During spreading the coronavirus all over the world, in Japan where I live, my daily life has changed, but I live in peace without risking my life.
But, I realized that how happy I was with such life because of Russia’s Military Attack on Ukraine.
The news reported almost every day how Ukrainian citizens continued to evacuate, fearing Russian attacks, and people who lost their loved ones and cried. Every time I watched them, my heart was almost crushed.
This time, how can the fashion industry contribute to such a sad war? Also, I would like to talk about the efforts that have already been taken for that.
Because fashion has a visually perceptible culture of clothing and decoration, as a medium other than letters, I think that it can be visually messaged.
I think it gives the world the energy to take action for the realization of peace, not just for the purpose of reaching Ukrainian citizens.
For example, isn’t it important to be reported in a visible form like putting something that symbolizes peace in the design, or donating a part of the profits to Ukraine, etc?
Also, even before I wrote this article, I saw people in the fashion industry trying to confront this event as soon as possible. I would like to introduce the efforts.
First of all, at the Paris Collection held during the military attacks, it seems that BALENCIAGA introduced the yellow setup and blue dress used for the Ukrainian flag in the last look.
In addition, ISABEL MARANT appeared wearing a knit with the color scheme of the Ukrainian flag.
Since the Russian military attacks started on 25th Feb and the Paris Collection started on 28th Feb, the look of the collection might be suddenly changed by the brands.
For this reason, I thought this collection had a strong message.
Perhaps because of these influences, this movement was also seen at Rakuten Fashion Week held in Tokyo in March.
Japan experienced the Great East Japan Earthquake.
When something happens, everyone is desperate for themselves, and even if there is a movement of support that has taken place in the world fashion industry, it’s unlikely that they will notice it.
Although situations are different in this event, it’s important to send a message directly to people who are desperate to live, but I felt that it’s an initiative for the fashion industry to make a big contribution in terms of enlightenment that makes us who are not damaged think about what we can do now.