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Since Russia invaded Ukraine in late February, over 2.9 million citizens have fled, becoming refugees overnight, with the majority heading to neighbouring countries including Poland, Romania, Hungary and Moldova.
In response, fashion brands in the UK, Germany and Australia are stepping up to support refugees with employment opportunities. It’s not a simple process, but if successful, the efforts could serve as a blueprint for companies to support refugees from other countries that have faced conflict, human rights violations or other events disturbing public order in recent years. According to the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), over 82.4 million people were displaced at the end of 2020 including from Syria, Venezuela and Afghanistan. The number continues to rise.
Ukraine’s designers, PRs and others in fashion are supporting as best they can and urging the international industry to do the same.
In the UK, a coalition of 45 businesses has been formed to offer incoming refugees dignified employment and long-term support as they resettle and regain control of their lives. Coordinator Emma Sinclair is the co-founder and CEO of recruitment software Enterprise Alumni, and an advisor to G7 and Unicef. Her father’s family fled to the UK from Ukraine years ago to avoid persecution. In the last week, Sinclair has rallied businesses willing to employ incoming refugees, including Marks & Spencer and Asos.
“The infrastructure to support refugees at scale doesn’t exist, but it’s being worked on,” she says, fresh out of a meeting with the UK’s newly appointed minister for refugees, Richard Harrington. Public business support is crucial to pressure governments to act quicker and support refugees once the infrastructure is in place, she adds. “The government has a big job to do, but businesses have a role to play, too.”
Available roles are varied. Lush will be hiring 500-600 seasonal staff from May, and has longer term roles open including spa therapists, warehouse and retail assistants, web developers and forecasters. A spokesperson for Asos says the retailer is working with partners across Europe to find roles. It is particularly interested in tech engineers, a skillset Ukraine specialises in, and is licensed to offer certificates of sponsorship.
Red tape, racism and xenophobia, and infrastructure are key challenges, but observers say efforts to employee Ukrainian refugees could be a successful pilot programme for widening future refugee support. “It’s fantastic that governments are looking at supporting Ukrainian refugees, but it’s a tragedy that the response has not been echoed for Syria, Yemen or other countries facing crises,” says Tamara Cincik, founder and CEO of think tank Fashion Roundtable. “This support should be applauded, but it needs to become a consistent scheme.”
Cutting the red tape
“There’s a tremendous will in government to burn through the red tape,” says Sinclair, referencing the slow and complex processes that often prevent refugees from resettling and accessing dignified work. For example, those entering the UK on a technical visa need to complete an English language test and tuberculosis screening before arrival, which are not possible when fleeing a warzone.
“The first priority is to get people into the country and safe accommodation, then we can focus on longer term support,” she continues. Sinclair is trying to scale a nationwide database to connect incoming refugees with available jobs that match their existing skill set and upskilling where needed. Young people whose education or opportunities have been thwarted may also benefit from widened access to apprenticeship schemes, so they can learn while earning.
In Frankfurt, B2B tailoring workshop Stitch by Stitch runs three-year traineeships for refugees with a certificate upon completion, which helps them find future jobs. It focuses early interactions around work, leaving potentially traumatised employees to open up if and when they feel comfortable. Team lunches and free German classes twice a week cement relationships. “Sewing is a universal language,” says co-founder Claudia Frick. “We are building something together.”
The company has helped employees access gynaecologists and childcare, and written letters of recommendation to secure accommodation. Bank accounts, paperwork and language are key challenges, says co-founder Nicole von Alvensleben. “We try to help them to help themselves. That’s important if they want to build a sustainable and lasting future in Germany.”
Access to bank accounts has also been an obstacle for Lush, which first hired refugees during the Iraq war, when several Kurdish people applied for roles in UK coastal town Poole, where Lush has its head office, several factories and retail stores. Word of mouth snowballed applications, says ethics director Hilary Jones, and the brand soon had whole departments of Kurdish refugees, as well as economic migrants from the European Union and other refugees.
“Every time there has been a crisis, we have been open to hiring people,” explains Jones, adding that relationships with refugee relief agencies and governments have been retrofitted. “In times of crisis, there are often blockages because of the onerous paperwork and administrative systems.”
Without governments streamlining these processes, she adds, businesses’ good intentions only go so far.
Alongside the UK appointing Harrington as refugees minister to handle the crisis; secretary of state for levelling up, housing and communities Michael Gove unveiled the Homes for Ukraine scheme, allowing Ukrainian refugees without close relatives in the UK to come to the country if a citizen sponsor has agreed to house them. However, the government has drawn criticism for the pace and scale of its response. In the EU, refugees have been offered open sanctuary, meaning Ukrainians can live and work in EU states for up to three years, and access education and housing without having to claim asylum.
Building in support beyond recruitment
Ethical fashion brand The Social Outfit was founded to provide jobs for refugee women entering Australia, hiring over 50 refugees in eight years, spanning Sri Lanka, Syria and Somalia. In September 2021, founder Camilla Schippa penned an open letter to the Australian prime minister Scott Morrison, alongside crisis response collective Aus Fashion Aid, asking him to increase Australia’s intake of refugees. More than 50 brands co-signed, but progress has been slow. In the meantime, The Social Outfit is training 20 Afghani women, referred to them through charities, refugee settlement agencies and word of mouth.
As well as following local laws on workplace conditions, hours and wages, Schippa says businesses can provide individualised support based on refugees’ needs, including flexible working hours and education around their rights in Australia. The Social Outfit pays by the hour instead of by output, which Schippa says is an unethical common practice that often leaves seamstresses earning less than minimum wage. The brand also offers free sewing and English classes for refugees it cannot hire full-time.
Uniqlo Japan began working with the RHQ (Refugee Assistance Headquarters) and other organisations in 2011 to provide employment for people and families permitted to live in Japan permanently under recognised refugee status. The number of individuals hired rises every year, today totalling 120. It says clear progression pathways, respect for cultural traditions and active, ongoing support are crucial.
A welcoming workplace does not necessarily have welcoming neighbours, adds Lush’s Jones. The brand’s Poole facilities were once raided by immigration police after local factory workers reported the company for the amount of BIPOC employees entering its doors, assuming they were illegal immigrants. “We have since done a lot of work to make it clear to the local town how much refugees contribute to the area, trying to build a culture of acceptance and gratitude.”
Lush now employs refugees across the world, including at its factories in Canada, Germany and Australia. It provides access to translators from the interview stage onwards, waives the need for CVs, coaches others in interview skills, and offers relocation packages just as it would to staff moving out of choice. It also provides laptops, flexible working and job-share opportunities for those easing back into work post-trauma, and support from immigration lawyers. Employees can choose to work with people who share their language, and are offered education to access higher paid roles.
“There may be small hurdles but our overwhelming takeaway is that refugees bring so much more than they take, on every level,” says Jones. “I can’t see why any company wouldn’t take refugees in.”
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