If there is one postcard that will remain from Milan Fashion Week, it is the silence of the catwalk. Giorgio Armani was the only designer to speak out against the Russian invasion of Ukraine. And he did it like this, with a parade without music. Silent.“ I was looking for a way to communicate that we are not celebrating here because what is happening out there worries me a lot”, assured. The fashion industry participates directly and has the power to make these situations visible or invisible. However, until now, no luxury firm -except Armani and Balenciaga-spoke out against Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

They are only the models from their Instagram accounts and the celebrities who set trends, those actors who hardly, and outside the weight that each conglomerate has (and symbolizes), lukewarmly demonstrate against the war and ask for humanitarian aid.

A thermometer of this slight pronouncement – for some a very small demonstration, for others perhaps the tip of an iceberg that could reach the entire industry – is the Fashion Weeks that are taking place in Europe. The Milan case, which ended last Monday, had the aforementioned Armani episode. As much as the high fashion houses remain silent, some are wondering if there will be an official statement from one of them in the context of Copenhagen Fashion Week.

In the meantime Louis Vuitton, the icon of the world of fashion and luxury remains silent. Some attribute to Antoine Arnault, the heir to the luxury empire, married the Russian mannequin and supermodel, Natalia Vodianova, who independently, spoke out on Instagram in favor of the victims in Ukraine. While the emporium of luxury, they maintain total silence. Not even LVMH -Louis Vuitton Möett Hennessy- the French multinational conglomerate, the absolute leader in luxury and owner of 76 renowned brands around the world, has done it.

But Louis Vuitton is not the only luxury brand that has so far remained silent. The same has happened with Gucci and Dior. The catwalks continued with their walk-in recent days. There is a reality and that is that the importance of Russia and Russian buyers for the luxury goods sector has decreased over the years. It is estimated that Russian citizens represent less than 2% of Kering and Richemont’s global sales, including Russian spending abroad, so “it is not a substantial contribution”, as analyzed within the global category.

Voices that add up little by little

The French fashion house Balenciaga spoke out yesterday against the Russian invasion of Ukraine, six days after its start. She did it through her Twitter account with an image in the colors of the Ukrainian flag.

“ We defend peace and donate to the WFP (World Food Program) to support the first humanitarian aid for Ukrainian refugees. We open our platforms in the coming days to inform and transmit information about the situation in Ukraine. Follow the link to donate now”, she said and added the link destined to contribute funds for the victims of the

Last Friday, a day after Russia’s first attack on Ukraine, the creative director of the Italian house Gucci, Alessandro Michele, spoke out personally through his social networks against the armed conflict.

In his post on Instagram, he included a black and white photo taken in the 1960s, where a young man holds a sign with the anti-militarist legend of the time “Make love, no war” (make love and not war)next to the following quote, also in English: “There are things to do every day: wash, study, play, set the table at noon. There are things to do every night: close your eyes, sleep, have dreams to dream, ears to listen. There are things that should never be done, neither by day nor by night, neither by sea nor by land: for example, war.

Instead, the designer’s house, Gucci, is still keeping quiet about the conflict. The Italian luxury goods firm belongs to the Kering business group, as does Balenciaga.

There are several celebrities who began to make their voices heard as well. Madonna has had her say on social media through a clip she created, comparing Putin to Hitler and calling for an end to the war.“Russia’s greedy and mindless drive must be stopped! Send humanitarian aid to help the millions of citizens of Ukraine whose lives are affected!” said the singer who is also a global fashion icon.

“Please pray for peace, please send light,” said Amber Valletta, the American model, and actress on her Instagram account. “When enough people come together then change will come and we can accomplish almost anything. So, instead of looking for hope, you have to start creating it”, activist Greta Thunberg expressed for her part.

Vena Brykalin, fashion director of Vogue Ukraine, who traveled to the Italian capital without imagining that shortly after his land would be attacked, was another of the critical voices.“Fashion weeks have historically been very quick when it comes to reacting to different events –such as attacks– that have affected them. But no big brand, except Armani, has come out in support so far.”, said.

And he added: “I don’t think we should wait for the world to stop spinning. Nor that designers who have invested six months of work and a lot of money in a collection cancel. I believe, and maybe criticized for it, that the show must go on. But I do think that this industry is really deaf and Milan has shown it this week. According to the director of Vogue Ukraine himself, the firms in Milan were not only “deaf” to reality, but even denied the invitation to their parades to the few Ukrainian journalists who were able to cover the event, while they continued to receive the press. Russian with open arms.

A similar situation is experienced by the model Kateryna Zub, who a week ago flew to the transalpine city from Kharkiv, the former capital of Ukraine, where her parents remain, with the intention of appearing in different parades. Upon learning of the outbreak of the war, she felt unable to continue working. When she arrived in town, she said she was “broken” and expressed that she “cried so much that she couldn’t do the auditions.”

“It’s horrible, it’s a nightmare. I can’t believe what is happening in my country. I am surprised that people in Milan ignored the situation in Ukraine. They kept talking about Prada and Gucci as if nothing had happened,” added the young woman.

Mariya Kramarenko, originally from the city of Kharkiv, the second Ukrainian city and one of the most affected by the bombings since they began last Thursday, wrote a heartfelt letter in an Instagram story.

“No, I am not in Ukraine now, but I am Ukrainian and my life stopped at the moment when (Vladimir) Putin invaded Ukraine,” Kramarenko said. The young model acknowledged that she has been in a state of shock since the beginning of the aggression against her country. “I can not work. I don’t notice the signals my body sends me. No music, no movies, no fun, no ‘good morning, afternoon or evening’, no more waiting for spring and checking Instagram for fun and inspiration”, he added.

“The incomprehensible lack of compatibility between fashion shows and the situation in Ukraine is something that needs to be addressed… I don’t know the answer… do you? Inequality hurts, ”said Giancarlo Giammetti, co-founder of the Valentino firm, accompanied by several montages of images that confront the reality that is lived in Ukraine with the parades of Milan fashion week.

Casting director Ashley Brokaw took it upon herself to express her love and support for Kristy Ponomar and Iriska Kravchenko, two Ukrainian models she cast in the Prada show that took place hours after Russian President Vladimir Putin declared war in that country. “We all wear sunglasses to cover our puffy eyes,” stylist Anna Mazzhyk told France 24 of her fellow Ukrainians backstage.

The reaction to the Argentine fashion war

In Argentina, the prestigious designer Ricky Sarkany was one of the few to make a forceful statement. “Our solidarity with the Ukrainian people, not to war,” Sarkany posted on his social media.

The designer asked: “Brands simply act as spectators and the truth is that it is time to be protagonists. Armani’s gesture caught my attention, it was the only one that manifested itself. It also strikes me that the leading financial, technological and sports companies took a position and the designers did not”.

Sarkany, who has relatives who escaped World War II, added: “We come from a pandemic, we did not even learn the lesson. We said that after this pandemic we were going to be better and that we wanted to highlight the true values, and instead, we found this barbarity.

Sarkany is the founder, owner, and CEO of the renowned fashion and footwear brand with more than 140 stores that bear his name. He is recognized as one of the greatest exponents of footwear in Argentina and the region. He opened a store in Barcelona, having Antonela Roccuzzo, wife of Lionel Messi, as a partner. “Fashion and fashion makers also have a social role, so it is important to get involved with the socio-cultural facts that surround us,” said the designer.

Meanwhile, Europe-based Argentine model Mica Argañaraz is donating part of her fashion week earnings to Ukrainian organizations. “I have to say that it feels very strange to parade knowing that there is a war on the same continent,” Argañaraz, 29, published on her social networks last Sunday. Her action has been supported by her colleagues Bella Hadid and Kaia Gerber.

“I will donate part of my earnings from this fashion week to help Ukrainian organizations,” added Argañaraz. “To my model friends and colleagues and anyone who is also struggling with this feeling, maybe this is something we can all contribute to.” As soon as the Argentinian top model shared her thoughts, many other models, including Kiki Willems, Hadid, Gerber, Vittoria Ceretti, Francesca Summers, and Aylah Peterson, among others, joined her initiative.