Fashion

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Fashion Fashion’s response to the ukraine conflict

by sienna norris

Photo: Wikimedia Commons

By now, everyone is aware of the heart-wrenching events taking place in Ukraine. There is an overwhelming helplessness when watching Russia’s attempts of control from the sidelines. These past few weeks have also seen numerous Fashion Weeks taking place, and it has caused designers and big names in the industry to help Ukraine as much as possible.

One of the biggest responses throughout Fashion Week was Balenciaga’s autumn and winter show in Paris. Creative Director, Demna Gvasalia, completely rearranged the show into models walking through extreme weather conditions. Some of them even held trash bags as seen to represent those fleeing Ukraine with just a bag of belongings. A refugee himself, Gvasalia fled his home country, Georgia, at age 12. He took to Instagram to say how the show was “a dedication to fearlessness, to resistance, and to the victory of love and peace”. In an interview following the show, he stated that “we cannot take weapons and go fight there, but we can use our voices”.

Another notable moment at Paris Fashion Week was Budapest designer brand Nanushka’s presentation. To show their support, they played Ukraine’s national anthem and severed business ties with Russia, like a number of other brands. These kinds of responses are not limited to Paris. In Milan, Giorgio Armani decided to present his show without any music to show respect for those suffering in Ukraine. Additionally, during New York Fashion Week, Kyiv designer Svitlana Bevza closed her show by projecting her native flag for everyone to see.

Perhaps the responses with the most exposure are those from the models of Fashion Week. Mica Argañaraz revealed she would donate all of her earnings to Ukrainian organisations, with Gigi Hadid following suit, as well as donating to Palestine. Other models have vowed to donate some of their Fashion Week earnings too, and many attendees of shows wore the colours of the Ukrainian flag to show their support.

A notable number of fashion brands have cut Russia off following Putin’s invasion. Marks & Spencer’s, ASOS, John Lewis, H&M are all examples. The fashion industry is not the only one changing its relationship with Russia – oil, agriculture, technology, automobile, and numerous other industries have completely excluded Russia from trading to present a no-tolerance policy for war crimes.

Arguably the biggest event in fashion was the support from all corners of Fashion Week. This inevitably impacts other people to do the same. Demna Gvasalia could not have put it better, saying that brands using their voices can have a great effect. The severity of the attacks in Ukraine has prompted immense solidarity amongst onlookers. Many neighbouring countries in Europe have opened their homes to Ukrainian refugees fleeing the conflict polluting their homes. But what is most inspiring is the strength Ukrainians are showing to the world.

Fashion The Looks of paris fashion week

by lily boag

11

Photo: Unsplash

Various A-list celebrities were spotted at the fashion extravaganza that was Paris Fashion Week. From the end of February to the beginning of March, luxurious fashion brands such as Dior, Chanel and Valentino to Louis Vuitton, Balmain, and Saint Laurent introduced their dramatic fall collections. Frontrow and sauntering the fashion shows in their own ensembles, the star-studded guest list drew our attention. In an attempt to stand out from the crowd, they conveyed their unique fashion styles and promoted their connections with wellestablished designers.

Reality star and SKIMS founder Kim Kardashian made a high fashion statement by appearing at the Balenciaga Fall and Winter show in a daring runway look. In the front row, Kardashian dressed in a yellow caution-tape catsuit, with Balenciaga-taped handbag and pumps. Releasing the behind-the-scenes being wrapped into her custom outfit before the show, Kim paired the look with a sleek backed hairstyle and dark shades. Other celebrity guests made an appearance in the Balenciaga show too. Walking the runway was high-fashion model Bella Hadid, while further in the crowd was Euphoria actress and rising Gen-Z fashion icon Alexa Demie.

Declaring to the streets of Paris that she will not give up her style because she is expecting, pop-musician and fashion icon Rihanna revealed her pregnant belly in black maternity lingerie during her dramatic entrance into the Dior show. Wearing a knee-length lace-lined sheer dress, a black leather trench coat, knee-high pointed-toed boots, layered silver necklaces, dark red lips, and a half up-do, Rihanna stunned onlookers with her sexy street style. Meanwhile, looking pretty in pink was Euphoria star and Spider-Man: No Way Home actress Zendaya, appearing elegant and chic at the Valentino womenswear show. She wore a bright fuchsia tailored suit. Leaving ‘Le Bar des Pres’ was model Hailey Bieber, who wore a tight fitted silk pink dress with knee-high black boots.

The current trend taken from Paris Fashion Week has been that making a fashion statement is a must. Whether it be through Kim Kardashian’s dramatic showstopper approach, to Rihanna’s bold and confident street style entrance, to Zendaya’s flirtation with vibrant colour – the aim is the catch everyone’s attention until you’re all the talk of Paris and the fashion world.

12 Fashion

Spring Closet essentials

by eve o’donoghue

Spring is relief. Taking a breath after being submerged in the inky, winter sea. Winter’s blues, blacks, and grey, pinstripe and sequins, melt off our skin when it is just about warm enough. As much layering fur in the winter is a survival instinct, so is shedding it. The spring is emerging from the depths, returning to life, and leaving the worn-out skin behind. Spring is rebirth.

Premature shedding, revealing the spring florals, lace, blue denim, and bare limbs, may bring about second glances from stuffy couples, feeling the chill as their little dog sweats in a teeny boiler suit. But there’s no shame in dressing in full bloom before the trees are green. As someone who struggles with seasonal depression, as soon as I can trick myself into the early impressions of a warm, summer glow, I will. Donning sunset pinks, yellows, and orange or white monochromatic looks treats my outlook as well as any pill. The knots in my shoulders begin to untangle when they can be exposed without goosebumps. As the world around us is reborn, we too reawaken to the innate beauty around us and within ourselves. When we decorate our bodies in prints and colours that demand to be heard, we reaffirm our place in the cycle of things. We step out from the permanent winter night into a fresh spring morning in flowing skirts and crop tops. And with that comes the acceptance that though this vibrancy is finite, this does not limit its power within the moment. Using the first chillabandoning spring day to wear something bright and sleeveless is part of the awareness that this

Photo: Unsplash