POPSUGAR: What do you think of the fashion community's overall response to the war? During Milan Fashion Week, it wasn't until Giorgio Armani staged a silent show that everyone realized, well, we can still be conscious of what's happening. How did your community respond once you started raising more awareness on your platform? And how do you feel about the state of activism amid all this?
Mary Furtas: Well, I don't expect anybody to stop their lives, but of course, it was great to see fashion support us. I understand it's not forever. I do not have any kind of expectation, but I have a lot of friends helping out still in the fashion community. I would really love to keep those regular small reminders. That's what I'm trying to work on now. I ask my friends to post on social media.
I think activism comes in waves. People can't sustain it for a very long time if they don't get paid for it. I'm just thinking realistically from a business perspective.
At the end of the day, you're in your own bubble, so I think that implementing activism into your business model is a good idea. So, to me, it's important that brands and people, in everything — I'm not just talking about the war in Ukraine — try to do whatever they can, because it inspires other people to think that way, and it models this democratic behavior.
