"For their Fall/Winter 2022 collection, Balenciaga created a powerful blizzard in an ominous, snow globe-like setting in lieu of a traditional runway show. There, models drenched in spandex and hoodies trekked on ice through a treacherous snowstorm while editors and celebrities looked on behind the safety of glass panels. It wasn’t only commentary on the role of the fashion industry in the current climate catastrophe. Upon arrival, show-goers were gifted t-shirts in the colors of the Ukranian flag, the birthplace of Demna, the mononymous creative director of the brand, who dedicated the collection “to fearlessness, to resistance, and to the victory of love and peace,” in the war-torn nation. Throughout the show, models trudged through the elements in the brand’s trademark spandex bodysuits and oversized outerwear, many of them lugging leather totes made to resemble the trash bags filled with the personal belongings of Ukranian refugees during the recent crisis. Even the show’s closing looks mimicked the colors of the country’s flag, a powerful nod in solidarity with the nation."