The forced closure of high street stores and shopping centres due to the Coronavirus is highly impacting the fashion industry, but despite the fact that global fashion sales are predicted to fall immensely, numerous fashion houses are taking steps to help fight the Coronavirus.
Louis Vuitton, owned by the LVMH group was one of the first fashion houses to react to the crisis, by turning its perfume and cosmetics factories into alcohol-based sanitizer manufacturers which are given free of charge to French healthcare authorities. The Armani Group has also converted all of its production sites in Italy to produce hospital gowns, as the country is one of the most impacted ones by the virus. Moncler donated €10 million for the construction of a new hospital in Milan that has 400 intensive care units. Prada started the production of 80,000 hospital gowns and 110,000 masks which will be given to healthcare professionals. Ralph Lauren donated millions to various COVID-19 funds and charities and is also making 250,000 face masks, in addition to 25,000 hospital gowns. Chanel announced that the fashion house is turning its workshops into face mask factories as France also continues to fight the coronavirus pandemic. Gucci has donated €1 million to several civil organizations in Italy and is also producing face masks and hospital gowns. Dior is reopening its Baby Dior workshops in order for volunteer workers to be able to produce face masks. Donatella Versace and her daughter have donated €200,000 to the ICU of Milan’s San Raffaele hospital, which has become overwhelmed with patients who are being treated for COVID-19. And I’ve only talked about top brands, but the list keeps on going…!
Let’s hope that more and more fashion houses join the cause and with all their efforts they will enable this global pandemic to end as soon as possible. In the meantime… stay home… stay safe…and feel free to make some home-made masks for those in need…!
