Bloom Twins, the fashion duo taking on Putin

Ukrainian sisters Anna and Sonia Kuprienko are using their success to raise awareness of the war at home.

- Emily Walker

MID the horrors contained within videos of the war in Ukraine there are glimmers of almost comic A hope. Clips shared by Ukrainians on social media show geese flapping in the faces of Russian military, flying into enemy tanks and even marching, well, waddling, alongside Ukrainian soldiers. As a result, Russian propaganda has spread news bizarrely, claiming Ukraine is using genetically modified birds.

It is these geese- or gussi-that have provided the inspiration for and name of a fashion brand created by pop stars Sonia and Anna Kuprienko: otherwise known as Bloom Twins.

I meet the 27-year-old twins at a studio in east London where they're preparing to launch their Gussi collection, aimed at raising funds for charity We Help Ukrainians. They've spent the past few weeks enlisting celebrity supporters.

Members of Rudimental have modelled the T-shirts, and the twins have had enthusiasm from the US. "A lot of people loved it in LA. Tyga loved it and then Lil Wayne. He was like: 'What is this? Tell me the story," Sonia says, imitating the rapper's deep, southern drawl.

The sisters split their time between the US and the UK but grew up in Brovary, a city east of Kyiv. At 16 they moved to London, without their parents, to pursue a career in music. And they have had a lively decade. They have toured with Duran Duran, modelled for Burberry and Prada and been interviewed by Jeremy Paxman on Newsnight. A year ago they were in talks about creating a Hollywood film inspired by their escapades in the industry. But now they dedicate all their time to helping people back in their home country, the war zone.