orders online from Russia as may of the worldwide shipping companies such as DHL stop their services during the war. Consumers in Moscow are shopping whilst they still can as many luxury stores such as Chanel close their Russian stores in retaliation of the ongoing fighting. Outside of luxury fashion, brands such as Zara and IKEA, along with Mango and Puma have also halted their online and in store sales in Russia in solidarity with Ukraine, which begins to show how widespread this movement could become in order to attempt to put a stop to the war. Some brands have even gone to the extent of stopping their sourcing within Russia, which will have an immediate effect on the Russian economy whilst these temporary sanctions are in place. Amazon has offered its help in regards to supplying the Ukraine with necessities at this time, and also help with the Ukrainian governments cyber security amid the war, and Zalando have made efforts to send relief aid to the country. British Fashion Council have also asked for their members to support the Ukrainian aid where they can but have asked that we don’t demonise all Russian people at this time as they fear some of their Russian employees are worried about their safety during the war.
In conclusion, during a time when the world needs to see countries come together to fight against the need for war, the fashion industry stood proudly alongside Ukraine and showed consumers that despite the war, we are one world who need to rely on each other for support. Although it is currently being tested by the concepts of sanctions that could have detrimental affects to the fashion economy both high street and luxury, the industry is showing how resilient it is in the face of adversity and how simple it is for us all to stand together and use our voice to help those in need of it.
REFERENCES
https://www.voguebusiness.com/fashion/eu-luxury-misses-russia-sanctions-but-swift-move-could-hurt
https://www.voguebusiness.com/fashion/to-do-or-not-to-do-luxury-sanctions-on-russia
https://uk.fashionnetwork.com/news/Balenciaga-refugees-in-black-and-white,1384705.html
https://uk.fashionnetwork.com/news/Rick-owens-grace-amid-darkening-clouds,1384067.html
https://uk.fashionnetwork.com/news/Puma-suspends-operation-of-all-its-stores-in-russia,1384603.html