, who had been showing in Paris until the pandemic and announced he had enlisted in a territorial defense unit in Kyiv.
What she expects from the industry is for it to use its platforms to speak out on the plight of Ukrainian civilians and push for peace. “Influencers who really have power with their audience, [all of] fashion society must tell the world what’s going on in Ukraine. Our people and our nation are showing they’re brave, our roots, our culture. Everything we have.
For the organizers of the Paris-based trade show, offering Litkovskaya a platform had been a natural decision. “We are affected by the situation. As an industry, because this will have long-ranging consequences, but most of all from a human point of view,” said Tranoï’s president Boris Provost, whose thoughts went to designer Milla Nova, slated to exhibit at the trade show but who is still currently in Ukraine.
“You are part of the family,” the Federation de la Haute Couture et de la Mode’s executive president Pascal Morand told Litkovskaya soberly as she thanked him and representatives of the Paris city hall for coming. He lauded “her grace and her courage in this terrible moment,” and her actions to ensure that “the voice of Ukrainian fashion and creation continues to be heard.”
After fielding questions from journalists in person and over a broadcast, she pleaded with “everyone to stay with Ukraine, stand with Ukraine” by attending an anti-war demonstration on Saturday in Paris.