PRESS RELEASE : Creative director of Balenciaga Demna became the ambassador of United24

The press release issued by the President of Ukraine on 28 July 2022.

Creative director of the Balenciaga fashion house Demna became the ambassador of the United24 fundraising platform initiated by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the “Ukraine Recovery” direction to help temporarily displaced persons.

The Head of State personally thanked Demna for the determination to support Ukraine, which the fashion house and he expressed during the Balenciaga Winter 22 show in March of this year, when the creative director shared with the guests his own experience as a refugee.

“Thank you for your support, it is very much appreciated. It is extremely important to keep the world’s attention on Ukraine in order to help rebuild our country,” Volodymyr Zelenskyy said.

For Demna, the decision to become a United24 ambassador is related to a personal story, as he has experienced the trauma of being a refugee.

“I am honored to become a United24 ambassador. I know very well and feel the pain that Ukrainians are going through. I’ve been thinking a lot about how I can help Ukraine and all the refugees who want to return home. That is why I decided to focus on the humanitarian direction “Ukraine Recovery”. And the special sweatshirt that we created at Balenciaga will be a kind of message of support for Ukraine,” he said.

A special sweatshirt was created in support of the United24 platform. 100% of the profit from its sale will be transferred to the “Ukraine Recovery” direction. The charity sweatshirts will be available to order from July 28 exclusively at united24-demna.balenciaga.com.

The “Ukraine Recovery” direction is focused on raising funds for the restoration of critical infrastructure: roads, bridges, schools and hospitals, which will make it possible for Ukrainians to return to their homes, which they were forced to leave.