A Metro Vancouver student is raising money for relief efforts in Ukraine by selling clothing, mugs, and pins.
Madison Fleischer and her mother, Lisa Fleischer, have teamed up to raise funds for Ukraine by selling garments and mugs through their store, Slava Sweatshirts. The store is based out of the X-Treme Clothing Boutique in Tsawwassen.
Madison, who is a 23-year-old law student, tells Vancouver Is Awesome that 100 per cent of the proceeds are donated to Ukraine. Half of the funds go to Ukraine's National Bank and the other half goes to Red Cross Humanitarian Efforts.
"My great grandparents were from Lviv [Ukraine]," she explains. "So this is very close to my heart and I knew I had to do something."
Madison says she is the founder and designer for Slava Sweatshirts, while her mother is the chief financial officer and "funder."
There are three different designs to choose from right now. One of them reads "fight like a Ukrainian" and shows a Ukrainian tractor pulling a Russian tank away, while another proudly proclaims "Slava Ukraini," which translates to "glory to Ukraine" in English. The third design is called the Snake Island Hero crew and is an ode to the Ukrainian soldiers who were defending the island from a Russian warship.
The mother-daughter duo has partnered up with a local printer to get the designs on crewneck sweatshirts and "super soft" t-shirts — but they are selling fast.
"Now that things have really ramped up we're needing to find another printer who would also be interested in partnering," she notes. "We have a current one-man show who is doing every sweatshirt by his own hands."
Slava Sweatshirts also sells a Slava Ukraini mug and a Ukraine pin. Madison found a design online to use for the mug and paired it with an Eastern European font style; she makes all of the pins herself.
"I thought this would be a great idea to have a lasting impact on the Ukrainian people. While the donations automatically benefit Ukraine — the ability to wear your message is a way we can all support the movement," she adds.
X-Treme Clothing Boutique is located in the Tsawwassen Town Centre Mall at 1210 56 St. Visit Slava Sweatshirts online.
