A message of peace and solidarity from a Ukrainian fashion designer
A week before he was due to show his collection as the finale of Berlin Fashion Week, Jean Gritsfeldt had other things on his mind. The Ukrainian designer was unable to travel to Berlin because of the war raging around him. It would not be possible to show the collection he had planned. But on Friday, 4 March 2022, Gritsfeldt’s wish to see if there was a way to realise his show reached Fashion Revolution Germany via their member Cherie Birkner from Sustainable Fashion Matterz.
Under the guidance of the designer, who was directly connected via video call from Ukraine, the team of volunteers began to sew the collection piece by piece, while a list of words including ‘CONSCIENCE’, ‘FREEDOM’ ‘HAPPINESS’ ‘RESPECT’ ‘HUMANITY’ ‘LIGHT’ and ‘GRATITUDE’ was printed onto the pieces in English and the Ukrainian alphabet in Cyrillic script by international tape artists Self Made Crew, demonstrating how fashion can be a powerful platform to give people a voice.
‘Today is not the time to talk about fashion, but through fashion,” said Gritsfeldt in a pre-recorded video message shown from the Ukrainian capital Kyiv at the show on Wednesday 16 March.”Today we’re not showing the new season, today we’re not showing any new looks, because if you’re in a bomb shelter, or in an underground shaft, or in the basement, nobody cares what you wear. The main thing is to feel warm, comfortable and protected. Today we broadcast the feelings and sensations. Fashion is not a reflection of today, it always looks to the future, to the years ahead.”
The show was introduced by Carina Bischof, director of Fashion Revolution Germany. She spoke as a representative of a unique network in Berlin, driven by dedicated people fighting for a better fashion industry. She said: ‘This collection was made possible by the work of more than 30 people in one week. Special times need special actions. We made this collection for you and your country. We are in this together and we send you all of our love and hope.”
Volunteers and donations of materials came from Haus der Materialisierung der Berliner Stadtmission, Lebenskleidung, and Studio MM04 as well as working hours and expertise from Fairtrade and organic brand Lovjoi, urban artists self.made.crew who printed the messages for the collection as Jean imagined, and members of the dedicated and endlessly creative team at Fashion Revolution Germany.
Cherie Birkner said: “We use fashion, and the story of its creation, as a metaphor for the world we want. A world with no war. A world of togetherness. A world where we support one another and the environment that surrounds us. We are for a world filled with love. For a world without war. We are demonstrating that we will make it through this together.”
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