LOVJOI supports Ukrainian designer Jean Gritsfeldt, who has to stop working
Big solidarity action in the fair fashion scene
The sustainable fair fashion label LOVJOI set a sign against the war in Ukraine in a last-minute aid campaign and supported the designer Jean Gritsfeldt, who is stuck in Kyiv, in the last moves of his collection before Berlin Fashion Week. Jean Gritsfeldt, who will be presenting his latest collection himself on Wednesday, March 16, 2022 at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week, had – like so many other Ukrainians – to stop working and seek protection in an air-raid shelter because of the attack by Russian troops to protect his life.
“Today is not the time to talk about fashion, but through fashion. Today we will not show the new season, today we do show new looks because when you sit in a bomb shelter, or a dugout, or basement, nobody cares what you wear. The main thing is to feel warm, comfortable and protected,” writes Jean Gritsfeldt on his Instagram channel.
Thanks to an initiative launched by @sustainablefashionmatterz and @fashrev_de, enough actors and supporters from the sustainable fashion scene were found within a few hours to complete Gritsfeldt’s collection on time.
The vegan fair fashion label LOVJOI received the call for help on the evening of March 8th – all seamstresses and designers at the in-house production site in Dürmentingen spontaneously agreed to join the initiative and produce the necessary pieces within 24 hours. The patterns for eight garments were generated without a pattern template – only based on video material – and produced with sustainable fabrics. In addition, the LOVJOI team sewed some huge, 20 x 3 meter Ukrainian flags from Tencel, with which Gritsfeldt wants to send a sign of peace on the runway on Wednesday. The designer Jean Gritsfeldt was visibly touched by the support of his fashion colleagues and publicly thanked the supporters several times.
“It goes without saying for us to help if we can,” says LOVJOI founder Verena Benz. Verena and her team have been proving this for years with a wide variety of donation and benefit campaigns, but also when it comes to giving people work: Even former refugees work in the in-house sewing shop.
Together with the sustainable partner label ThokkThokk based in Munich, LOVJOI also sent several packages full of sustainable clothing in GOTS quality to the state initial reception center in Sigmaringen in response to a call for donations. Up to 700 refugees will arrive there in Ukraine in the next few days.
About LOVJOI
LOVJOI is a sustainable fashion label from southern Germany that not only produces fairly, but also socially – from the first to the last step of production. The label stands for exciting designs made from high-quality materials such as GOTS-certified organic cotton and Tencel by Lenzing. LOVJOI only uses components from Germany and of high quality. The label’s studio employs, among others, professional tailors who came to Germany as refugees and have already learned the craft in their homeland. The special feature: there is no warehouse, every part is made “just in time”, i.e. only to order. Since spring/summer 2019, the label has also been offering the LOVJOI INTIMATES lingerie collection, bringing the world’s most sustainable bra to the market. LOVJOI also has a denim collection in its range, and since 2021 a swimwear and shoe collection has complemented the range.
