High-profile model Gigi Hadid is donating her earnings from Fashion Week to help people in the war-torn nations of Ukraine and Palestine.
Last month, Russian President Vladimir Putin launched a military operation against the eastern European democracy, targeting the nation's military bases, airfields and cities with devastating airstrikes and missiles. The full-scale invasion by air, land and sea has led to mass evacuations, with desperate Ukrainians fleeing their homes to seek refuge at the country's borders. Many have also left their families to fight the Russian forces.
Russia's onslaught, which Ukrainian President Volodymr Zelensky has likened to Nazi Germany's invasion in World War II, has prompted celebrities around the world to use their platforms to spread information, resources and awareness, with many launching fundraisers to support those affected by the conflict.
Hadid, who is of Palestinian heritage on her paternal side, announced via Instagram that she plans to donate the entirety of her earnings from the autumn/winter 2022 fashion shows to support people suffering under the invasion, as well as Palestinians affected by the ongoing conflict with Israel.
"Having a set fashion month schedule has meant that my colleagues and I often present new fashion collections during heartbreaking and traumatic times in history. We don't have control over most of our work schedules, but we would like to walk 'for' something," Hadid said in her statement to social media.
"Following in the footsteps of my friend @micarganaraz [Argentine model Mica Argañaraz], I am pledging to donate my earnings from the Fall 2022 shows to aid those suffering from the war in Ukraine, as well as continuing to support those experiencing the same in Palestine.
"Our eyes and hearts must be open to all human injustice. May we all see each other as brothers and sisters, beyond politics, beyond race, beyond religion. At the end of the day, innocent lives pay for war - not leaders. HANDS OFF UKRAINE. HANDS OFF PALESTINE. PEACE. PEACE. PEACE."
Hadid's pledge follows several other efforts by public figures to raise money to help Ukraine, including Mila Kunis and Ashton Kutcher, who launched a $30 million fundraiser and matched $3 million of their own money.
"While we are witnessing the bravery of Ukrainians, we are also bearing witness to the unimaginable burden of those who have chosen safety. Countless amounts of people have left everything they know and love behind to seek refuge. With nothing but what they could carry, these Ukrainian refugees are in need of housing and supplies right away," the couple, who became household names for their work on the popular sitcom That '70s Show, said in a statement.
Actress Blake Lively and her husband, Deadpool star Ryan Reynolds, are also among the high-profile names who have pledged their support to the people of Ukraine. The couple has vowed to match donations up to US$1 million that are made to the United Nations Refugee Agency to fund critical aid for displaced Ukrainians. Friends star Jennifer Aniston is among those who have drawn attention to the couple's initiative, revealing in a post to her almost 40 million Instagram followers that she had personally donated money to the cause.
Meanwhile, former Real Housewives of New York City star Bethenn Frankel is providing support via her nonprofit disaster relief charity BStrong. Two days after the conflict escalated, Frankel announced that US$10 million in initial aid was en route and almost $3 million in additional funding had already been raised. According to BStrong, the funds will be used to facilitate travel for refugees by establishing different stations along the Poland-Ukraine border to provide water and hygiene products.
