Paris Fashion Week: how designers responded to the war in Ukraine

A week of fashion shows took over the capital of France in the midst of a full-scale calamity in Europe. A number of houses pledged to both financially support and address the current issue occurring in Ukraine by taking a moment of silence during the shows.

Directors of brands such as Gucci, Balenciaga and Saint Laurent were prepared to reclaim their names in the industry after a two-year disruption from the Covid-19 pandemic. However, days before Paris fashion week was due to start, the world in horror from President Vladimir Putin’s brutal attacks on Ukraine.

Ralph Toledano, president of Paris Fashion Week's organizing body, the Federation de la Haute Couture et de la Mode (FHCM), issued out a statement on March 1 motivating attendees of the event to "experience the shows of the coming days with solemnity, and in reflection of these dark hours."

Many believe that a week of glamour, celebrity appearances and parties were in complete contradiction with the war in Europe. Creative director of luxury house Balenciaga, Demna, released a statement before his collection reveal, which occurred during the second half of the week. "Fashion feels like some sort of absurdity," he wrote in a note to guests, adding that he had considered cancelling the event altogether.

"The war in Ukraine has triggered the pain of a past trauma I have carried in me since 1993, when the same thing happened to my home country and I became a forever refugee," said the Georgian designer.