Estonian Embassy’s #Walk4Ukraine Gala in London Raises £50 000 for Ukrainian Aid

On 15 May 2025, Christ Church Spitalfields in central London became the setting for #Walk4Ukraine, a charity gala mounted by the Estonian Embassy. Blending a runway show with a dinner-auction for 150 guests, the evening amassed more than £50,000 (around €60,000) for humanitarian aid to Ukraine.

Four Ukrainian brands — Gorsset, Mogardi, Maison Sophy G and KEKA — sent their latest looks down the catwalk, with creative direction from Ukrainian designer Kostiantyn Lieontiev. Adding a diplomatic twist, Estonia’s ambassador to the UK, Viljar Lubi, briefly joined the models, showcasing menswear by Ukrainian street-utility brand Riot Division. In remarks afterwards, Ambassador Lubi noted that fashion shows are “hardly typical embassy business,” yet the moment called for a visible gesture of solidarity: “What happens in Ukraine touches us all.”

The guest of honour, Ukraine’s ambassador to the UK General Valerii Zaluzhnyi, earned a standing ovation. Marking Vyshyvanka Day, he and his wife wore the traditional embroidered shirt—one of which later featured in the auction alongside accessories and eveningwear donated by British, Ukrainian and Estonian designers such as Lilli Jahilo, Kriss Soonik and Tanel Veenre. A second unique vyshyvanka, identical to the one presented to Prince Harry, also went under the hammer.

Throughout the night Ukrainian fashion illustrator Tanya Chulkova produced live portraits of attendees; one of her specially created pieces fetched several thousand pounds. International firms and private patrons underwrote the event’s costs, ensuring that all proceeds went directly to relief efforts.

#Walk4Ukraine marked the embassy’s fourth large-scale fundraiser since the full-scale invasion began, following two previous auction-dinners and a London rave in aid of Ukraine.