- Culture
- 07 Mar 22
Hadid is using her Fashion Week earrings to raise funds for Ukrainian relief.
Gigi Hadid has joined the growing list of celebrities who have acknowledged the disparity between participating in high-profile events while Ukraine continues to face a humanitarian crisis at the hands of Russia.
As one of the most prominent models in the industry, Hadid has been a staple in this year's Fashion Week exhibitions. Over the past several weeks, the L.A. native has walked for the likes of Michael Kors, Versace and Vivienne Westwood.
Russia started it's full-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24 in their capital city of Kyiv. Despite the ongoing attack, major events, like Fashion Week, have continued on in other parts of Europe and the U.S.
Hadid took to Instagram to explain her and her fellow models position saying: "Having a set Fashion Month schedule has meant that my colleagues and I often present new fashion collections during heartbreaking and traumatic times in history. We don’t have control over most of our work schedules, but we would like to walk ‘for’ something."
"Following in the footsteps of my friend Mica Argañaraz, I am pledging to donate my earnings from the Fall 2022 shows to aid those suffering from the war in Ukraine."
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The Argentinian model Argañaraz, who is also frequently booked by top-tier designers like YSL and Prada, has already promised to donate her earrings amid the ongoing crisis.
Along with standing against Russia, Hadid continued to be vocal about her support of Palestine. Her father, real-estate developer Mohamed Hadid, was born in Palestine before he fled to a Syrian refugee camp as a child.
"Our eyes and hearts must be open to all human injustice. May we all see each other as brothers and sisters, beyond politics, beyond race, beyond religion. At the the end of the day, innocent lives pay for war- not leaders. HANDS OFF UKRAINE. HANDS OFF PALESTINE. PEACE. PEACE. PEACE."
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Hadid's sister, Bella, also stood behind Ukraine on social media while calling out the U.S. government who "quietly moved around other injustices", particularly the Palestinian/Israeli conflict.
"If this is your first time realising a war in some years, you're not of the world. War is forever, and the position we take during it is too," the model posted to her Instagram stories. "This is about the Ukraine, and nothing should undermine the magnitude of their suffering but, it is as much about the nation as it is about justice."
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"The way we've failed to uphold it elsewhere dictates this. Our lack of tools here is a result of our neglect elsewhere."
bella hadid supporting and standing up for arabs and muslims is always special to me pic.twitter.com/Dy1N7J4e2F
— hecate (@HECVTE) March 5, 2022
Elsewhere in the fashion world, Ukrainian talents designer Svitlana Bevza and model Eugenia Dubinov have both shared their experiences directly from Kyiv. Balenciaga designer Demma Gvasalia sported blue and yellow at his show, dedicating the collection to the resiliency of Ukrainians.
Net-a-Porter, Nike, Chanel and Louis Vuitton have shown their support by deciding to stop exporting to Russia altogether.