WEBWIRE – Friday, March 4, 2022
Having been in contact with many of our members, it is clear that the first thought for all of us was how we can support with humanitarian aid to Ukraine. The situation on the ground is devastating, and we encourage you to support however you can there is a multitude of organisations and charities to reach out to, you can find links here.
We now must address the role of business and the stance we can take. The fashion industry in Ukraine is particularly front of mind, as are Ukrainian members here and their extended families. As an organisation that offers support to emerging talent from many backgrounds, cultures, and nationalities, we offer the resources we have to Ukrainian designers, retailers, and media. We will do our utmost to support them in these difficult times.
We encourage all those in our network to show their support, however they can, for the global campaign condemning Russias invasion of Ukraine. This campaign is aimed at the Russian Government, not the teams of our Designer Members and Patrons in Russia, or indeed Russian colleagues and friends here, who may be fearful of facing discrimination for actions over which they have no influence at all. The UK Governments position on sanctions on Russia can be found on Gov.uk and on this basis, no product can now be shipped to Russia from the UK until the conflict is resolved. For specific questions about trading with Ukraine or Russia please contact the dedicated service either online or on 0300 303 8955.
Seeing and hearing the devastation in Ukraine and that faced by its people is heart-breaking and it can be difficult to understand how to make a difference, but if we all act, the difference will be measurable and meaningful.