Digital fashion platform DRESSX is selling a virtual dress, sweatshirt, bucket hat and earrings to raise funds for Ukraine. Items are priced from USD 25 to USD 1,000. The Los Angeles-based startup was founded by Ukrainian entrepreneurs who will be donating all proceeds from sales of the capsule collection to their home country's Ministry of Defence and several non-profits.
The images of people desperately trying to board trains are all too familiar. To help refugees continue their journey once they've left Ukraine, rail companies are offering free train tickets. All refugees need to do is show their passport. So far, Poland, Germany, Austria, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, France, Belgium, the Netherlands and Denmark have signed up. Similarly, telecom providers in Europe and the US are providing free calls to and from Ukraine.
To help out its community of makers, Etsy is cancelling fees for all sellers in Ukraine, including listing fees, transaction fees and advertising fees. Consumers around the world can support those artists and designers by purchasing their digital files. To find local sellers, users set the 'seller is based in' filter to Ukraine. (The felt brooch pattern above is by seller EasyPatternCraft.)
The Female Company just donated 10,000 boxes of period pads to Ukranian refugees along the country's border. On announcing the shipment, the DTC brand was flooded with requests from customers wanting to pitch in. So it added 'Pads for Ukraine' to its webshop. Consumers can purchase those at a discounted price and The Female Company will ship them out weekly, working with other Berlin-based startups that are donating products and services.
A Kyiv-based app that lets users create funny videos by swapping faces with famous people has turned its platform into a broadcasting tool. On opening Reface, users are shown images of the current situation and urged to support Ukraine. The app is also sending push-notifications about the invasion to millions of users worldwide, including those in Russia.
Airbnb announced that it will provide free, short-term housing for up to 100,000 refugees, mainly in European countries. The stays will be funded by Airbnb, donors to the Airbnb.org Refugee Fund and hosts who are offering rooms and homes at no charge. This isn't the first time the company is helping house refugees — over the past five years, Airbnb.org and its partners have provided temporary housing to over 54,000 refugees and asylees from Syria, Venezuela, Afghanistan and other countries.
