LUkraine Non-Profit Launches Ukrainian Designer Merchandise Charity Project

LUkraine asbl, a local non-profit organisation representing the Ukrainian community in Luxembourg, recently launched a charity project aimed at further supporting the Ukraine relief effort.

Chronicle.lu reached out to Inna Kosinska of LUkraine asbl for further details about this new project, which aims to support Ukrainians who have lost their homes and face a humanitarian crisis following the Russian invasion of their home country.

Ms Kosinska explained that the non-profit, which has been instrumental in early and continued support efforts in Luxembourg for Ukraine since 24 February 2022, has teamed up with various (mainly Ukrainian) artists to create clothes and accessories designed to promote peace and raise money for Ukrainians in need. 100% of profits will go to humanitarian aid for Ukraine and Ukrainian refugees in Luxembourg via LUkraine asbl.

The Luxembourg-based non-profit contacted designers and influencers from Ukraine and other countries to see if they would be interested in cooperating on this project. Inna Kosinska said she had been "touched [and] surprised by how fast they reacted”, adding that there had been "no negative answers". To date, LUkraine asbl has collected 150 artworks to freely use on its merchandise as part of this project. Whilst most of the artists are from Ukraine, designers and influencers from all over the world (including Poland, Germany and Canada) have pledged their support for the initiative. In Luxembourg, local artist Jacques Schneider has set up his own separate T-shirt selling campaign where he donates 100% of the profits to LUkraine asbl.

This new charity project, called "Support.Ukrainians.lu", aims to raise awareness about the current situation in Ukraine as well as to respond to continued demand for humanitarian aid in the affected country – and to support those who have had to flee their homes because of the war.

Inna Kosinska added that the project was "symbolic" for Ukraine, which is "famous worldwide for its designers". She continued: "Graphic design is at the highest level there: companies pay a lot of attention to their brand appearance and always try to differentiate, and designers always come up with creative solutions. There are several strong design schools in Ukraine and a large international design conference that I adore, which brings together more than 3,000 participants from 20 countries".

Available products include T-shirts and hoodies, tote bags and stickers. The full (and ever-growing) collection is available on the support.ukrainians.lu website, which launched at the end of April 2022. Worldwide shipping is available.

Since 24 February, LUkraine asbl has collected and distributed a total of 550 tonnes of humanitarian aid to Ukraine. The organisation has also raised €900,000 since the start of the war.