UKRAINE SUPPORT: Fashion designers in London are using their influence to advertise the “An Hour For Ukraine” initiative ahead of Christmas.

The event will see major British landmarks equivalent to Trafalgar Square, Canterbury Cathedral, Lambeth Palace and the Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh, and a number of other other key locations in Paris, Latest York and Sydney switching their festive lights off for an hour at 8 p.m. local time on Wednesday, the darkest day of 2022.

Organized by the president of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s fundraising platform United24, members of the Ukrainian parliament, fashion and artistic platform 1 Granary, and War Against War, an alternate media organization, “An Hour For Ukraine” is an element of a $10 million fundraising drive for generators for hospitals across Ukraine this winter.

Olya Kuryshchuk, founding father of 1 Granary, who was born in Ukraine and is now based in London after obtaining a bachelor’s degree in fashion design from Central Saint Martins, has urged brands to make use of their social media platform to encourage their followers to affix the initiative and switch off their lights for an hour at home from around the globe to point out their support for Ukraine.

Confirmed participating designers include Charlotte Knowles and Alexandre Arsenault of Knwls, Richard Quinn, Charles Jeffrey, Chopova Lowena, Kiko Kostadinov, Paolina Russo, Masha Popova, Sinéad O’Dwyer, Eftychia Karamolegkou, Lutz Huelle, Duran Lantink, Robyn Lynch, and Goom Heo.

Kuryshchuk said “I’m a part of the worldwide fashion industry but I’m also Ukrainian. A part of my family remains to be in Kyiv they usually don’t have electricity, heating, water, web, or phone connection together with over 10 million people. The ‘An Hour For Ukraine’ awareness campaign is about up to bring attention to the humanitarian catastrophe in my home country.”

The initiative has received support from Justin Welby, the archbishop of Canterbury, and Mayor of London Sadiq Khan.

“Earlier this month, in Ukraine, I saw the suffering of Ukrainians who face the violence of the Russian regime, in a dark and cold winter without electricity. Jesus coming into our world shares in our life and our sorrows, and we’re called to do the identical with our brothers and sisters…That’s why I urge everyone to donate what they’ll to the United24 initiative, to assist raise funds to pay for hospital generators,” Welby said.

Khan added that London can even stand in solidarity with Ukraine “on this shortest day and each day,” adding that “2022 will probably be a 12 months defined by the heroism of the Ukrainian people in defending their homeland against President Putin’s illegal invasion. Whilst all of us prepare for Christmas festivities this nighttime reminds us the entire hardships and privations being faced by unusual Ukrainians each day as they live without power, heat and water in freezing temperatures.” — TIANWEI ZHANG

HEADING TO LONDON: Moncler Genius is decamping to London next February.

The brand said Tuesday it has secured a slot at London Fashion Week on Feb. 20 to unveil its next round of collaborations.

“London is a city where the world feels at home, it’s a worldwide community championing diversity and creativity, and a natural destination for the subsequent embodiment of Moncler Genius. The stage is about to present voice to a recent roster of creative minds coming from all disciplines and spaces, every one expressing a definite interpretation of the Moncler world,” the corporate said in a press release.

Moncler didn’t disclose the venue of the Genius event within the British capital nor the collaborators’ names, although Moncler chairman and chief executive officer Remo Ruffini had hinted at recent developments during a Capital Markets Day last May saying Moncler Genius is also about “art, music, movies, sports,” along with fashion.

The London move suggests renewed ambitions for the Moncler Genius project, following the recent deal with the Moncler and Grenoble brands, the latter focused on ski clothing and tech outerwear, and the acquisition last 12 months of upscale street brand Stone Island.

Earlier this 12 months, nonetheless, Ruffini’s decision to place a greater deal with those brands, and tweak the Moncler Genius strategy, was amongst the explanations the corporate’s shares fell by almost 6 percent in a single day in early May.

The brainchild of Ruffini, Moncler Genius was introduced in 2018 drawing a large roaster of designers and creatives over time including Richard Quinn and Matthew Williams of 1017 Alyx 9SM; Pierpaolo Piccioli; Simone Rocha; Craig Green; Fragment Hiroshi Fujiwara; Palm Angels’ Francesco Ragazzi, and Jonathan Anderson, in addition to Rick Owens with a partnership in numerous veins than other Genius tie-ups.

The corporate has held one Genius event a 12 months since 2018, normally in February, inviting designers to interpret the brand’s signature puffers with their very own sensibility.

In 2021, the brand added a recent layer to the experience by presenting its collections in September through a digital activation across five cities — Latest York, Milan, Shanghai, Tokyo and Seoul — and thru the vision of 11 designers, in a single show hosted by 15-time Grammy Awards winner Alicia Keys.

This 12 months, Moncler marked its seventieth anniversary, kicking off a 70-day program of world celebrations with a performance in Milan’s landmark Piazza del Duomo on the tail end of town’s fashion week in September.

As reported, February’s London Fashion Week is shaping up as a buzzy affair, and the Moncler Genius event is about so as to add further fuel. Running Feb. 17 to 23, the showcase is headlined by Burberry, with Daniel Lee’s debut for the home on Feb. 20. — MARTINO CARRERA

SHOW DATES: Project is headed back to Latest York in January with its more-intimate show format in town’s Flatiron District.

The boys’s and gender-fluid focused fair will probably be held Jan. 24 and 25 at Iron23 at 29 W. 23^rd Street. It can feature contemporary brands from France, Sweden, Italy, U.K., Canada and Japan along with the U.S. Among the many brands expected to participate are Alpha Industries, G.H. Bass, OAS, Want Les Essentiels, Officine Creative, Goodlife Clothing, Paraboot France, Tateossian London and Tricker’s.

Edwina Kulego, vp of Project, said the show will “shine a lightweight on distinguished brands across a broad range of categories including denim, outerwear, contemporary streetwear, footwear, and traditional menswear. The range in gender-fluid fashion continues to be a highlight for retailers and we’re excited to usher in the most recent brands inside that realm.”

The show will once more partner with Latest York Men’s Day, which is staged by Agentry PR, to focus on emerging brands at Project that it would also showcase at its event during Latest York Fashion Week in February.

Project returned to Latest York in July with a smaller show at Iron23 after surging COVID-19 cases forced the cancellation of its January edition. Before the pandemic, the trade show had been staged on the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center. — JEAN E. PALMIERI