SWISS designer brand Gina GRNW has launched a limited edition collection of the brand’s signature Plex Bags as a response to the invasion of Ukraine. Inspired by Ukrainian culture, the bags will be sold at an online fundraising raffle. Combining fashion with activism has been at the core of the brand’s identity from its founding days.
For this limited collection, Gina GRNW has partnered with Marsh Zhinok, a feminist Ukrainian organisation working to support Ukrainian people, especially women, fleeing the war. All proceeds made from the fundraiser will be donated to the organisation.
The limited Kobzar collection was named in honour of the Ukrainian poet Taras Shevchenko and has been created by a team of talented, young and predominantly Slavic artists. Constructed from off cuts of local Plexiglass factories, the collection features three handmade and sustainable Plex Bags.
Gina GRNW The Kobzar Collection
The limited pieces shine as an homage to the Ukrainian nation as it includes engravings of poetry, traditional patterns as well as hues of sky blue and sunflower yellow. Handmade in Gina GRNW’s studios in London and Zurich, the three bags are entirely made from upcycled acrylic glass.
Sustainability is an essential element to Gina GRNW as the brand hopes for a more eco-conscious future for the fashion industry. Their designs blend knitwear with high-tech laser technologies, successfully merging old and new.
This commitment to preserve is just as relevant for the limited Kobzar Collection as it focuses on supporting and showcasing the Ukrainian culture in light of its silencing by the Russian invasion. These three innovative bags seek to share the Ukrainian pride and history with the rest of the world.
Gina GRNW The Kobzar Collection
The lucky winners of the raffle will each receive one of the three exclusive Plex Bags. Each of the pieces represents a different element of the Ukrainian culture.
The Batkivshchyna (“Fatherland”) bag is embellished with poetic words by Taras Shevchenko, Lina Kostenko, and Volodymyr Sosiura as they describe their love for their country. The Ukrainian coat of arms is highlighted in the Tryzub (“Trident”) bag. A celebration of the embroidery of the national costume can be discovered on the Vyshyvanka bag.
Gina GRNW The Kobzar Collection
“To not do anything for Ukraine was never an option. Active and substantial support for social justice issues is exactly what the brand stands for,” says Gina Grünwald, founder of GINA GRNW. “It was also a priority to uplift Ukrainian voices; that’s why the collection was made in close collaboration with Ukrainian creatives and a grassroots Ukrainian organisation,” she continues.
by Julie Heinisch
The raffle will be held on Gina Grnw from May 6 to May 20, with a price of £25 per ticket