Influencer has been called “deaf in tone” and “careless” for posing in bikinis and encouraging people to buy her swimwear line – while claiming to raise awareness of the crisis in Ukraine.
29-year-old Daniel Bernstein, who founded the New York-based blog We Wore What, went to Instagram to share a photo of herself in a bikini advertising her new line of swimwear.
Writing to her two million followers, she said: “You can raise awareness of your new collection while raising money to return.
“You can spend your day at the same time showing compassion and turning to others.”
29-year-old Daniel Bernstein, who founded the New York-based blog We Wore What, went to Instagram to share a photo of herself in a bikini advertising her new line of swimwear.
Writing to her two million followers, she said: “You can raise awareness of your new collection while raising money to return. “You can spend your day at the same time showing compassion and addressing others.” (Left) However, Daniel quickly changed the caption after receiving a reaction from followers who called her “deaf in tone” and “literally the worst.” (right)
“What’s happening in the world right now is horrifying, and I know posting a bikini photo isn’t helping anyone – but do you know what it will help?”
“The proceeds from this start of swimming go to a land organization in Ukraine.
“Stay tuned for more information on the returns of this collection [available March 1st]. ‘
However, Daniel quickly changed the caption after receiving a reaction from followers who called her “deaf in tone” and “literally the worst.”
She edited the caption to claim that her brand, We Give What, had donated $ 250,000 (£ 187,000) to the Global Empowerment Mission to help with refugee crises around the world.
Daniel, pictured, has previously been criticized for copying designs and threatening small business owners who tried to get them back.
However, this statement was quickly criticized by other fashion accounts. Sustainable fashion advocate Heidi Kaluza, who manages the Instagram account The Rogue Essentials, commented: “To be clear, you don’t have to buy anything (like a swimsuit) to fund the Global Empowerment Mission.
The account, which often calls for influential people and fast fashion, adds that it is “not true” for Daniel to claim that her team sent $ 250,000 to help refugees in Ukraine because she is hosting an event instead. where money is collected instead.
Daniel later shared publications claiming that she had sent $ 21,000 to Ukraine and that the charitable part of her business was “fully managed by the Global Empowerment Mission.”
“Almost every launch of @shopweworewhat has returned hundreds of thousands of dollars to an extremely important cause, and I can no longer be proud of that. This will not be any different. Two days ago, our team sent $ 250,000 in refugee aid to Ukraine. Due to the current situation, we are postponing the launch date and making a second $ 5,000 donation to our @wegavewhat partners @globalempowermentmission TODAY because we know it is needed NOW.
However, this statement was quickly criticized by other fashion accounts. Sustainable fashion advocate Heidi Kaluza, who maintains an Instagram account The Rogue Essentials commented: “To be clear, you don’t have to buy anything (like a swimsuit) to fund a Global Empowerment Mission.
“You can just donate what you would spend, and then you don’t have to worry about where it goes when it falls apart.”
Heidi’s post was later shared on the Instagram account Diet Prada, where hundreds of people shared their shock, including one who wrote: “Don’t donate by buying something from it – it doesn’t deserve tax deduction.”
The account, which often calls for influential people and fast fashion, adds that it is “not true” for Daniel to claim that her team sent $ 250,000 to help refugees in Ukraine because she is hosting an event instead. where money is collected instead.
“Many people work, donate and share information without trying to profit from it at the same time,” she added.
“I forgot about this man for a while and I’m sad to be back in my media field. Her business embodies so much of what is wrong with influence, including portraying a very false and misleading image of impact.
Daniel later shared publications claiming that she had sent $ 21,000 to Ukraine and that the charitable part of her business was “fully managed by the Global Empowerment Mission.”
Daniel had previously come under fire for copying designs and threats to small business owners who tried to get them back.
Heidi’s post was later shared on the Instagram account Diet Prada, where hundreds of people shared their shock, including one who wrote: “Don’t donate by buying something from it – it doesn’t deserve tax deduction.”
This comes when the fashion world was criticized for lack of support for the crisis in Ukraine, co-founded by Valentino Giancarlo Jameti going to Instagram to share a photo from the Moschino show at Milan Fashion Week to a photo of a young girl looking at ruins.
This comes when the fashion world was criticized for its lack of support for the crisis in Ukraine, with Valentino co-founder Giancarlo Jameti going to Instagram to share a photo from the Moschino show at Milan Fashion Week to a photo of a young girl looking at the ruins.
“The illogical lack of compatibility between fashion shows and the situation in Ukraine is something that needs to be addressed … I don’t know the answer … and you?” See these two photos “the discrepancy hurts,” we wrote.
Vena Brikalin from Vogue Ukraine added that Milan Fashion Week has proven that the industry is “deaf in tone”.
Speaking of Evening standardthe journalist said he flew for Kyiv Fashion Week the day before, which “may have saved his life” as the airspace was closed hours later.
Bricalin missed many of Milan Fashion Week’s fashion shows and did not post about fashion on social media – saying he was “grateful to be safe” but most of his team were “hiding in basements”.
“As a man, there is pressure to return and enlist in the military.
“I have girlfriends who are even looking for rifles and weapons because they are committed to helping the defense,” he added.
Vena Brikalin from Vogue Ukraine added that Milan Fashion Week has proven that the industry is “deaf in tone”.
On Instagram, he said that Giorgio Armani is the only designer who has even acknowledged the crisis in Ukraine, leaving his show in complete silence.
Brikalin added that “turning off your music is not the most radical thing in the world” and that he did not think designers should give up their hard work and “just stop”.
“But I think this industry is really deaf and Milan showed that this week,” he added.
“I do not expect models to come out with Ukrainian national flags or burn a portrait of Vladimir Putin on the track… The worst thing you can do is throw Ukrainian dresses in your collection just to show your support. But there are things you can do. ‘
He added that he did not know if it was “laziness, insensitivity or fear of alienating certain customers”, as Russia is a huge market for high-end designers.
Giorgio Armani walks the runway at the Giorgio Armani fashion show during Milan Fashion Week, after doing so, he stopped the music of his show in support of Ukraine
Ukrainian model Katerina Zub, 21, was also stranded in Italy after flying from her hometown of Kharkov, where her parents are.
“I call them and they try to tell me that everything is fine, but I hear the sounds of guns. Can you imagine?’ It’s too late. They can’t go anywhere. The Russians are everywhere. Tanks are everywhere. My God, this is a nightmare. “It’s worse than anything I’ve seen in the movies,” she told the Evening Standard.
Ukrainian President Zelensky said in a televised address today that 16 Ukrainian children had been killed and 45 injured in the four days since Putin’s invasion.
Hundreds of thousands of women and children have fled Ukraine to the West, with some children separated or even orphaned since the invasion began. Queues of up to 25 miles are reported on the border with Poland.
Putin has dramatically escalated tensions between East and West by ordering Russian nuclear forces to be on high alert on Sunday as Ukraine’s war-torn leader agrees to negotiate with Moscow as Putin’s forces penetrate deeper into the country.
Putin cited NATO’s “aggressive statements” in issuing a directive to increase the readiness of its country’s nuclear weapons – a move that raised fears that the invasion of Ukraine could escalate into a nuclear war, whether intentional or by mistake.
The Russian leader “potentially includes forces that, if there is a miscalculation, could make things much, much more dangerous,” said a senior U.S. defense official, speaking on condition of anonymity.
Amid growing tensions, the office of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has announced that the two countries will meet at an unspecified location on the border with Belarus, where a Russian delegation awaits on Sunday.
But the Kremlin’s ultimate goals in Ukraine – and what steps might be enough to satisfy Moscow – remain unclear