Global summits with heads of state or government aren't obviously runway shows, but we know that the suits, dresses or accessories donned by the participants or by their spouses, can hide meanings or communicate political or diplomatic messages to allies, antagonists and the general public. But there are other occasions in which the wardrobe of a head of state can be dissected and interpreted, including war, and the current conflict in Ukraine is providing us with such examples.
In March we saw Russia's President Putin celebrating the eighth anniversary of Russia's annexation of Crimea at a huge rally at Moscow's Luzhniki stadium in a Loro Piana parka. In all the images, videos and posts featuring Volodymyr Zelenskiy, President of Ukraine, the country devastated by the Russian invasion, we have seen him instead always wearing a military green shirt or fleece.
Both the heads of state are making statements through what they wear: the former tells us that he can buy a 1 million roubles-parka (made in the West that he so much despises), while the country suffers from intense social inequality; the latter that he stands with his people.
But, while specific garments can convey special meanings, they can also help raising money: on Thursday, as part of an international initiative, Christie's arranged the auction of Zelenskiy's fleece, the military garment the president appeared to be wearing regularly in his updates on social media, official video calls from Kyiv to European heads of state and to the US.
The signed garment went for £90,000 (nearly double of the starting price - £50.000) at an auction in the Tate Modern with Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Boris Johnson acting as auctioneer.
There were other items up for auction in the lot, including a cockerel pitcher that has become a symbol of resistance and resilience that was donated to Mr Johnson during his recent visit to Kyiv. The auction was part of the Brave Ukraine fundraising programme, organized by the Embassy of Ukraine in the UK. The funds raised will be spent on humanitarian aid to Ukraine.
If you prefer art to garments, you may be interested in Christie's Art Relief Initiatives for Ukraine, an international program of exhibitions and sales from London to New York to benefit Ukraine.
These initiatives are expected to raise around $1 million in relief aid for Ukraine. Artworks on sale span the early 20th century to the present and also feature Ukrainian contemporary artists in the diaspora.
Highlights include three sepia works by Boris Mikhailov from the Salt Lake Series; four graphic screen prints by Anna Kulachek; selections by Yelena Yemchuk from her "Mabel, Betty & Bette" series, and works by Odesa photographer Ira Lupu, drawn from her 2019-2020 project exploring sexuality and identity, "On Dreams and Screens". The funds from this initiative will be distributed to humanitarian aids, but will also support cultural preservation, as historical sites in Ukraine, including museums, monasteries, monuments and historic centres, have suffered some form of damage since the Russian invasion.
Solidarity and support for Ukraine is continuining: today it was an eventful Sunday for the country with many international visitors. The First Lady of the United States Jill Biden made an unannounced visit to western Ukraine to meet the Ukrainian first lady, Olena Zelenska, and show US support on Mother's Day; Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau also made an unannounced visit today to the Ukrainian town of Irpin, while U2's Bono and the Edge gave a surprise concert in Kyiv metro.
As for Zelenskiy's fleece, who knows, maybe the garment will reappear in exhibitions about fashion (and politics? and resistance? we'll see...) in future. Any chance now to see Jeff Koons auctioning his ballerinas pilfered from Oksana Zhnikrup to help Ukraine?
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