BEYOND OUR MISSION

LETTER TO OUR FRIENDS                                                              Como, 8th March 2020

We aim to be a responsible business, but the events in the last few weeks have touched us deeply and pushed us beyond our mission.

Demna the designer of Balenciaga, a former war-refugee from Georgia during the Russian invasion in 2008, wrote “in a time like this fashion loses its relevance and its right to exist” but then he decided to go ahead with his fashion show not to let war win.

On this International Women’s Day, we would like to honor and support a very inspiring woman and Ukrainian friend.  

We met Kateryna in 2000 during our post-graduate studies at the Bocconi University in Milan.  After completing the MBA program, Kateryna worked for several multi-national companies in marketing in Western Europe and eventually moved back to Ukraine as Head of Communication for Samsung.

The 2014 Ukraine invasion by Russia influenced an important career change for Kateryna as she went to work for the Ukrainian government, using her communication expertise to share with the West details and updates on the invasion. Working for the government became her focus and Kateryna is currently part of the economic development team for the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources.

Since the beginning of this war, Kateryna has shared regular updates on the situation in Ukraine and her life. From Kyiv, she escaped with her family to the countryside where she remained active in her communication of the details of the invasion and raising money for immediate necessities, such as solar charging stations smuggled through Poland.  The situation has deteriorated in the last few days, with the constant sounds of bombs in Kyiv being likened to the sound of thunder and the availability of electricity and internet being very limited. Kyiv is being surrounded and there are reports of extreme violence on civilians, so now Kateryna is trying to escape further from Kyiv.

We hope that these tragic days end soon, and in the meantime would like to offer support to Kateryna and her fellow countrymen, women and children.

For our 4^th Anniversary, from today until March 17, all products will be 15% off and for every sale, we will donate 15% to support the Ukraine refugees through the United Nations Refugee Agency (https://dona.unhcr.it/campagna/emergenza-ucraina).

PROMOTIONAL CODE: 1515

We will keep you posted on Kateryna’s story on our blog.  

Thank you!

Clare and Marco

"It is a dedication to fearlessness, to resistance, to the victory of love and Peace.” Demna - Balenciaga