'Ukraine Fashion Project' helps 6 Ukrainian designers with NYC displays as they go into hiding

LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- Fashion designers from Ukraine are getting some help here in the U.S.

The "Ukraine Fashion Project," which was started last year by a fashion brand strategist from Los Angeles, has helped six Ukrainian designers get their work on display for sale in New York City just as they were going into hiding.

"They're all very well-developed in Ukraine, but just don't export very much here in the U.S. just yet," said fashion brand strategist Jen Sidary. "So initially, yes, it was to, you know, build awareness and get buyer orders. And now, of course, with what has happened this week with their neighbor invading their country, it's now a larger mission."

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Small groups of Russian soldiers were reported Saturday in Kyiv, where the quiet was sporadically pierced by the sound of gunfire.

Sidary says she checks on the designers every day to make sure they are safe, and plans to continue helping them.